It's probable that people who love catfishing might have a preference for the Red-River-of-the-North or the Red-River-of-the-South. The rest of us will probably find both regions intriguing. The northern waterway has a rich history complete with Indian tribes, fur trappers, and the Hudson Bay Company. The southern one has its own stories, like border disputes between the United States and Spain (and later Mexico) and a 160-mile-long log jam. They both boast a population of monster Red River catfish.
The one that separates Minnesota and North Dakota is sometimes called the Red-River-of-the-North because of this duality in nomenclature. This waterway is 545 miles long, running north through the vast ancient lake bed called the Red River Valley and on into Canada. Eventually it reaches Lake Winnipeg.
Dedicated fishermen of this far northern region declare that they can offer visitors the 'best catfishing on the planet'. They say that the channel cats are big and numerous, so an excursion on the water can mean hauling in twenty-pounders all day long. There are some great photos online to show that it's not all brag.
Professional guide services take visitors by boat to the places where these massive channel cats lurk. They say that there are so many huge cats that twenty-pound fish can be hauled in all day long. All visitors need to bring is a license and their lunch. Private groups can engage a local guide familiar with the best fishing spots for half-day or full-day trips.
If you go to the other extreme, you'll find the Red-River-of-the-South running from its origin in the Texas Panhandle along the border with Mexico and on for over 1300 miles to end up in Louisiana, having gone through Arkansas on the way. There are several species of cats in the southern Red, including channels, blues, and flatheads. What is believed to be a new species has recently been found down where the Red joins the Atchafalaya.
Deep in the murky depths of the southern Red, channel cats grow to monster size, too. The current record for a channel is 58 pounds, for a flathead over 100, and for a blue 124. There are many legal ways to catch these fish. You can use a rod and reel with worms, minnows, or chicken livers. You can use your bare hands in the method called 'noodling', which involves blindly searching in holes along the bottom, in sunken hollow logs, or under rock outcroppings.
Other legal ways are much more leisurely. You can suspend baited hooks from plastic Coke or milk bottles (jug-fishing), use a slat-trap where the fish swim in for the bait and then can't get out, or snag them with three-way hooks. These may be less sporting but can quickly fill a freezer with a months-long supply of fish.
So there you have it. You can go as far north or as far south as the country's borders allow and find superior catfishing. Each river has its own colorful history and has played an important part in the development of this nation. The northern waterway brought trappers in and furs out for the Hudson Bay Company. The southern one wasn't really navigable until a 160-mile-long log jam was sorted out with dynamite. A visit to either one will introduce you to unique vistas and adventures.
The one that separates Minnesota and North Dakota is sometimes called the Red-River-of-the-North because of this duality in nomenclature. This waterway is 545 miles long, running north through the vast ancient lake bed called the Red River Valley and on into Canada. Eventually it reaches Lake Winnipeg.
Dedicated fishermen of this far northern region declare that they can offer visitors the 'best catfishing on the planet'. They say that the channel cats are big and numerous, so an excursion on the water can mean hauling in twenty-pounders all day long. There are some great photos online to show that it's not all brag.
Professional guide services take visitors by boat to the places where these massive channel cats lurk. They say that there are so many huge cats that twenty-pound fish can be hauled in all day long. All visitors need to bring is a license and their lunch. Private groups can engage a local guide familiar with the best fishing spots for half-day or full-day trips.
If you go to the other extreme, you'll find the Red-River-of-the-South running from its origin in the Texas Panhandle along the border with Mexico and on for over 1300 miles to end up in Louisiana, having gone through Arkansas on the way. There are several species of cats in the southern Red, including channels, blues, and flatheads. What is believed to be a new species has recently been found down where the Red joins the Atchafalaya.
Deep in the murky depths of the southern Red, channel cats grow to monster size, too. The current record for a channel is 58 pounds, for a flathead over 100, and for a blue 124. There are many legal ways to catch these fish. You can use a rod and reel with worms, minnows, or chicken livers. You can use your bare hands in the method called 'noodling', which involves blindly searching in holes along the bottom, in sunken hollow logs, or under rock outcroppings.
Other legal ways are much more leisurely. You can suspend baited hooks from plastic Coke or milk bottles (jug-fishing), use a slat-trap where the fish swim in for the bait and then can't get out, or snag them with three-way hooks. These may be less sporting but can quickly fill a freezer with a months-long supply of fish.
So there you have it. You can go as far north or as far south as the country's borders allow and find superior catfishing. Each river has its own colorful history and has played an important part in the development of this nation. The northern waterway brought trappers in and furs out for the Hudson Bay Company. The southern one wasn't really navigable until a 160-mile-long log jam was sorted out with dynamite. A visit to either one will introduce you to unique vistas and adventures.