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!!

Bluegills, Trout, Walleyes, and Catfish

BlueGills, The Basics
Bluegills are popular game to go for because they are plentiful across the continent. Another reason they are popular is because they go for a variety of natural bait and artificial bait. They usually opt for areas with clear water and reasonable weed growth.
** Quick Tip: No matter what kind of fish you go for, and no matter what conditions you fish (ice fishing included), the 1947 “Evening Secret” will bring the fish to you, it really is an impressive tool that every fisherman worth his salt should own.
Typically they like water from 50 degrees up to 90, and can even be taken through ice! But, the best time to get them is when the water is around 70 degrees. It is then that they become aggressive because they are ready to spawn. You can find nests from about 2 – 12 feet deep.
When it is warmer, fish early and/or late in the day, especially if you are in shallow water. Bigger bluegills can be found in deeper water, and can be up to 20 feet below the surface. When fishing lily pads, approach it as if you were going for bass. Work the points, pockets and indentations where there is open water.
Make sure to fish with small hooks and bait. They have small mouths and have a hard time taking in larger bait.
Great baits to use are pieces of earthworm, crickets, grasshoppers, grubs, wax worms, minnows, leeches, and even sandwich meat. If you go the artificial route, use tiny jigs and spinner baits.
There isn’t really a need to use more than 2-pound test line – maybe up to 4-pound maximum. As you may know, light lines make the bait appear more lifelike.
They are easily spooked so make longer casts if you are on foot, stay a bit back from the shore. If you are in a boat, be careful and quiet.
After you get a strike, don’t act too quickly. Wait a second before lifting the rod – you will hook more this way.
Walleyes, Use Waders At Night
It is fairly well known that Walleyes favor low-light conditions. They can be found in water only 3-4 feet deep looking for perch. Using a pair of waders you can go for them.
Some recommendations are to use a light spinning rod equipped with 8-12 pound test line, and some minnow imitations.
You can find them at points where deep water is near. Scout for baitfish feeding on plankton – sooner or later the Walleyes will show up.
Trout, Midges
If your luck is not good with early season trout, try a few patterns of midges. Mosquito larva or pupa, in sizes 12-20 is good. If it is early in the season, fish it deep.
Catfish, Bait
Follow these steps to make a bait catfish just can’t resist:
1 pound of chicken livers (including blood)1 cup of yellow cornmealWhile mixing with hands (squeeze hard), add more cornmeal until a sticky paste formsAdd cotton balls, pulling apart each one and add clumps to mixture (use 12, they keep everything together in the water)Add more cornmeal until you can make individual balls without them sticking to your handFreeze until ready
To bait up, pinch some dough and set it on your hook – catfish will go crazy for this mixture!

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