This young fella from Crookston MN. landed a monster Muskie, "YES MUSKIE" out of the Red Lake River down town Crookston.  Perhaps I better look into putting him on the payroll.  Since this one was caught there has been three more caught.  One in the winter by myself that was around 8#. and one just before opener that was about 19.5#, and the last one was 17.1#.  the week of June 15th.  There has been 7 muskeis caught a few summers ago alone out of the Red Lake River in Crookston.

 

 

River level readings

 

 catfish.com

 

 

 

 

      

Catfishing can be one of those hurry up and wait sports but the rewards are great at times.

 

     

You just never know what will make it to the boat.

  

 

 

River Walleyes VS Catfish. 

There are awesome amounts of good water available to today's walleye angler, not to mention the thousands of river miles that cut across Minnesota. The Mississippi, Minnesota, Rainy River, Red Lake River and Red River are some of the names that come to mind, but there are plenty more, and it's rivers that can provide you with some of the best action come early fall if you look in the right locations.

By late summer and early fall walleyes that have been a little hard to find start to show up in the same locations as most catfish and they do so with an attitude. This improvement in attitude plays right into the hands of anglers that have stuck with it and are willing to try new ideas to find them.

Some of the main factors that keep anglers away from finding these trophy fish is the time it takes to find their hangouts.  When it comes to rivers VS lakes, the river systems can be very overwhelming.  The main rule is, if there is habitat there the Walleyes will find it.  It just takes some time and patience.   

Current breaks and slack water are good places to start.  As a professional Cat fisherman, I have found that Walleyes seek the same habitat as cats in the fall.  To start out with, look at the water below the dams in your area.  Most of the time you will have the main water rushing down the middle of the river and slack water on the sides.  If there is rock on the shores, more than likely there is rock in the water also.  Walleyes like this area just as do Cats.  They will not have to work as hard to stay put and food will be swept by them much slower than in the main current. 

Many rivers will have a very erratic depth contour and this will be the ticket to finding your fall fish.  Many fish feed in shallower water than they rest in, therefore, look for contours in the bottom that would allow fish to rest out of the current.  Then work your way down from there.  If the water gets shallower and levels off, this is a good feeding area.  The same goes for wing dams.  This slack water has to meet the current some time and that is where they will be laying in wait for their next meal.   

Clarity also will play a part in your finding fish in most murky rivers.  Cats and Walleyes become accustom to the water they feed in.  They will adapt to whatever is needed to feed.  If you have murky water then color, shape and size does not matter because they can’t see it anyhow.  You have to get them to find the bait, not see the bait.  They will feed by smell more than any other sense.  Most of the trophy Walleyes caught around here in the rivers are caught on the bottom.  If you try the traditional jigging method or trolling methods you will either loose your rigs or miss out on many good fish because a moving bait is much harder for them to catch than a stationary bait that they can zone in on. 

Fall Walleyes are looking for areas to feed up and work less for winter cold waters to come.  This is why river dams are a good place to start looking for them.  Most dams will hold numerous fish in the deep, fast water that is overwhelmed by high amounts of oxygen from the aeration of the dam.  Many baitfishes will be swept over the dams and stunned by the water or swept to the slack water, making them easy targets for hungry fish.  

River Catfish are a very aggressive and powerful sport fish.  They are used to working in currents and feeding on smell and sound only to find their next meal.  Keeping this in mind is how you work your way into finding them.  Many of the same rules apply from above information on Fall Walleyes, however these rules apply in summer months for Cats. 

Catfish are very aggressive towards each other and other fish when it comes to feeding.  That is why you will not catch many large cats in one area as you will catch many smaller cats in one spot.  Slip rigs are the #1 rigging for river catfishing for several reasons.  Rivers are full of rig stealing hidden snags, murky water that hides the bait from sight but not from smell, and currents that sweep the scent down river in the swirling waters.  Your bait is going to have to smell like something they are looking for to eat or make a noise that they can zone in on to eat.  Crank baits will work but not as productively as baited rigs.  Analyzing your current speed and depth of water will help you determine how much weight you will need to keep you on the bottom with out moving around or too much weight will anchor you to the bottom and make too much resistance when the fish start to nibble your bait.  Many fishing rigs will have a spinner blade built in to it which will cause your rod tip to quiver when placed on the bottom and your rig is set the way it was meant to be.  When that quiver stops, you most likely are having a fish on your bait and it is swimming up stream with it as it is testing the flavor.

