2008 Reports

Red River Catfish Reports

 

December, 12, 2008

This week is the beginning of a new area at Brad Durick Outdoors.  In November the official name changed to Brad Durick Outdoors LLC and this week we unvailed a new logo.  The success of the past season has motivated us to move to the next level of business to serve you better.We now have guides in Grand Forks, Drayton and recently we have one in Fargo/Moorhead.  This makes us the largest outfitter on the US side of the Red River.  We have also signed a deal to offer combo catfish walleye trips on Devils Lake with Bry's Guide Service in Devils Lake.  

October, 10, 2008

 It has been a while since I have posted a report.  This is mostly due to working on marketing and preparations for 2009.  We are planning for some great things here at Brad Durick Outdoors to make your next catfish trip an even more exciting one.  

The big news this week is we now have a boat sponsor.  I proudly welcome G3 Boats as the official boat of Brad Durick Outdoors.  G3 has a long standing tradition of building quality boats to satisfy the needs of any angler.  Welcome aboard G3.

September, 1, 2008

August was such a great month.  The fishing was great and the fish were big.  The river at Grand Forks north of Riverside Dam has gotten shallow and boating could be a little tricky.  Please excercise caution when navigating up north.  If you do you will be rewarded with some awesome catfish.  South of Riverside Dam in Downtown Grand Forks/East Grand Forks south had plenty of water for easy navigation.

The fish on the Red are still coming near faster water.  Keep moving along looking for visibile signs of current then fish the available structures near by.  This structure could be a snag, head of a hole or a small trough.  Bait has been fluctuating between cut sucker and frog.  Some days one works better than the other so it is my advise to keep both with you.

We are coming into the final weeks of catfishing with the next three or four weeks being some of the best catfishing of the year.  The fish will be on the fall feed until water temps cool off more.  Now is the time to hit the Red River.  You will be glad you did.  Stop by and check out our photo gallery. 

August, 2, 2008

 The Red River at Grand Forks is up about a foot after a heavy rain last week.  This new drink of fresh water is really getting the catfish moving.  The fish are now activly feeding along the break lines and troughs in the faster current.  They have the feed bags on and are thinking of only one thing.  EATING.  Cut suckers have been the bait of choice with goldeye and frog being nearly useless right now.  smaller fish but large numbers are coming in shallow water and the hawgs are moving in the deeper fast water.

Congratulations to Corey McGillis from MayVille, ND for landing a 25 pound channel cat on his very first catfish trip.  I'm sure it is a Fathers Day present he will never forget.  The photo is in the photo gallery.

July, 28, 2008

Sorry for the lack of current reports over the past couple weeks.  The past few days I had the pleasure of fishing with Don and Victoria Sweet from Catfishing Amercia TV.  They made a return trip to Grand Forks and took their first stab at the Drayton stretch of the river.  We had awesome fishing  the entire time and eventually found a pattern where these catfish pros had an opportunity to sit back and enjoy kicking some catfish butt.

The pattern in the Grand Forks stretch of river is to find some faster moving water and you will find fish.  Cut sucker is the hands down bait of choice.  Bigger fish are simply coming from the fast water most notably from right in the nasiest wood you can find.

The Drayton stretch of the Red River is really throwing out big catfish and tons of them.  These fish are in mid-channel holes or in the faster water waiting for food.  The best way to catch them is drive the river and pay attention to the electronics.  When you find the hole and mark big fish in it anchor up and get some bait in the hole.  The best baits at Drayton are chunks of big suckers (9-11") or fresh cut goldeye.  The bite is really great right now so take good advantage.

This weekend is Cats Incredible in East Grand Forks.  Good Luck to all anglers.

Until next week keep on Reelin on the Red

July, 11, 2008

It is amazing what only a few days can do in nature.  The last report was that the fish were showing signs of spawn and not very aggressive causing us to work hard to stay on them.  The bigger fish are still a bit on the slow side but fish numbers as a whole are really taking off.  At Grand Forks we have been fishing troughs and cuts near wood in the early morning and evening.  During the day the fish are hanging deep in the snags and need to be brought out.  Keep the bait fresh all the time of best results.  

The Drayton stretch of the Red River is really throwing out big catfish.  These fish are in mid-channel holes and ready to bite.  The best way to catch them is drive the river and pay attention to the electronics.  When you find the hole and mark big fish in it anchor up and get some bait in the hole.  If the fish wants to bite he will be on withing only a few minutes.  Be prepared sometimes they hit before the bottom.

