By Brad Durick

I wish one week I could write this report and say something like “WOW, we got rain!”

Unfortunately, low water continues to get lower with the Red River in Grand Forks now at 430 cfs and Drayton just over 500 cfs. Again, the lowest I have ever fished the Red River at Grand Forks is 1,200 cfs prior to this year.

All in all, the fishing for the past few days has been really bad. Finding active fish is difficult with no current as there is just nothing to hold them. The way we fish up here from shore or anchored you are just hoping to put bait near a fish. Without current, there is also no way to make a scent trail from the bait. The key right now is to find current of any kind. If you find current, you find fish. I have noticed that fish are liking being near wood. Keep an eye on your lines as fish will pick up the baits and run upstream due to lack of current. Spot sit times should be a minimum of 25-30 minutes and maybe even more to allow fish time to find the bait.

With fishing as tough as it has been, no bait is coming out as a front runner or even a poor bait, so try it all and see if something comes together for you.

Until we get some flow or something changes, I am no longer accepting trips for 2021. On a positive note, I was able to find a car on the bottom of the river at Grand Forks so that was exciting. Upcoming tournaments are the Cats Incredible in East Grand Forks July 30 and 31, and the Catfish Capital Challenge in Drayton August 6 and 7. Both are still accepting participants.

Brad Durick is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed fishing guide specializing in trophy catfish on the northern Red River in and around Grand Forks.