Most of the time simple is the best rule.  A simple no-roll sinker on a line with a plastic bead between the sinker and the swivel is an awesome start.  A Snell of lighter line is use to attach your hook of choice.  This Snell can be 1-3 feet long depending on your choice and trial and error in your area.  Some times a floating hook rig can also be very productive. 

One of the main attractions to fishing the river systems in our area is the abundant types of fish found in the systems.  Lake fishing most of the time you will know what you are fishing for and what you expect to catch.  River fishing however is off the scale when it comes to surprise fishing.  You some time never know what you will catch cast to cast and that is part of the attraction to fishing these untapped fisheries.  Most rivers will have much more structure for than any lake and this is where you start looking for catfish.  Deep holes and snags are the first place to start looking.  Feeding cats will often look for shallow flat runs of river to dine in but will eat anywhere they are at when ever they feel like it.  Catfish are the dominant fish in any water they are in, in my opinion.  They are the lion of the jungle, Eagle of the sky and Crocodile of the Amazon.  Pound for pound they will out fight most fresh water fish.  Give them some fast current and you better spool on some more heavy line.  

A Catfish as well as a Walleye will have to work their way up river in the current in the manor a search dog seeks its target.  Keeping this in mind, you will have a very good chance at getting into some nice fish and making your time on the water a more enjoyable experience and less overwhelming.  Last but not least, never be afraid to move, You can be set up in a ton of fish and only catching a nibble hear and there if they are not actively feeding fish.  There is always fish under your boat, the hard part is finding the actively feeding ones.   Good luck and happy fishing. 

 

Pound for pound, Catfish are the kings of the waters.

Rusty P. Miller  “Wiskers”

Fishing has always been a big part of my life since I was a little boy.  My family always went fishing on weekends when we went to grandmas and grandpas house.  I grew up in the small city of Babbitt MN.  We had a cabin near my grandparent’s home north of Blackduck MN.  Each weekend we made the trip and enjoyed the outdoors which much of the time included fishing.  We only had canoes then and my dad had them hooked together like a catamaran so they would not tip over.  I have two younger brothers who both like to fish every chance they get. 

We fished mainly for Pike and pan fish in the lakes around Blackduck.  I worked my way through school until the 10^th grade in Babbitt.  My dad was laid off from Reserve Mining Co. so we moved to Blackduck for a year.  My dad, was hired by Marvin Windows, so we moved again to Swift MN.  There I finished 11^th & 12^th grades.  I graduated and made the decision to go to school at Alexandria AVTI for Law Enforcement.  I graduated in 1989 and had a part-time job lined up in Morgan MN as a part-time Police Officer.  While working there, several small communities around there contacted me for work.  I then was working in Morgan, Morton, Sandborn, Wabasso, and Wallnut Grove.  In 1990 I was hired as the Chief of Police in Wallnut Grove.  I worked there until 1994 and got hired by Crookston as a police officer.  The move was a great one for me and my family being Crookston is right in the middle of both of our families.  My wife’s family is from Elbow Lake and mine are now in Rosevelt, which is only 2 ½ hours from us.   

I fished in each area I lived but I did not get the real picture until I started to fish in Crookston.   I did not even give catfish a second thought until I started to fish the river to see what was in the waters being it was so close to home and very convenient to get to.  Not until talking to friends and other fishermen on the banks did I realize there were catfish in the Red Lake River.  I started to read articles and magazines and get ideas on how to catch them.  One cat after another I became more and more obsessed with the awesome fight and the beautiful nature of these murky critters.  The fight of these fish is not even comparable to other game fish of their size.  A catfish will snap most light rods and burn off drag until your reel is no longer any good.  They are very sensitive and have the smelling ability of a Great hound dog.  They are the masters of the murky waters and will not let any fisherman that hooks them ever forget that sound of drag being pulled of your reel or the sound of your light fishing rod creaking as it is being bent over to the water.  Don’t get me wrong, you can catch cats with light gear but you will have to fight them a long time and this is very hard on the fish if you are going to release them.  Many will not live after being exhausted and let go to drift in the current.  I have moved to heavy gear for just that reason.  Each fish I release back into the waters is another one I can go in search of tomorrow.    

