Catfishing in St Croix River- New to BOC Thought I would say Hello

[comanchero]

Just wanted to say Hello, I logged on today. Starting my preparations for the next season and I'm looking for new tactics and techniques. I primarily fish the St Croix River and Pool 3 on the Mississippi. I monitor several forums and this one looked informative and inviting. I'm looking forward to picking everyone's brains for new ideas.

[Desperado]

comanchero, Hello and welcome to BOC Country!!

[Bubbakat]

Welcome aboard. You will find many skilled catfisherman here.

[Dwednuts]

Welcome to the BOC!!! This is a place to find what you need !!! Pick away, and I am sure you will have something to add to the BOC, as many of us have!!!

[Shawn]

welcome, and nice profile pic!

shawn

[Katmaster Jr.]

Welcome to the BOC!!!

[Larry]

Welcome to the BOC brother. I spend a lot of time on the Minnesota river fishing cats. Look forward to sharing tales and info.
Did you pull that cat in your Avatar out of the St. Croix. How big was it?

[greg]

Welcome to the Boc. Have you ever caught a sturgeon out of the St Croix?

[gargoil77]

Welcome Comenchero. Looking for new ideas? You came to the right place.

[SilverCross]

Welcome to the BOC Comanchero.

[Deltalover]

Welcome to the B.O.C. You have come to the right place to share information with people that are serious about catfishing! We are happy to have you aboard!

[comanchero]

Hey Greg - I thought you might like this picture of a 54" sturgeon out of the St Croix caught last October 13th. We had a great sturgeon season last year - just as the fall flathead bite peters out the sturgeon fishing starts - it was a great year.

[nuthinlikeacat]

Welcome aboard and nice sturgeon pic. I've caught many sturgeon on the MN river, but nothing that big!:o

[greg]

Nice sturgeon. I wish we had some of those fish where I live. But Iowa DNR think of them as a rough fish. All they want to do is flood our waters with those stupid walleye and bass.

[MNwiskers21]

Hello Comanchero,

Welcome to the BOC!

Where abouts do you fish on the St. Croix River. I fish the St. Croix near Hudson Wis. and Bayport MN. I live in MN and also regualerly fish the Mississippi River both in the twin cities and down near Lacross Wis. Let me know where you fish the St. Croix and maybe this summer we can wet a line.

Take Care!

Sincerely, Kevin

[hanson]

Comanchero-

There is a name I recognize. I post occassionally at IDA and of course staff for FM. I like cruising all the posts from the southern guys seeing how catfisherman from all across the country fish cats. Good stuff!

That St. Croix sturgeon fishing is a blast. I hit the water last fall with Fisher Dave, fishhead, and Briank and we landed quite a few but the biggest was only 45".

[comanchero]

Hi Chris - Great to see you on here. I'm following a few forums to pick up any good ideas for next season. I follow a lot of your posts - keep those catfish and MN River posts alive. We need to get together for a St Croix trip sometime this summer - I'll get back to you when the time is right for some good action.

[mikey0143]

I fish the same water you do. Might need some pointer from you for channel and Flathead. Any pointer will do.

[nuthinlikeacat]

I have never fished the St Croix but would like to. We should try and get a bunch of people together and fish it sometime this year. A gathering nearby would be great!

[nuthinlikeacat]

Hanson,
How far of a drive are the places you fish around here. I see your from Plymouth. I moved to Eden Prairie this last year, and still do a majority of my fishing near the St Peter, Le Sueur, Belle Plain area. I would like to do more fishing in the cities, but I am not to familiar with the areas, or good spots to fish. I dont have a boat anymore, so until I get one again, I will probably be doing a bunch of shore fishing.

If possible, I would rather have a few spots to try right away this spring rather than spend the whole summer trying to find spots. Any help would be appreciated.

[hanson]

I fish a lot of spots that are within the metro.

Downtown Mpls is a pretty darn good cat spot. Lots of channel cats frequent the St. Anthony Falls area with an occasional flathead. I would fish down there more at night but really need a few fishing partners to feel comfortable once it gets dark.

I also fish a few spots along Pool 2 from shore. I haven't made it south of downtown St. Paul yet but there are a few pretty good spots upstream from there.

I'm also pretty familiar with the Minnesota upstream from Shakopee to about Belle Plaine. I don't know the good shorefishing spots however. I've just gotten a pretty good tour by boat on those stretches.

I finally got down to the St. Peter stretch of the Minnesota last summer and that is a stretch of river I would like to fish more. Its smaller with lots of good structure.

