By Nick Simonson

For those anglers looking to explore one of the region’s most underutilized but powerful river fish, channel catfish provide a trophy experience and some consistently good fishing, especially on the Red River from Fargo to the Canadian border in North Dakota.  While it may require a bit of specialized gear and a different selection of baits, Captain Brad Durick advises that the point of entry is low, and a selection of simple tackle is all that’s required to get into the passion of going after large channel cats.

“If you’re starting, you really can’t go wrong with an Ugly Stik catfish rod. They’re not expensive, you can get spinning, you can get casting – I prefer casting myself. Reels can be what you want, I like a nice 6500 Abu Garcia baitcaster because they put up to my abuse.  But you can get set up with that Ugly Stik and a middle-of-the-road Penn spinning [reel] for example, for one hundred dollars,” Durick details.

From there, Durick suggests that anglers can lean on their preferences and what the water and fish are telling them when it comes to line, tackle, and bait.  The first two elements are often static, but the selection of both live and dead bait offerings can vary with the season.

“Line is a contention between the people who like mono and the people who like braid, and I’ll just leave it at that. I am a mono person; while it does have a couple limitations because it stretches, that is also to its advantage for new people, because the fish might zig when you zag and that stretch actually works to your advantage and doesn’t pull the hook loose.  It’s cheap, you can buy it anywhere, and it comes in bright colors, so those of us who fish multiple lines can see it,” Durick states.

For catfish running in the three-to-15-pound range which are the norm on much of the Red River, 4/0 to 6/0 sized hooks work well for standard use.  In areas where there are bigger fish in the 20-to-25-pound range, or during a tournament, Durick goes up to a 7/0 hook.  Either standard J-shaped hooks or circle hooks can be used, however with the latter, it’s important to keep pressure on the fish and learn how to keep that hook in place via a taught line during the battle. When using circle hook presentations from shore, a solid rod holder to secure a fishing combo into the bank will better help in preventing a big catfish from swimming off with an angler’s investment.  Utilizing reels with a clicker option will also alert anglers to bites and when a catfish begins pulling line off the reel.

With structure ranging from sunken trees and debris piles to bridge pilings and even cars which Durick has found on his sonar while angling, there are many places where catfish will lurk on rivers like the Red.  Durick recommends finding a deeper spot and starting there while learning how catfish move and feed.

“Getting started, I would just look for a hole or a piece of structure, usually in our case it’s a wood pile or a tree or something that can break the current. I usually work holes but I also pair it with current, and that starts getting a little bit more technical when you’re identifying current seams and how to use them in different situations,” Durick states, adding, “typically, you find a hole; if there’s fish there, they’ll find you.  Give it some time, the rule of thumb is 20 to 30 minutes, then pack up and move on.”

Baits run the gamut, from commercial catfish pastes and chicken liver to live baits such as nightcrawlers and sucker.  Nightcrawlers present an interesting challenge as they will catch catfish when gobbed on a circle hook, however every other fish present in the river will eat them too.  When it comes down to it, Durick has his seasonal favorites on the Red River for catfish.

“I’m a big fan of the white sucker which is only legal [in North Dakota] here on the Red. They’re getting harder and harder to find it seems from year-to-year. This time of year, a nice fresh cut sucker can’t really go wrong with the water starting to get into those middle 50s,” Durick recommends, adding that “as the season goes along, if it’s wetter, frogs can be a really deadly [bait] toward the end of July and into August.”

Through trial and error and some time on the bank or in a boat, anglers can target catfish and be successful through the pairing of some basic tackle with knowledge of what baits work best and the spaces that catfish inhabit and hunt in.  With a season or two under one’s belt, the pastime of catfishing can become a primary pursuit filled with good results during the open water season.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Anglers new to catfishing can find success with relatively cheap rod and reel options along with some simple tackle.  From there, a spirit of exploration and picking out a few key elements on a river will help them connect with these powerful fish. DEO Photo by Brad Durick.