looking for my first MN catfish

[mainbutter]

So I'm back in MN after spending the summer in Alaska helping my parents move into their house in anchorage.

Now that I've helped move them in, I'm moving myself to Minneapolis. I've been reading these boards for a few months now, and the catfishing forum was always the most interesting and fun for me to check up on, and with some free time in the near future I was thinking I'd love to go chase my first catfish ever in minnesota.

So what streams/rivers/lakes or whatever should I be looking at trying to fish for channel cats? Stuff within an hour or two drive of minneapolis is the location I'm mostly looking at, but there's so much around on the map I don't know where to start.

Any suggestions would be wonderful!

[Larry FlatCaster]

Pool 3 and 4 on the Mississippi has some excellent catfishing..

probably some of the best in the state... with in the limits your listing as well.

[mainbutter]

I've heard references to these "pool #" places before, what ARE they?? Just locations along the Mississippi?

[Flaco651]

The pools are sections of river between lock & dams.

For example: Pool 2 starts below lock and dam #1 which is the Ford Dam, and ends at lock and dam #2 in hastings.