[nuthinlikeacat]

Yeah, the Belle Plaine Blakely area has some great fishing. I have seen quite a few 50 + come out of that area. Haven't fished near Blakely the past few years because of the bridge situation there. Hopefully the construction hasnt changed things too much.

A guy I know in St Peter that CPRs at least one fish a year there over 55+ lbs. The only bad thing is he spends probably 5-6 nights a week fishing and sometimes thats the only fish he gets all year long.

[The J-Man!]

I love the Belle Plaine on through Mankato area for catfishing. I went to college in Mankato and learned of many spots all through there during those years. I get down at least once a year and generally do pretty well.

Here in the cities I spend a lot of time on the Minnesota river near Shakopee and surrounding areas. Plenty of good places to fish, but I see more and more fishermen each year.

I have spent a little time on the St. Croix, but plan to do much more htere this year.

I can't wait for Spring!

[catfish joe]

Welcome to the BOC bro

[WhiskerfishLou]

Welcome to the BOC! Not only is it the Brotherhood Of Catfishanglers, but it's the Best Overall Catfishing website to be found. Something for everyone to receive and give as time and fishing permit. LOL

[Larry]

Ryan
It would seem that we might be getting enough people to venture a gathering this summer or sooner.

Hanson, If your looking to round up a few more people for fun and safety sake to fish in MPLS. Myself, KJR and Shamu are three more to add to the list.

Ryan we need to hook up this spring. No more talk like last fall we just need to make the plan into action.

J-Man/Hanson if your interested, we usually work the MN river from shakopee down to the Mississippi by boat, wouldnt mind hooking up with you guys if your interested.

Looking forward to fishin this season!!!!

[nuthinlikeacat]

Larry,

I think sometime this summer would be a great time to get some people together and go out. Doesnt have to be a ton of people , but the more the merrier.

We definitely will have to get out fishing early this Spring sometime. My fiance got a different position at the U of M hospital, so at least I know a couple weeks in advance what her schedule looks like.

[The J-Man!]

I would love to get together and fish with some BOC boys. We would have a blast! Just let me know when you are interested. I don't have a boat as I do most of my fishing from the bank. But if you have room in your boat, I'd love to tag along! :thumbsup:

[nuthinlikeacat]

JMan
shore fishing at night....nuthin like the poppin of a big fire and the clicker screamin!

we'll all have to do some fishing this year.

I've read hundreds of threads on how everyone else fishes kittys, how about you guys from MN....what works best for you?

[nuthinlikeacat]

JMan
I grew up a few miles from Mankato and went to college there. I definitely would like to get a few people together and spend a full night fishing in thAt area.

[The J-Man!]

Ryan,

Me and a few friends pull all nighters fishing down in the Mankato a few times a year and have had lots of success. There area countless places to set up camp, get the fire going, and fish all night. It is a great area for fishing!

If you know where the town of Franklin is, they have a catfish tournament every July and I am always down for that. It is in the general direction of Morton (Jackpot Junction Casino).

For Flats we use big suckers and creek chubs, 8-10 inches usually. I have nad my best luck on live ones, but if fishing is slow we'll slice up dead ones and sometimes catch a few.

For Channels I use smaller suckers (6 inches or so) and nightcrawlers.

[nuthinlikeacat]

Cannot say I have ever fished near Franklin, but I do know where it is.

I still go down near the Mankato area once a week during the summer to fish the Big Cats. We've had some pretty good luck near Sibley Park in Mankato where the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers meet. I have caught some Monsters out near Judson, but the past few years there has been a bunch of trouble out there, so I havent been there in a while. Seven mile creek outside of Mankato has always produced a 30+ lber a year, but we hardly fish there anymore either. Fromms (sandbar in Kasota) always produces plenty of cats, but havent caught much of anything over 25 lbs there.
I do most of my fishing in St Peter behind the cop shop. PLenty of places to fish, and I've seen quite a few cats 50+ lbs taken outta there with an occasional 60.

I work a second shift job so most nights I don't get off until 11:30 or so. Almost whenever we go out, wether its a weekend or after work, we usually fish till sunrise.

Although this year I plan on experimenting with the rivers up here near the cities, I still plan on making quite a few trips down near Mankato.

[nuthinlikeacat]

As for bait, I strictly use bullheads, usually up to 8 inches, occasionally suckers up to 12. I want my name in the State record books for a flattie:0a32: , So I don't even bother with smaller bait unless I cant find anything else.

[The J-Man!]