Until next week keep on Reelin on the Red

July, 4, 2008

We are definetly in the spawn period here in Grand Forks.  The fish are showing all the signs.  The past couple days have shown very encouraging signs of an unbelievable bite just around the corner.  There is no shortage of numbers but the size leaves a bit to be desired.  By that I mean we are catching big fish just not the numbers of them we would like to see.  The patterns have been tight in the wood and I mean lose many hooks tight but it is working well with cut suckers as bait.  There have been signs of shifting to goldeye so make sure to keep one out there all the time.  Larger fish are showing up on the faster breaks and troughs near snags.

Today when my customers and I were getting ready to call it a night we saw lots of big catfish start surface feeding.  That is a      sure sign of great things to come in the near future.

We still have a few July evenings and one weekend available for guide trips so book your adventure today and make a memory that will last a lifetime.

Until the next report I'll just keep on Reelin on the Red.  

June, 28, 2008

After a couple weeks of higher than normal water the Mighty Red is looking awesome.  River levels and currents are about as perfect as can be right now making boat movement and fishing quite simple.  Fish are showing signs of the spawn season as can be expected this time of year.  Fishing on the shallow shelves near deeper water or wood has been the answer.  

If water levels don't fall to fast we are in for a great mid-summer run.  Warmer temps might be shifting the cats to more of a night bite also.

We still have a few prime July dates available for guide trips so book your adventure today and make a memory that will last a lifetime.

Until the next report I'll just keep on Reelin on the Red.

June, 13, 2008

The Red River has taken on some water this past week with heavy rains from the south.  As of now the river levels are at 23 feet and are expected to rise to 27 feet next week before falling.  If you must go out exercise caution and be careful not to get hit by floating debris.

I have canceled all guide trips until July 3rd for the safety of my customers.  We will be ready to rock after that barring any more heavy rains.  Get your trips booked now, cats are always hungry after a flood event.

Until the next report I'll just keep on Reelin on the Red.

June, 4, 2008

The catfishing has slowed since my last report.  I have a feeling the spawn is beginning a bit early this year.  I have no proof of that assumption but all aspects of the bite point to it.  

There are still catfish got be caught on the river.  They are hanging out in the troughs and faster water near the snags.  Sucker was still working well this past weekend with some stink baits producing well to catch numbers of fish.  Larger fish are found on that outside edge of the snags as well.  Now is the time to catch goldeyes.  They are really biting well and we all know they will be the bait of choice before long.

Congratulations to Tom Goetle from Vandais Heights, MN on catching a 29.5 inche walleye.

Until the next report I'll just keep on Reelin on the Red.

May, 24, 2008

The catfish bite on the Red River has slowed a bit but that only means that it is normal now.  Cooler temps mixed with falling water this week has slowed that catfish a bit.  The bite has shifted to the shallow snags or snags near faster water.  The fish are feeding aggressively but they need more of an invitation than they did last week.  Some rain has fallen today so I look for a rise of a couple inches which should spur the cats into a feeding frenzy before we head into the spawn.  Cut sucker is the bait of choice but be ready to change over to goldeye.  The fish have been spotted feeding on surfacing goldeye so the bait preference could change with no advance notice.  If you are on a bite for a while and it slows just make small moves, the fish won't be to far away and you will be right back on them.

I would like to congratulate Michel Muniz for catching this 39-inch, nearly 26-pound Red River channel cat.  It is the largest fish boated by a client to date.

A few prime pre-spawn dates are still available, book your trip now and experience this for yourself.

May, 17, 2008

 I have been guiding for the last three days and so far have had a lot of clients with sore cheeks from smiling so much.  We have been on a bite like I have never seen before.  Many numbers of fish, most in the 10-13 pound range with bigger fish in the mix.  They seem to have been coming in waves.  Each of the trips we had at least one triple and at one point we had fish on five our six rods.  On that one even the guide got to reel in a fish because we were simply out of hands.

The fish are really on fire right now.  They are staying in the faster water.  Seems faster is better.  Cut sucker is the bait of choice hands down.  If you are on a bite for a while and it slows just make small moves, the fish won't be to far away and you will be right back on them.

May, 12, 2008

Red River Mayhem is all you can call it.  The fish are biting fast and furious in the fast water or snags near the fast water.  This past weekend I fished with my friends Jon and Nick.  There was no fishing, it was all catching.  Many fish in the 10-17 pound range.  The best is yet to come folks.

A few weekend dates remain for the amazing pre-spawn bite.  Book your trip today so you can make a memory for yourself.


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