WOW, what a trip!

[wall_eye_assasin]

Man 36 channel cats with only two in the boat. Glad to hear you guys are on the fish and I hope the bite continues. I hope the big ones come calling the first week of September. I know we will have a blast and I am ready to catch some Manitoba Kitties. See you in a week............Kirk

[DTro]

Can I come?

[Canuck]

Dave, The river is really dropping. On Sunday we were down to 6 oz of lead. I was out with Marv and if you remember his boat it is really heavy and we were able to anchor everywhere we wanted. Remember we have proper anchors though. If U are not coming until the 10/11th the river will have quietened down by then as well. A 16 ft would be no problem. If you have concerns about the current fish down river. None of the bouys are in but I think you still know the locations we fish. Remember "Reids" is always good in the fall as is 38.

Kitties were funny on Sunday, we only had 3 hrs out and boated 9 but something was not quite right. We had 5 complete pull down and still not hook ups. There were the usual taps but those pull down should have more than been hook ups. Only had frogs (fresh) and would have really like to have had some tulibuees but the commercial season does not start until th 1st.

[aanderud]

Canuck, next time we're up there we'll have to get your number and BeeEss a bit. We met Marv and his wife when we were up in 2009, and they seemed really cool. Even gave us a few extra tullies that they had the day before they left. This year we saw him drive past on the road while we were fishing that shoreline a couple of days. We stopped over to say 'hey' one day in the raging rapids at the dam, but it was raging too fast to get up close where we could actually talk. Too difficult of boat control. Knowing that he's a hardcore long-term Lockport fisherman, I was actually hoping that he had a huge bait stock with too many frogs than he knew what to do with, and would have some to sell us :-)

Not sure if you were around at all when we were up there. We were in the older blue and white Crestliner sportfish with the full windshield and the black merc on it, and 4 overweight American dudes in it.

Good point on the anchors -- having decent anchors around those parts with high water is definitely key, especially if one wants to fish up near the dam. I have a 30 lb "river anchor" that holds me easily in anything I fish on the Minnesota River, and it didn't even come close to holding my Crestliner 1850 sportfish in those raging currents near the dam. If we had wanted to fish up there, we could have tied on a second or third anchor to that front line (I had 4 anchors with just because I knew holding up there can be difficult), but we were finding fish downstream in the quiet, calm waters, so we didn't bother.

Hopefully next time we go, it won't be so dang dry up there. I was amazed at the number of cattails in the ditches and stuff, and everything we walked through looking for frogs was DRY as a bone -- with NO frogs. We were lucky to get frogs for our last day, because without them it would have been a much slower, sadder ending to an otherwise pretty good trip. I'm very convinced that the frogs were the key to making the trip for us. We had cut tullies as well, but those really nice juicy smelly chunks only seemed to get about one bite every hour or so. Plus, it seemed like the drum were more attracted to the tullies then the frogs. Very strange. I kept thinking to myself "there's NO WAY a channel cat in his right mind can ignore this tasty smelly tullibee", but for some reason they were!

[wall_eye_assasin]

Would be great to have you in the boat Dtro but I am sure you will working hard . Good to hear the river current is dropping a bit and only 6 oz to hold is better than 8 oz. Canuck, I can't wait to get up there so you can show me where the big kitties live. Going to be a great time and I know Brad will put us on fish and just plain have a great time fishing and tipping a few brews. Keep the reports coming if you get out and do some more fishing. Thanks for the reports so far and see you Saturday............Kirk

[Stick500]

cool story- can't imagine what kind of fight cats that size put up

did you keep some for dinner or was it mostly catch and release?

[DTro]

cool story- can't imagine what kind of fight cats that size put up

did you keep some for dinner or was it mostly catch and release?

Manitoba regs state everything over 24" goes back. we only caught one "keeper" the whole trip.

[JPenny]

Good to see the ole Red is still kicking them out. I fished cats there in the late 70's and through the 80's and loved that place. Back in '78, we used to give the local kids a dime apiece for frogs and they'd get us all we'd ever need. No so sure about the wisdom of smuggling frogs across the border. Not only is there the chance of heavy penalties, but that is their country and I feel it is a privilage to go there, not a right. If they have rules, they ought to be followed. Same as when Canadians or anybody else comes here.

[Alagnak]

Smuggling? You can bring dead bait, no live.