Fishing was becoming more than just a hobby as I began to invite others fishing and then it moved up to getting calls to take others out fishing for cats.  After a few years of this I could see a great opportunity for sharing my love for cat fishing with others by creating my own Guiding service specializing in catfish.  In 1998 I started building my own website and advertising my services for guiding on the Red Lake River.  Many local people thought I was a bit off being I was fishing for catfish and not the famous Walleye or bass.  However, fishing on the rivers has many benefits like the great scenery and abundant wild life along the banks.  The deer and birds you see will some times amaze you as you drift in the quietness of the current.  Watching otters play for hours on the banks and tossing them some bait will really amaze you as to what nature can really be like.   I did not have to fight the wind or be bothered by sport boats or jet bikes.  It was very quiet and peaceful.  The thrill of searching my way down river to find that elusive monster cat was an obsession and being able to share that with total strangers was a very good release from my full time job as a Police Officer.  Even experimenting with different fishing styles and baits is always a great challenge.  Reading fishing magazines for tips and talking to other catters is always a learning experience.  I believe that you never stop learning and you never know enough about what your goals require you to do.   

In my job as a officer I mostly run into people in bad situations and the thankless of the job gets to a persons perception on life.  Fishing was a great way to see life in a whole new way and I began to see people in a different light.  Many of the clients I met were from other states and had many life stories to talk about and share tales.  When I decided to pick a name for my business and go at it whole heartedly I stuck with the most recognizable name for the catfish, Wiskers.  However Whiskers was all over the Internet relating to the household cat.  This was not search engine friendly so I dropped the H and went with Wiskers.   

I have met some real great people over the years as far away as Hawaii, Denmark, Missouri, Montana and Iowa.  My family was starting to get worried about not seeing me in the summer months and all the fishing stuff I was buying to make my guiding business was starting to grow and grow.  One can never have enough fishing stuff, they just keep making newer and better things.  

Now I have a very well run business that offers fishing to others that spans from Crookston, to Grand Forks and from the Twin Cities to Canada.  My goal is to keep gathering knowledge and making my fishing abilities good enough to be on a TV fishing show.  I watch all those fishing shows and dream of being there.  My meeting of people and making just the right contacts seems to be just a Godsend at times.  I am getting closer and closer to meeting my goals each summer.  I have some real great sponsors that have come on board and with out their help I would not be going forward in my adventures as well as I am now.   

Take the time to get out doors and see what nature has to offer and leave all the hustle and bustle behind you.  Kids are the future of our country so get them out there and let them see what life is all about. 

When the going gets tough, the tough get creative.

Fishing is a science but the fish do not know that.  Fishing is a sport that you can practice your entire life and still not have it mastered.  The fish are the real boss out there and we can only beg them to play along. 

There are times when a fishermen or fisherwomen can head to the water with all the high hopes and knowledge of bringing in the lunker or getting numbers of fish to the boat with that prior attitude washed down the drain.  Nothing seems to work, every lure or bait in your tackle box has gotten wet and the fish are still just not cooperating. 

There are so many variances that will make fish just not strike or feed.  In those times it is when the creative mind starts to wonder.  It’s time to hike up them pants or shorts, adjust the drag, ponder the body of water and study the lay out.  It’s only then that an open-minded sportsman can dig deep and make it happen. 

When all else fails, never stop testing the waters.  I have found a creative way to up the ante and up your odds for making that day on the water not a skunk.  I have tested it on crank baits, soft plastics, live baits and even spinner rigs with pretty good results. 

There are many products on the market of flavor or scented baits.  I have been testing and using a powdered amino gel bait called Top-Secret.  This comes in many flavors and colors.  This is a dry powder that you just dip an item in it after getting it wet then dip it back in the water once again and walla, you have a scented and colored rig.  This will change up the whole process you have been trying already.  The scent trail left by these products is very alluring and might do the trick on them tough days or even up your numbers when you need them the most.  This will not only change the look and scent of the lure but it will also change the way it travels in the water.  Just like trying different types of retrieval speeds and depths.  This will make the lure run odd and you just never know, it might just bee what that targeted fish is looking for. 

The moral of the story is never give up, just when you thought you knew every thing about fishing, some one comes up with a new and creative and flashy product that just can’t sit on the shelf with out a good old boy scout try.  Some work well and some only work. 

The products out there are staggering and overwhelming at times, but the trick is never stop being creative.  When you stop learning you might as well stop trying.   

Never say never and see you on the water.