Anglers should find catfishing opportunities opening up along with access points on the Red River in and around the Grand Forks area by next week as water levels drop and agencies clear boat ramps of silt and debris. DEO Photo by Brad Durick.

By Brad Durick

Finally, I get to tell you something good. The projections the past few days on the Red River have the ramps in Grand Forks opening as early as Saturday, but it will probably more like Monday. Water temperatures and the time of year are saying we missed the best part of the prespawn channel catfish bite, but we will be in the water and that is a huge step forward.

I suspect the catfish will be a little off kilter until the water levels off some. They tend to bite tough when there is a fast fall. I will start looking for them tight to the banks in the off current areas using fresh cut sucker as bait. It is going to take all of five ounces of weight to hold the bait in those spots.

With spawn probably starting next week you may want to sit a little longer than normal but if the prespawners are feeding, speed it up and rock on. I hope Wahpeton and Fargo get down below flood stage next week to get them opened up. Access points near Oslo and points north still have a long way to go.

Brad Durick is a Dakota Edge Outdoors Contributing Writer and a licensed ND Fishing Guide specializing in trophy channel catfish on the Red River in and around Grand Forks.