Quality channel catfish in the 15-to-18 pound range are plentiful right now on the Red River, and the fish are already aggressively feeding as stable water levels and warmer temperatures have spurred a strong pre-spawn bite. DEO Photo by Brad Durick.
By Nick Simonson
With the lack of a spring flood, warmer than average temperatures, and stable weather along the Red River valley this spring, angling for the flow’s catfish is already in mid-season form. While those factors have aligned to kick things off almost a month ahead of schedule, anglers are more likely to be impressed by the size and frequency of quality catfish in the flow, according to Red River catfish guide, Brad Durick.
“When we went into late fall last year, we had an outstanding batch of big fish. Not necessarily those 20-to-25 pounders, but those 15-to-18s were everywhere, and with no flooding they really had nowhere to go,” Durick relates, adding, “so I knew those fish were there, and especially this past week, I’m seeing those fish are still there. So that’s positive, that’s huge. That’s a lot of big fish for everyone that’s fishing.”
With catfish being the apex predator in the river system, especially in the area from the Grand Forks dam to the recently renovated Drayton dam, Durick suggests they’ll eat anything and everything they can find, especially this time of year. With water temperatures in the 50s the fish are quickly shifting into pre-spawn mode, and are aggressively taking baits. While Durick’s go-to bait when guiding clients and fishing on his own remains sucker, he suggests that when the bait is in short supply as it is now, there are other options for anglers as the season progresses.
“As far as baits that we use, of course it’s goldeyes, frogs and suckers. Suckers have been a little bit hard to come by, as usual. They have been the magic for me, they’re obviously my comfort bait,” Durick explains of his offerings for cats in the early goings, “goldeyes have been really rocking it here lately, talking to other fishermen, and frogs I just really haven’t seen any yet, but they’re more of a late summer deal, so I’m not that concerned about them,” he concludes, adding that anything fresh seems to be the ticket to bites in this hot early fishing.
When it comes to catching the Red River’s legendary catfish, with some approaching 30 pounds and a current average of nine to 11 pounds, it’s not so much technology as it is technique and tenacity, according to Durick. While some elements of modern sonar, such as mapping programs which can help lay out a depth contour on a GPS map, and help identify holes, runs, and edges that attract catfish, keeping things simple and avoiding a staredown with a display running real-time sonar helps anglers catch more fish.
“As far as the new technologies – the Livescopes, MEGA Lives, things like that – they are fun to watch, let me tell you. But I can’t find any real significance as to how they’re going to catch you more catfish,” Durick notes with a laugh, “I’m all about efficiency, as much as technology,” he concludes, adding that his kitchen timer set on each spot is one of the best fish-catching tools in his arsenal, as it keeps his sit times honest and appropriate to the moods of the catfish below.
Whether from shore or boat, Durick recommends anglers get out there now, as nice conditions and good water levels allow for easy access to the river’s channel cats. A pending warm-up however, may trigger spawning movements for catfish about a month early, which may mess with the bite a bit and slow things down. For those casting from the shore, it’s recommended to utilize heavier weights to get their offerings out over the channel edge and into the main channel edge. Boat-based anglers should focus on the front and back edges of holes and those places where fast water meets slow, and explore from there, giving each spot an honest 20-to-30-minute wait time until something changes the status quo and the fish hit their spawn.
Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.