2011 Reports

Red River Catfish Reports

 

December 28, 2011

We are now in winter but that does not mean we are not getting ready for the 2012 season. Every day there is a new development. The episode of G3 Sportsman that we shot in June aired in October and will air again in January. The book The Catfish Hunters that we guided for in August was released in November. Now we are getting our sport show schedule for 2012 together and also have 2 Catfish Universities scheduled for later in the spring. That mixed with the ongoing research project to help revolutionize the sport of channel cat fishing in rivers.

I want to take this opportunity to with you all a very Happy Holiday Season and wish you the best in 2012. We are slated to begin fishing May 18th so get your trip booked now to ensure you get the dates you want.

October 6, 2011

The end of the 2011 season has come. We caught a lot of fish and delt with a lot of river diversity but all in all it was the best season ever. I would like to thank everyone for coming to fish with us on the Red River. You all come here as customers and leave as friends. This winter we will be doing a lot of preparation for next season. From upgrades in gear to the arrival of a brand new G3 boat 2012 will be great.

Keep an eye out for appearances over the winter. Stop by and say hello if we are in your area. Also keep an eye on the local TV listings as we shot some great shows this year. Book your 2012 trips early as the phone is already ringing and we want everyone to get the spot they want. Stop back throughout the off season for updates.

Have a great winter.

September 29, 2011

As we near the end of the catfishing season it is time to sell Captain Brad's guiding boat. Someone will walk away with a great G3 Boat for a great price.

Click here for G3 Boat For Sale

September 24, 2011

The water temp is still falling and fishing is still tough. What we have put together is that the fish are hanging in deeper water with some current running in. They are preferring frozen sucker to anything. Right now it looks like there may or may not be a great fall run. Only the weather of the next week or so will tell. That being said it looks like the 2011 season is starting to come to an end. I hope there is a few more weeks of good fishing ahead but the end is in view. Stay Tuned

September 21, 2011

Last week the water temps fell 11 degrees and the fishing showed it. Fish were being caught but they were sluggish and needed extra time. Literally hundreds of bites and few takers. All we could do was grind through it. Now early this week the water temps have stabalized and the fishing is picking back up and patterns are showing up again. Fish are moving to fall feeding and sucker is starting to shine as the prefered bait again. Walleyes are also starting to show up more and more. Only a few more weeks left for this catfishing season.

September 13, 2011

Fall is officially setting in. We have had a couple cold air blasts to remind us we live in the north country. These blasts have slowed catfishing a little bit but as soon as they settle out after a couple days it is back to business as usual. We have been seeing lots of big fish coming in as this fall bite progresses.

The river is still running a bit higher than average for this time of year but compared to the conditions we faced most of this season it seems low. We have a few good weeks left of catfishing and they will have the feed bags on going into winter.

August 24, 2011

The Red River is on FIRE right now. Big fish are coming in faster water near holes, snags or feeding areas. Stay on the move and be willing to have some tough anchoring. Frogs are hands down the bait of choice but suckers are working too. The fish are not only hitting the baits they are slamming them. This is by far the best bite of the season!

August 9, 2011

Once again we flirted with another flood but didn't quite reach it. We fished right to the high point and were on fish the entire time. The fish want to move into the summer pattern but don't want to live in the mid-river holes so they are still being caught on the secondary currents and shallow runs along the banks. As the water falls over the next week they will eventually move back to the channel. Bait has been the question of the day over the past week. One day they want sucker the next they want goldeye. To be safe it seems like you should have both.

We have many great weekday evening trips available and limited weekend days still available. Be sure to take advantage of the good fishing 2011 has provided.

August 1, 2011

We never did get flooded out but the water did get pretty high last week. This week we are into wonderful water conditions as far as this year goes. We are at about 22.5 feet with a slow drop which will make fishing really good when we get back in on Tuesday.

With all that being said the southern Red River Valley got a lot of rain Sunday night and we are expecting more high water by early next week. We will know more over the next couple days when NOAA puts out new projections. We expect this to be a short lived high water period. Even with the Red high we can still fish the tribs and they have been good all year too.

July 23, 2011

Fishing on the Red is nothing short of outstanding for the end of July. The spawn is all but done and the fish are bulking back up, which means they are eating everything they can find. This past week even with the river up we were catching trophy cats in the fast water. They were feeding just off the main channel breaks. Sucker is the bait of choice but they will take goldeye.

