Catfish from Clean Water

[duck2]

I have not fished for cats for many years but would like to go out an get a few for a meal. Is there anywhere in the metro area where one can catch channel cats in relatively clean water?

Thanks

[goblueM]

St. Croix would come to mind. You'd be fine eating a few out of the Mississippi as well. Just follow the consumption advisories and you'll be just fine.

[pushbutton]

You can grab a few out of the rivers. Make sure it is smaller, cut the tail off and bleed it out, cut the vein and "dark meat" off the lower portion, make sure the silver "stuff" is removed, let it soak a little and you will be just fine and eating well. Breading and deep frying with a dipping sauce really puts you in the game

[Steve Foss]

Not really sure what you mean by "clean" water.

If you mean clear rather than muddy water, that's an unimportant distinction when it comes to channel catfish taste, in my experience.

If you mean clean in the sense of fewer cumulative contaminants such as mercury and PCBs, for example, then definitely follow the DNR fish consumption guidelines for that body of water. You could use the DNR "lake finder" feature to get that data, but of course the DNR site is down just now.