Dialed Back, Dialed In.  With the cooler weather, the rush to spawn for the Red River’s channel catfish has stalled and the bite has remained solid as a result. DEO Photo by Brad Durick.

By Brad Durick

My, what a difference a week can make. We went from air temperatures in the 90s down to the 40s in just a day or so. Water temperatures as a result are back down to 57 degrees as of Monday morning. In the last report I said that the bite had slowed some with the heat. A big thunderstorm last Thursday turned everything back on and so far it has not turned off even with the fast-cooling water. It is almost like the fish are enjoying the cool off as well.

Thus, the prespawn is on! The fish are spread out more than a couple weeks back and requiring more hunting but once you find them but they will bite. Main current seams right next to the fastest current (but maybe not directly in that current) remain the best areas to fish. Both suckers and goldeyes are working well for bait. Sit times have been starting with 20 to 25 minutes and if you are still getting bites stay longer. Over the weekend I was sitting on spots for 45 minutes to an hour before the bites shut down. 

The forecast looks like it will be more seasonal over the next while and we should stay in the prespawn stage for a few more weeks so mother nature has slowed things down for us again. This is good. Get out and enjoy!

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 the Grand Forks area.