LOCKPORT CATFISHING EXPERIENCE!

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Title: LOCKPORT CATFISHING EXPERIENCE! Author Norb Wormald

"LOCKPORT CATFISHING EXPERIENCE"

I will say this a good number of the huge Channel cats shown on the IN-FISHERMAN video tapes are from the Red River area of Lockport Manitoba. One of the tapes includes Stu McKay the owner of "Cats On The Red." He is also a fishing guide and has lodge rooms and boats for rent. He will treat you right in all his dealings. I strongly believe that stretch of river holds the largest concentration of huge Channel cats in North America.

Lockport is about 20 miles north of the Winnipeg airport. It takes on about 30 minutes in a car you can rent at the airport. The highway is expressway for about 10 mile and a good 2 lane highway until the last mile. Then it become more of a residential street to Stu's place.

Buy the Conservation license for it is about half the regular license. That is a catch and release of all catfish caught. So by all means take your camera to take photos of these cats as proof. Your pals back home will not believe your stories without the pictures.

You have to use BARBEDLESS hooks up there and can only fish 1 pole at a time. Take plenty of hooks 2/0 - 4/0, flat sinkers 2-3 oz. Take some Styrofoam or cork slip bobbers. Plastic bobber can crack on the rocks in the shallow area by the dam. I learned that lesson the hard way on one of my trips. 20-30lb test line should do the job. A rod with some backbone to help hold the fish in the strong current.

The best bait up there is cut Goldeye. The problem is you have to catch them yourself. They CAN NOT be bought at any bait store for it is use for food up there. They can be caught like skipjacks a jig or curly tail or piece of night crawler with a bobber. There is a limit of 10 per day allowed. That should
provide you with plenty of bait for the day.

Shrimp comes in a good 2nd choice. It is on the expensive side and is cheaper when purchased at the supermarket in Selkirk. Selkirk is a small town about 4 mile north of Stu's place. You can load up on supplies of food and whatever drinks you need in Selkirk as well.
I August a great bait is leopard frogs. They can be caught along t the brush area on the EAST bank of the river in the evening. You have to hold onto your pole when using them for the cats just smash them. It is the cats gets the bait or you hook the fish, there is no little tapping on the line. You can put a small section of plastic worm over the frog's hooked leg to help keep the frog on the hook.

The river is shallow by the dam to about 1 mile north of Stu's place. The deepest spot is only ft. in that area. That is really the main reason you can land those big cats, for they cannot go deep at all. The current is very strong. It really can wear your arms out trying to bring in a 20lb cat with such a strong current. I suggest taking some Bengay rub and aspirin to relieve the sore muscles you will get from fighting those cats. Stu's boat seats if he has any left are not great for support of the back either.

If you are going to be up there more than 3 days I suggest fishing at a steady pace. Fish from around sun rise till around noon. Rest up till around 4p.m. Go back out and fish till dark. Stu's boats do not have running lights so they have to be back at the dock by dark.
If you want you can fish a night from the bank and catch cats. My brother and I caught some right in front of out lodge rooms one night. The boat dock is right by the channel so is a spot to check out. My brother caught his largest cat off the dock a 28 pounder!

I hope this has been of some help to anyone thinking about experiencing hooking into the largest Channel catfish of their life. For more information contact Stu McKay at "Cats on the Red." Fishing season opens around May 20th.

Please visit my web sites: nlcatfish@aol.com webmaster for
CINCINNATI CATFISHING www.cincinnaticatfishing.com & SHOP
WITHOUT DROPPING www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/Shop1.html

Have been catfishing around the Downtown Cincinnati area of the Ohio River for over 40 years. Have gone catfishing to Lockport 5 times over the past 10 years. It is the greastest place to catch lots of huge channel catsfish in North America!!