Comparisons to Lockport are hyperbole for sure. It does take a lot more skill, experience and time on the water to catch flatheads on the MN than it does to catch channels at Lockport.
I was just trying to make a wise crack about some of you guys not being aware of just how many catfisherman around the country are jealous of your fishery.
pug, what they meant was that because the MN has such and outstanding flathead population, quantity, quality and size…..that videos shot there can warp the viewer’s expectations about catching flatheads on his own home waters.
Same thing as filming channel cat videos in Lockport without revealing where you are.
My point was to confirm that, yes the Minnesota is indeed a Nationally known flathead mecca.
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One of the items I found interesting is the Red River of The North is bordered by 3 states and they all have the same rules.
Another is the Minnesota River is a Nationally known cat fishery.
What kind of bubble are you living in? 
I’ve talked to Flathead fishermen in other states who say it should not be allowed to shoot a flathead video or write and flathead article on the Minnesota, because that fishery doesn’t represent reality.
Foul hooked?
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Yes! That’s right! Special regs for flats! Someone pointed the DNR’s head in the right direction!
Any idea how that’s working RB?
Isn’t that the system they closed the season for the winter too?
Well we are only one year into the new regs. Sampling data is taken every year and it will probably take 8-10 years to identify if the new rules are working. I asked one of the biologists when he thought we might see some improvement and he basically said it all depends on compliance and enforcement. Night fishing and setlines…etc…makes enforcement difficult.
Matt, the 30″-36″ was a compromise. We were dealing with a large and long culture of setline and bankpole fisherman who kept everything over 10 pounds all the way to people like me who thought all unattended lines should be outlawed.
I didn’t realize how important keeping fish was to a lot of people, but to a lot of them that is the sole reason for fishing. So the compromise was one fish, about a 15 pounder, per day would be the limit.
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WI= 25 cat limit (all flats or combined)
Not on all waters.
In fact the entire Winnebago system is now 1 flathead per day between 30″ and 36″.
No whuppin sticks here.
My blue rods are St. Croix Classic Cats…best catfishing rods I’ve ever seen. I am glad I bought them when I could.
I used blue rods.
And a couple of brown rods.
Dark blue and dark brown. 
I am sorry but this thread is either a joke or that 48″ is a typo. Right?
Steve, didn’t you go something like 13 trips without a flathead a couple years ago? I know I’ve gone at least 5 or 6. I am also in year two of a sub 25 pound streak. That is the way it goes.
Although I am pretty sure I had a 30+ on the other night who wrapped me up in the snag. Worst feeling in the world when you realize you aren’t going to get him out.
Ralph Wiggum has it right. The cheap yellow corded one from Fleet Farm. I have two in my boat. If one craps out, I’ll just buy another.
Stay away from rechargeables.
3000 pounds by 3 guys is easily doable in 3 or 4 days in the spring. Cats average 18 pounds, 167 of them would be a little over 3000. We’ve caught from 40 to 240 on the weeklong trips I’ve taken.
How low is the water now?
Thanks again Kev. It was well worth the trip. You promised big channels and with 2 fish over 15 pounds you certainly delivered. Couldn’t ask for anything more. Matt hit the nail on the head…amazing girth on these fish.
Reply sent.
1/0 hook and an old sickly bullhead???
Congrats, that is a huge fish.
This will be very interesting.
I left my camera home on purpose last night.
5 hours, 6 spots, 47 degrees, 1 bite and my leader broke 1.5 seconds after the hookset.
I am gonna say that fish was 43.25″ and 39 pounds and 4 ounces.
Dtro, I agree with your point.
What about a good eyechrometer?
Ryan, just call it 42 pounds…as one old guy told me “It’s your fish story”
Has a hook company or anybody for that matter ever proven that hooks do rot away?
I’ve always thought that hook rot was a myth that people kept up to feel better about themselves.
That makes a lot of sense Larry. I didn’t think about the competition aspect, where a bouncing scale or weighing the net might makes things hard when you are using the honor system.
While I love all the info being gathered about the fish and I think the charts are valuable for people without a scale, but I have to disagree with the idea of measuring being easier to do or better for the fish. Well, I guess it depends on what else you do with the fish.
When I net a fish I pop the hook out, hook the scale on the net for a quick weight and then put the fish back in the water. It the fish is worthy of a picture I take it out of the net after weighing, snap the photo and then slip the fish back into the water.
Very cool Larry!
How deep are the intakes for your Aquaclear filters? It looks like there is a section of white hose attatched to one of them. Will it lift water that far?
“Graphite is your messenger”
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I still like to run without a spotlight whenever I can, and just use it for corners and tight channels.
I can see better in the dark on the water with out lights
Don’t take this the wrong way — I certainly don’t have any problem with people not using headlights. In fact, I believe they are actually illegal to use while motoring on the water, according to the coast guard. However, I will respectfully disagree with your assessment that you can see BETTER in the dark than you can with proper lighting. You very likely can see “good enough” for navigation on a waterway where one can expect most other obstructions to be lit or highly reflective (e.g. mississippi river), but you most certainly cannot see BETTER than you could if the way was well lit with automotive quality headlights.
If you don’t believe me, imagine the response you would get if you said you could see BETTER in a car on a highway without headlights that you can with headlights. Neither scenario (boat/river or car/highway) would allow the driver to see BETTER with less light.
What you are saying would seem to make sense.
But I found myself pretty disappointed after spending $100 on KC off-road racing lights, several hours wiring and fabricating mounts that would make the lights easily removable and then spending another $100 on a Pelican case to protect the lights when stowed in the boat, only to find out that I could see better with the lights off and just use a $10 cheapo corded spotlight to check for shoreline, turns and deadheads.
I may look into switching to HID headlights to see if they would be an improvement.
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I only wish I could use walleyes, BK – we can’t use anything under 15″ and if I catch any that size I’m eating them.
Wolf River system has no size limits on walleyes.
Now just wait, the day they change the bullhead rule they will also changes laws to deal with the VHS issues like they have IL and WI and you won’t be able to use bullheads at all!
Unless you catch them and use them on the same water without ever leaving your boat.
Dave you need to move that steering console all the way up and lose the box that is in front of it.
There are no seats in my boat. 
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cruising Office Max for business card holders
Ok..you starting a business on ebay selling business card holders?
No its just another thing I have to get to keep up with the DeMarses.