Got this wonderful letter from a customer the other day. Thought I would share.

Just a tremendous day of fishing Thursday.  Couldn't have asked for anything more.  Thanks for helping the grandson on his 16# cat.  You were very professional & alot of fun.  Look forward to being with you next year.
KM - Crosby. ND

 

The unfortunate thing is due to rain for the second time we will be flooding next week. It looks like we will be back in the river August 1st. Stay tuned and don't miss out on your trophy catfish adventure.

July 17, 2011

The spawn is winding down fast and the fish are hungry. The pattern has changed considerably the past few days from a slow slack water bite to fast water right in the channel. The bait really doesn't matter but due to ease of access suckers were our bait of choice. Most spots took 12-18 minutes to get the fish to bite but when they did man did they slam it. With the hot weather and the stable water the bite will only continue to get better.

July 10, 2011

The ramps in Grand Forks are open again which means we are ready to go fishing again. A report from Captain John in Moorhead said that fishing is outstanding and I expect nothing less. We have openings available for evenings over the next couple weeks as well as next weekend.

The T-Shirts are here and look great. Make sure to get yours before we run out.

BDO T-Shirt Order

black shirt red shirt

July 6, 2011

It has been a long couple weeks but the Red will be open again in Grand Forks next Monday, July 11th. The spawn was just getting started last week before we got shut down so hopefully the recent heat will hurry the spawn up and next week we will be back on fish out of the chute.

The last trips before the shutdown were with Scott Turnage from G3 Sportsman Television. We shot an entire episode and another segment. Stay tuned for more information on the show and air dates to come in First Quarter 2012.

June 29, 2011

Catfishing on the Red is shut down for the time being due to flooding conditions. As of right now it is looking like about two weeks before we will be back out. Welcome to the Red in June! We will be back in business the end of the month and through September. Stay tuned

June 20, 2011

Fishing this week remains good with quite a few big fish showing up. The water did hit 70 degrees over the weekend which means it is time for the spawn season to begin. That is normally not to bad for us as we fish aggressively for the fish that are not in the spawn yet and the early ones coming out.

The best spots to try remain along the break lines in the faster water. Baits are still sucker but they are showing signs of wanting goldeyes so don't leave home without them.

June 16, 2011

Sorry for the delay in fishing reports. We have been fishing hard and the fishing is good.

Catfishing on the Red River has shifted into high gear this week with many fish in the 12-16 pound range showing up with a few into the low 20 pound range.  Some of the best spots to try are along the breaks into the main channel or near any kind of running water or inlets.  Best bait has been cut sucker but goldeye  has also been working well.  The key seems to freshen bait frequently and give each spot a good 20 minutes before moving.  River levels are finally down to a fairly manageable level below 21 feet.  With stable water and weather with warmer temperatures some of the season's best catfishing is upon us.  The spawn will be kicking off sometime in the next week or two so take advantage.

We just had a cancelation for Saturday June 25th with Capt. Kent. We also have a few week day Twilight trips available over the next couple weeks.

Monday night we had happy honeymooners Justin and Amber Fuller from Wisconsin who pulled in the season's first triple.

Honey Moon Triple

 

Stay tuned to the 2011 Photo Page we will be adding many more photos over the next week.

May 31, 2011

Catfishing in the Grand Forks area is pretty good considering relatively poor weather conditions and high water. The numbers of fish are not as great as we would like but the quality of fish is making up for it. We are seeing lots of fish in the 16-21 pound range coming in keeping excitment levels high.

Sucker is the best bait this week. The best spots to try are shallow areas near current or faster water right in the channel.

We had a pretty good weekend of fishing and as things settle into the pre-spawn it will only get better. Check out some of the photos from last weekend. http://braddurick.com/photos/2011/index.html

May 23, 2011

Today the ramps at Grand Forks opened and after a long wait I had to go test the waters. Headed out with Brad Dokken from the Grand Forks Herald more to check the snags and water conditions than fish but when you have a bit of time you have to check a spot or two.

The first spot seemed like the water was a bit deep and fast. Got 2 bites and missed one hook set. Moved on to a better spot out of the wind. Fished some flat water right along the bank in 8-12 feet with suckers. It didn't take long to realize the fish are hungry and were not going to mess around with the bait. Only spent an hour in the last spot because I didn't want to be out after dark in the high water.

It has been a long wait but we are finally open for business. Make sure to book your memory soon so you don't miss out.