[aanderud]

The first time we were up there in 2009, the border crossing agent asked what we had in the cooler. I said "bait". He said "what kinds of bait". I detailed that we had frozen everything -- shad, suckers, frogs, shrimp -- but nothing live. He said we'd have to go in and talk to immigration about some unrelated items, which we did. We were on our way in about 15 minutes, no more questions about bait asked.

The second time we were up (3 weeks ago), the question was "do you have any live bait". I said no. He once again sent us in to talk to immigration (who were grumpier this time, showing just who was boss around there). After 30 minutes or less, we were once again on our way.

I do know that Canada is VERY strict about importing anything live. Crawlers are an exception as you can bring them if you don't bring in any dirt, at least from what I read on the buss bedding at gander mountain. Frozen or preserved stuff seems to be a little more lenient.

As the immigration official was quick to point out many times -- most everything about a border crossing is pretty much up to the discretion of the border crossing agent. They can turn you away if you smell bad, I think. But they can let pretty much anything they want slide as well. I'll obviously continue to honestly answer any questions that I'm asked at the border crossing. But I'm not volunteering any information that isn't asked of me. I'll continue taking a variety pack of dead things up in hopes to have what the cats want that particular day, and if they ask what dead stuff I have they'll get a detailed listing.

If they take away my dead frozen bait at the border, that's fine -- I'll just turn around and fish in the U.S. My tourism dollars can be spent anywhere. Until then, we'll continue to live in peaceful harmony...as harmonic as it can be when they take away our beer money on the way in, that is. Bottom line -- I'd much rather have an ample supply of bait when I get there than hope to be able to get some once I'm there. If they'd get a few decent bait shops in the area, I'd be glad to buy it there, but as it stands now, you'd better have a backup option if you don't bring your own bait.

[Canuck]

Talk about hard core Cat fisherman and woman. I don't think I have seen a more dedicated couple than Marv and Neat. This couple come from down by Chicago twice a year for about 4 or 5 wks at a time. Marv hauls that large boat each time (as he fishes Lake Erie in between time). They fish every day rain or shine for at least 8 hrs. Neat will be 80 next year and she handles that water like a river rat. On several days she outfishes Marv. The last couple of years I have been giving her a rest and hitting the water a little more with Marv. It is hard to get somebody as versed a fisherman as Marv to spend time in the boat with and I love it. I too am addicted to kitties.

Marv is addicted to up by the dam and occassionally I get him to go down stream as there is good fishing there as well.

Frogs were hard to come by this year. Several places I usually picked them were dry and none to be had. Bait or I mean the right bait is one of the key things for these kitties. They are on frogs right now but could change any day. I plan to have tulibulee for this weekend as well as frogs. I have seen them change in half a day.

Love to spend time in the boat for kitties as I only live 3 miles from Lockport. Don't get on the net as much as before as it was getting alittle too nit picky. I just want to fish and show people a good time on the water, life is too short. Manitoba has this great thing in all kitties over 24" have to go back and that makes it fishable for others. There are lots of spots to fish so space is never a problem. If somebody is where you want to fish don't bug them move and try another, there are lots of good spots.

[gatorhunter]

Real catters have been hammering them for the past couple of days. Some on frogs but shrimp were just as good. Place is still infested with goldeyes from what I saw today.

Much to my surprise the east cell of the dam was closed today. Frames were up on the west cell but no curtains....yet. Almost appears that the Feds will be closing some cells anyway. Quieter water for sure....as Backwater would say....Time to CORK some sumos!

[DTro]

What are real catters?

[cbrooks]

Awesome report Dtro. I went catfishing up there last year around August. Had the same luck. It was my First and only time catfishing so far and it was a blast. Probably ruin me for catfishing sense it was so good. Anybody who likes to fish needs to try Lockport atleast once in there lifetime. I hope to go in the future again.

[gatorhunter]

What are real catters?

Guys like yourselves who know what they're doing and using the right gear. Not the typical Lockport shore furniture that uses a pickerel rig with salted minnows on a $9 wally world special.

[DTro]

Oh I see. Yeah there are a ton of shore fishermen up there using those pickerel rigs. Both times I've been up there I have been surprised that the bait/tackle shops up there didn't really cater to cat fishermen. Sure they had a few cat rods and some sinkers, and frozen freezer burnt shiners, but it seems like there is a market there for a well stocked informative cat shop.