Spring Catting.  With stable and warm spring waters, the catfish bite has materialized early on the Red River and the fish are in pre-spawn mode already. DEO Photo by Brad Durick .

By Brad Durick

Spring is here and we are about two weeks early for catfishing from a normal year. With little to no winter, the water levels on the Red River in and around the Grand Forks area are low and water temperatures are already at 53 degrees. Stable conditions already have the catfish going in their pre-spawn movements and they are biting.

The fish are running in the middle of the flow on the break lines near holes and faster water runs. Bait has been pretty much anything fresh. I have used suckers the couple times I was out, but I have been hearing that goldeye is good and pretty much anything else is being taken. Sit times so far have been in that 15-to-20-minute range.

The big front we had early in the week might slow things down a little, but warmer weather in the forecast for the end of the week will bring things back quickly.

I officially started guiding on April 30 this year which is a new record earliest date. Get out and enjoy soon in case we do indeed run out of water.

Brad Durick is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed ND fishing guide specializing in trophy catfish on the Red River in and around Grand Forks.