Ryan-

Do you catch your bullheads or buy them? I have only tried them one season a couple years ago, and had less success than suckers/chubs. Also where do you hook them and do you clip their stingers?

Just curious, thanks.

[MNwiskers21]

Hello,

I think it would be great to have a gathering sometime this summer. I live in South Saint Paul and live less than half mile of the mississippi river where I do most of my fishing but also fish the st. croix river right in Hudson Wisconsin a lot, I also fish down near Waterville which is about 20 minutes west of Faribault. I look forward to haveing a gathering this summer and possibly makeing some new fishing buddies. Please keep me informed on any info pertaining to a gathering this summer, I would really appreciate it.

Take Care Everyone!

Sincerely, Kevin

[Larry]

Hey Kevin,
I was thinking that it might be cool to do something like that.
Maybe we need work as a group to get the ball rolling.

[nuthinlikeacat]

J-Man,
how I get bait depends on the time of year.There is a creek near a lake down by St Peter that is just full of bullheads during the spring and early summer. We usually just dip a net and take what we need and keep them in a cooler. As summer progresses and the creek starts drying up, we just go to a local lake at night time and catch a bunch of them ( at least enough to last a few fishing trips).
To answer your other questions, the only time I ever cut the stingers off is if the bullhead is 8+ inches long, and even then sometimes I don't. I used to all the time, but I'm starting to come to the conclusion that when the cat hits the bulhead, it usually takes it and runs, so I'm not so much worried about them feeling the stingers.
As for hooking them, my personal preference is to hook it just beneath the top fin. For the most part I leave the hook showing quite a bit for setting the hook, but If the cats are biting finicky, or the cats that are biting are small, I tend to hook the bullead a little bit deeper and try to hide the tip of the hook in the top fin.


Hello,

I think it would be great to have a gathering sometime this summer. I live in South Saint Paul and live less than half mile of the mississippi river where I do most of my fishing but also fish the st. croix river right in Hudson Wisconsin a lot, I also fish down near Waterville which is about 20 minutes west of Faribault. I look forward to haveing a gathering this summer and possibly makeing some new fishing buddies. Please keep me informed on any info pertaining to a gathering this summer, I would really appreciate it.

Take Care Everyone!

Sincerely, Kevin

I would like to get some ideas as to what you guys would want to do for a get together and where. Being we all seem to be reasonably close together, we could plan on a couple trips, maybe one in the early part of Spring, and maybe one towards fall. I would like to maybe see one down near the St Peter area, and then one somewhere up in the cities, maybe near one of the Mississippi Pools, or the Minnesota somewhere near the Burnsville, Shakopee area.
Also, If anyone is interested, maybe we could do a monthly thing where whoever wants to meet up somewhere could???
I'm going to try and recruit a bunch of people from the area to join the site as soon as people start fishing the river this Spring, so lets not set anything in stone right away for a gathering, being new people to the site may want to join us!

[nuthinlikeacat]

I'm going to start a thread specifically for everyones thoughts on a gathering/gatherings here in MN.

[Ryan]

Hey Comanchero!

I post under the pseudonym Ralph Wiggum on IDA, and I've read a lot of your posts, so welcome!

I also frequent the downtown Minneapolis areas that Hanson is referring to. Several people down there at night is a much better idea than solo.

[hanson]

Mr. Wiggum-

What on earth are you doing here?

I've been hopping from forum to forum to forum trying to ditch you and you keep finding me. J/K dude!

If anyone wants to PM me or e-mail me about the April Fools Gathering, feel free. The gathering is an open invitation to all catmen & women in the metro and surrounding areas to join us for some fishing and comaraderie. The fishing is usually good as well.

There will be a number of catmen from a number of differerent local fishing forums represented. A great way to connect with some other catfisherman who share the same passion and fish the same waters as we do.

I wish we could pack the area with RiverPro's but the fishing is great from shore, no need for a boat.

chris_r_hanson @ hotmail.com

To keep you guys entertained, the following was my largest channel cat on ice last winter... And another large fish with whiskers through the ice.

[MNwiskers21]

Hello,

I definately want to be a part of the April fools gathering but I have a problum. I hate to ask this from people I don't even know, but don't have a drivers lisence but am in the process of getting it. I was just wondering if someone wouldn't mind doing me a favor and maybe giveing me a ride to the gathering and I can get a ride back. I understand if this is impossible and that is ok with me, I may have my license by then and then I won't even need this favor. It is sad I am 21 years old and don't have my license, truthfully I haven't needed it up until now. Get back to me if you think this can be managed.

Take Care!

Sincerely, Kevin