I need help>>>>>>>>>>

[newcatguy]

I'm new to cat fishing and for that matter to the MN river. My son and I thought it would be cool to do so we bought some gear and trying to find the cats. I'm not fixated on a 40 pound flatty , would just like to get into cats. We have been launching at the 35w bridge then going west a bit. We have caught a bunch of Dog fish a few sheep head, 2 cats about 5 pounds and 1 nice muski.

Can any one give me advice on fishing that part of the river?

We are going at it again tonight.

[ec30_06]

Tough fishing out there right now for everyone

[Larry FlatCaster]

I'll second that.... with the falling water temps... you might get some channels... the Flats are hard to come by.

[Shack]

Go east!

Word has it that the info in this thread: Click Here!

Is rolling again as of the last week and this week. I also have heard that some particular spots have been producing flats around 10lb's, but I will not say, because LFC would laugh and poke fun of me

[DARK30]

Be very careful with the barge traffic in that stretch.

[newcatguy]

Thanks for the tips. Where can I find a map that identifies where the pools are by number? I'm not familiar with where or for that matter what pool 2 is.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Go east!

Word has it that the info in this thread: Click Here!

Is rolling again as of the last week and this week. I also have heard that some particular spots have been producing flats around 10lb's, but I will not say, because LFC would laugh and poke fun of me

Shack... I know you have some thick skin....I'll poke fun of you regardless, if you list spots publicly or not... Though its not really my style, I'll throw a poke here and there.

IMHO its about teaching and sharing with people how to ... rather than where to...(give a man a fish and he eats for a day... teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.... though its not about eating its about learning the river and all that goes with it to be a proficient fisherman)

The experienced guys know that if you can dial the equation in... your gonna be able to get fish all over, rather than list spot that might be hot one day and not another, and have the noobs chasing their tails looking for a hot bite.

So here you are as a staffer posting a thread from June telling him to hit bigger water and he doesn't understand...

And all he wants is a quick fix to get some fish for him and his son... Now I wish there was an quick easy way to share with everyone how to get catfish... sometimes it is easy...but when the most experienced guys are struggling... we just want to let him know realistically what he can expect... it was a tough bite yesterday... might be different today.. obviously our variety of tactics were not working so we can not accurately predict and do not want to throw (Bologna) out there, making ourselves look foolish... and not all of us are into the top posting contest, we hope to make our info accurate and worthwhile to those that don't have all day to spend online.

My advice to the new guy (with all due respect) is to take some time... a few hours at a minumum and go through this forum and read old posts. You will gain much more info than you even thought to ask, then it will be easier for you to try a variety of tactics increasing your chance to get some fish for you and your son. ( I guarantee that you will have alot more questions after that but you will know a ton more)

Good Luck.

Shack... when we going fishing... I need to push someone out of the boat really bad.... LOL..

[Shack]

I agree LFC! You are spot on.

I was referring to a particular certain type of structure that is all over the river(s), everyone in boat passes threw twice in a evening and night of fishing, is almost never and way under fished, one of the easiest places IMO to fish and the last place most would fish We had a post about it last spring where I advised to be ready and cast out right away when you pulled up

Newcatguy Click here to get some info about the Mississippi Pool's.

[Gordie]

My advice to the new guy (with all due respect) is to take some time... a few hours at a minumum and go through this forum and read old posts. You will gain much more info than you even thought to ask, then it will be easier for you to try a variety of tactics increasing your chance to get some fish for you and your son. ( I guarantee that you will have alot more questions after that but you will know a ton more)

Good Luck.

great reply LFC and the posts from the past have even had this old dog learn a few new tricks what I'm trying to say is that we all ,new guy or old river rat can learn from these posts and I have been know to go back even father than the past year to check out old posts on cattin just to pick up an edge or maybe that added confidence that I might need in likes of some of you cattin guys

[Blue Kayak]

Dark30 brings up a good point. The top thing any person new to fishing on the river should be concerned about is safety. There is a big difference between fishing on a lake during the day and fishing at night on the river. If you are new to night fishing, I'd start by fishing on shore at night. Then I'd get used to fishing at night on a boat on a lake instead of a river. Finally, I'd fish a stretch of river several times during the day instead of starting out fishing it at night.

