Minnesota River Late August Catfishing

The catfish spawn has been winding down over the last few weeks and the bite seems to be steadily improving. Water levels are at the normal late summer levels on the Minnesota River even with the recent rains this month. Water temps are in the low 70’s and that seems to have the Cats fairly active getting ready for winter.
I had the pleasure of taking Madison and Dylan out for a night on the river prior to them getting ready to start school next week. This was night that we will all remember with 5 nice fish in the boat in the span of a few hours.

Both Channels and Flats are being taken on a variety of baits: cut bait, live bait, creek chubs, suckers, bullheads, shrimp, if your lucky enough to find some frogs, I’ve heard that they can be a hot ticket to an aggressive bite. When looking for locations keep in mind that the fish are very spread out. Look to find bait fish around any variety of structures and you will find the kitties not far behind. Some structures that I’ve had luck with are rip rap, log jams, discharges, if you can find a little faster current that seems to help as well.

Over the last month I’ve been working on a different technique than what I’ve used in the past and that is working a large Cat Bobber. I’ve tried off and on over the last 3 years with this bobber with out any success, and in looking to change up the game I recently made the decision to work this tactic until I got a fish. The last couple times out I had had some action on the rig but was unable to hook into a fish due to a variety of reasons. You need to have the right conditions for this be successful and late summer is a great time when the flows are low.

The Cat Bobber can be a very exciting way to fish. I use a 4 ounce weight to balance the bobber out and keep it upright. I use glow bracelets so I keep an eye on the float as it drifts around. If any of you are Jaws fans this kind of reminded me of when they tag the shark with a barrel and its cruising though the water to be dragged under.
With 75lbs of fish (4 flats and 1 channel) boated for a total of 5 fish caught and released, this night was one for the books, and a perfect way to end the summer for Dylan and Madison. Good luck in school guys.