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Spring Cats...how early do you try?

pikestabber

By pikestabber
in Catfish

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pikestabber Mentor

pikestabber

Posted
Posted

Depending on weather and other factors, the spring sucker run in the northern part of the state is around mid to late April (I have caught them as early as very late March or as late as early May, but anywhere in the April "20s" seems to be average). Taking that into account, when is the start of the channel cat season for you folks? When the suckers are running, is it safe to say the cats are, too, or do they spawn later? I know I have targeted them successfully in early May up here, but I haven't tried much earlier than that. Thoughts? How about bait? Cut sucker?

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DTro Grand Master

DTro

Posted
Posted

Cats spawn in the summer.

You can catch Channels year round, they really don't quit biting like the Flatheads do. So basically it's never too early.

We usually don't start catching Flatheads on the MN river until the last week of April.

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Gordie Grand Master

Gordie

Posted
Posted

Yeppers channels all year so as soon as you can get cut bait into the water is a great time to start. flatheads I like the water to warm a bit but I have caught smallers ones in early April but not many. But I like to try.

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SteveD Experienced

SteveD

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When the ice comes off the river I am about wintered out and the boat goes in the water after cats. I usually don't catch much during the early season but it sure feels good to be on the water. It is not always about catching. I just keep hooks in the water and sooner or later they show up and it is game on.

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TruthWalleyes Grand Master

TruthWalleyes

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The book i posted above will tell you to find the most rotten bait (the book has some methods of making such rotten bait sick), and an eddy and start fishing there. Cats will be feeding on all the dead fish that have been floating around, or stuck in the ice through the winter and those fish will collect in eddy's. That will be my plan of attack this year...but as said above, channels all year round.

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MinnesnowtaWild Veteran

MinnesnowtaWild

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Usually start fishing early-mid April but don't catch much until the beginning of May. May is usually pretty slow but picks up quick going into June, which is the best month in my opinion.

Typically won't use live bait until May though cause there are other species to catch with crawlers and cut bait.

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rough_rider Apprentice

rough_rider

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For open water, April 10 is my personal date to beat for hooking openwater cat! The way this winter is looking, ice out should be real soon plus the minimal snow won't result in ridiculous water levels of last year's. Floods bring em in but it also swallows up access points on shore.

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pushbutton Grand Master

pushbutton

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My favorite area is a shallower(3 to 7 ft ish) slack water area upstream from a deeper pocket. Would also look to feeder creek area, drainage areas, warmer discharge areas, bays or backwater right off the main flow, or slower moving/eddy areas down stream from a dam. Any area that might be a few degrees warmer than surrounding water or areas where debri maybe washed up and collected.. Dusk is by far best time for more concentrated action, but these really warm days might be drawing them out earlier.

Welcome to HSO! Don't be shy about asking more questions. Its a good group of guys/gals back here that will try to help ya out.

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Rick G Mentor

Rick G

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Welcome to FM/HSO Hooked on fishin, My favorite early spring spots are slack water areas/current breaks close to deeper pools that had a decent amount of ice cover durring the winter. The deeper ice covered area most likley has had some dead decaying fish locked in the ice, now that it's starting to thaw those dead fish will be rolling with the current down river to where the cats will be feeding.

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