First 2 fish of the year Nice 34- inch

 

May 20, 2011

Everything is shaping up perfectly to kick of the 2011 season next weekend. Well everything except the potential or heavy rain this weekend. It looks like hit and miss. If we get spotty showers and or light rain no problem. If we avoid the rain 2009 could repeat itself and that was awesome. Go back to the 2009 reports and look at June. AMAZING!!!

Our 2011 t-shirts are approved and the order placed. Shirts come in black and red, short and long sleeve.Be sure to reserve yours today. BDO T-Shirt Order

black shirt red shirt

May 13, 2011

The fall of the river has slowed but we should make it in on time. Was out today checking tribs and got a plan B together in case the Red is late opening up. Going to be a great season as soon as we get in.

Due to customer demand we made arrangements to have Official Brad Durick Outdoors T-Shirts printed. They come in Red and Black shirts long or short sleeve and will be awesome. For the next week we will be taking pre-orders to make sure everyone gets the size they desire and then will be ordering a few extras to have. If you are interested take advantage of FREE shipping on a pre-order. Simply click here to order now.

May 10, 2011

Things are really beginning to look great. As predicted last time the ramps in Grand Forks should be opening the week of May 16th. We plan to begin scouting the 23rd and guiding the 25th. Based on past experience this long wait to get into the Red will be well worth the wait.

We just had a cancelation so we do have some openings the weekend of June 25 and 26 with Capt. Kent. Don't miss out on what could be the catfishing of a lifetime.

April 30, 2011

The river is falling oh so slow but I think we will be in sometime the week of May 16th. It is going to be a late season and I'm expecting things to start off slow once we get in the Red but if you look back to some of the early 2009 reports you will quickly see that the late spring made for some unbelieveable catfishing.

We have a few full day openings starting Memorial weekend and lots of half day week days in June that will be outstanding fishing. We also have many openings beginning 4th of July weekend.

April 16, 2011

Grand Forks crested a couple days ago and now it is the wait for it to go down. Things are looking good south of Fargo but we have one trib that might cause some trouble. Some of the smaller tribs to the north of Grand Forks are starting to look fishable now so we might start some small water fishing over the next week or so. As of right now it looks like a May 28th start. We still have some prime days available later in the summer including 4th of July weekend.

April 1, 2011

The river is finally flooding so it is only a matter of time now until we are catching fish. This week I'm at the Northwest Sport Show in Minneapolis, MN. Huge show with lots of great people. If you are around stop in and see us.

This morning Brad Durick Outdoors got a mention in the Minneapolis Star Tribune from writer Dennis Anderson. Take a read. http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/119035054.html

March 27, 2011

The water is beginning to rise for our 3rd hundred year flood in three years. So far everyone is prepared fairly well so lets hope for the best. Normally years like this produce some of the best fishing and this year is shaping up just like 2009 which was the best I have ever seen.

This coming weekend we will have the booth at the Northwest Sport Show in Minneapolis. If you are in the area stop by and say hello.

Full day trips are booking fast so don't miss out on your opportunity to fish the Red River this year. Give a call or send and email to book your dates now.

March 11, 2011

Had a great time in Fargo for the Red River Valley Sportsman's Show. Met a lot of nice people and it was proven to us that catfishing across America is really gaining steam, even in North Dakota. This weekend we are in Minot for the KX Sport Show. This is a monster show so come on out and say hello. Get your 2011 trip booked so you don't miss out.

In a couple weeks we will start putting flood reports and predictions up so you can better plan your trip when the annual flood season has passed.

March 1, 2011

We just got back from the Omaha Boat Sport and Travel Show. Had a great time in Nebraska. Thanks for the support. We still have some flooding issues coming to deal with this spring but that usually makes for some great cattin. We have a limited amount of trips still available in June and many great dates for July and after. Make sure you book early so you don't miss your opportunity to go reelin on the red.

February 13, 2011

As many of you know we will be at sport shows in Omaha, Fargo, Minot, and Minneapolis. We will be having drawings at the end of each show. All you have to do is stop by the booth, talk some catfishing and sign up. We will be giving away gift certificates and at the end a FREE trip. See you at the shows.

January 16, 2011

Welcome to the first report on the new redrivercatfish.com. As you may know we are currently in the offseason of the 2011 channel catfish season. We are expecting some flooding this spring due to a rough winter but will be ready to go by the end of May. Be sure to make your reservations now.

 


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