When you combine darkness, current, fog, dead heads, barge traffic, unlighted barges, and changing conditions (shifting sandbars, unlighted barges, drifting and submerged deadheads, rising or falling water levels, and weather) you have a deadly combination of factors that can turn a pleasant evening into a tragedy.

Larry (LFC) was a rescue swimmer in the US Navy, and he is one of the captains that is the most concerned about safety when you are on his boat. He shows you where the fire extinguisher and first aid kit are located. He'll also ask you to wear a life jacket when you are underway at night. He marks the deadheads with a GPS in daylight so he can avoid them on the night ride back. When barges are around, he uses a radio to communicate with their captains. I believe his phone has Internet access and can track storms. He also uses his phone to warn neighboring anglers if a barge is headed in their direction.

Look over the forum threads to learn more about fishing and catching cats, but keep safety in the back of your mind. Don't just go out and hope for the best.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Dark30 brings up a good point. The top thing any person new to fishing on the river should be concerned about is safety. There is a big difference between fishing on a lake during the day and fishing at night on the river. If you are new to night fishing, I'd start by fishing on shore at night. Then I'd get used to fishing at night on a boat on a lake instead of a river. Finally, I'd fish a stretch of river several times during the day instead of starting out fishing it at night.

When you combine darkness, current, fog, dead heads, barge traffic, unlighted barges, and changing conditions (shifting sandbars, unlighted barges, drifting and submerged deadheads, rising or falling water levels, and weather) you have a deadly combination of factors that can turn a pleasant evening into a tragedy.

Larry (LFC) was a rescue swimmer in the US Navy, and he is one of the captains that is the most concerned about safety when you are on his boat. He shows you where the fire extinguisher and first aid kit are located. He'll also ask you to wear a life jacket when you are underway at night. He marks the deadheads with a GPS in daylight so he can avoid them on the night ride back. When barges are around, he uses a radio to communicate with their captains. I believe his phone has Internet access and can track storms. He also uses his phone to warn neighboring anglers if a barge is headed in their direction.

Look over the forum threads to learn more about fishing and catching cats, but keep safety in the back of your mind. Don't just go out and hope for the best.

Jerry... YOu do a good job about talking me up... thanks mate. I just wish I could have put you on some fish the other night.

Jerry brings up some good points, you don't have to have years of experience to run the river at night.... do your best to use common sense... we are fortunate that the incident level is very low given the number of people on the water..... There are few on this site (that I'm aware of) that have witnessed first hand the tragedies that can happen when things go wrong.

Be Safe.

[Shack]

Larry has been a huge help in making many members much safer on the river(s) with his posts and advise he has given over the years. I know he has helped me with news things posted that make me safer on the river. VHF radio to extremely accurate GPS tracking systems, everything does help, but it does take awhile to get that "gut feeling" down when running bigger water.

Short of being hung up on a wing dam with a very heavy boat, steep sides on each side of the wing dam (about a foot or so at the peek) and some good back current running over the 10" of water on top I have had a pretty uneventful decade running the river. I am no Jacques-Yves Cousteau, so it goes to show that anyone can run the river, even at night. They just have to have a good sense of common sense, a little thrill for adventure, alertness, basic knowledge of proper boat use and safety, basic knowledge of river basics on safety and navigation, a pair of yellow tinted safety glasses and I am sure a couple others things I am forgetting.

Now Larry What is your thoughts on the 6pack? Good use of time and money or a bad waste of time and money?

[newcatguy]

Thanks for so many responses. I actually did spend many hours reading your post on everything from bait to equipment before we ever went out fishing the river for the first time. I fish from a Pontoon and have been boating most of my life. I lived on the east coast for a few years and did a bunch of deep sea fishing back then.

My son and I have been out on the MN river about 8 times this summer with varying results form a great night out to nothing on the hook.

Any way we spent another night out there on Saturday (7-midnight) without a bite. We fished cut and live suckers.

I think we are close on what we are doing but still trying to get over the hump.

[Gordie]

you are not alone on no fish nights most of us at some time have experienced this,many nights in a row but persistance and more time on the water will produce great dividends sooner or later. thats the ealure of of the river. Ive had an awsome year fishing the river and still had those nights with no fish but I will be back because the next time that monster just might make the clicker sing and make an appearance in my boat.

Good luck and have fun thats what were all after ( yea right) hope you hook up soon