Skip to main content

Giant Red River Channel Catfish

Giant Red River Channel Catfish

This remains one of the most famous channel cat fisheries in North America—certainly for numbers of large channel cats. The river flows along the border of North Dakota and Minnesota and then into Manitoba, through Winnipeg and Selkirk, before entering Lake Winnipeg.

In the lower reaches near Breckenridge Minnesota, big fish run 8 to 12 pounds. A little farther north in the Fargo-Moorhead area, plenty of 15-pounders are available. Still yet moving northward (downstream), the reaches around Grand Forks-East Grand Forks to Drayton hold numbers of fish exceeding 20 pounds.

//www.in-fisherman.com/files/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-04-25-at-3.06.25-PM.png

Below the Lockport Dam in Selkirk, Manitoba, just North of Winnipeg, you might expect more than twenty 20-pound fish a day, with 25 pounders common and 30-pounders attainable.

A good bite on the Red occurs during late May and June during the Prespawn Period, especially in tailrace fisheries, but the fishing remains good throughout summer and into October. A good setup for the 15-plus pounders is a 7.5- to 8-foot medium heavy casting rod matched with a quality reel spooled with 30-pound mono or braid. Slipsinker rigs work well, with a 5/0 to 6/0 circle hook and a flat no-roll sinker to match current conditions. Current seams, woodpiles, and mid-river holes and runs usually each hold fish depending on conditions.

Contacts: Guides Brad Durick (Grand Forks area), 701/739-5808, redrivercatfish.com; Donald Pearase (Selkirk area), 204/990-2171, blackwatercats.com.

[navionics zoom="8" long="-96.8" lat="50.1" -->


GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

How to Pick the BEST Hook for Your Soft Plastic Bass Lures

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

Swapping Out TOPWATER Frog Hooks for Better Hook Ups

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

The BEST Hook For Catfish

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Gear

Maximize Fishing Graph Screen Inches For Maximum Fishing Data Output

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

DIY Rod Build: Exceeding Expectations with the Perfect Multi-Purpose Bass Rod

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Gear

Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120 UNBOXING

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

GENIUS Planer Board Modification Tip with Ross Robertson

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Gear

In-Fisherman's Old Town Sportsman PDL 120 Walk-Through with Thomas Allen

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

Old Town Salty PDL 120 Kayak Walk-Through

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

NEW In-Fisherman TV River Jet Boat: Yamaha Powered SmokerCraft Pro Sportsman 1866

Humminbird's TargetLock Foot Pedal Functions EXPLAINED
Learn

DECKED OUT 2023 Starcraft STX 2050: New In-Fisherman TV Boat

In-Fisherman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Buy Single Digital Issue on the In-Fisherman App

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top In-Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All In-Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now