Anyone here fish the Red River for catfish?

after installation of the lock and dams a decade or two ago, I think it has become more of a bass fishery...

For me, my favorite way of doing catfish on the red is from a boat with a bunch of jugs at night once it warms up. Caught a lot that way. Just float down with them, watch them with a spotlight, drink a lot. Bring a big landing net. Fill the boat.

But you can tear them up on the downriver side of a sandbar, although these won't be large, or in a hole on the bottom of a wash, or below a lock overflow.

I tied into something one time right below dam 5 with a bottom rig and a big surf rod that went right up to the spillway without me being able to turn it's head till he got there then I lost it when he turned back to me. Was exciting tying into something that huge. That rod is ten feet long and as thick as a broom handle or more and I had it doubled over into a question mark with the drag running and didn't budge him for a hundred yards.

No clue what it was but it was pretty fricking awesome whatever it was. Felt like a submarine.

I always had the most success off of fresh cut bait for blues that I caught with a cast net, and live bream for ops.

Also, when the river rises, get up in the tributaries and creeks and any flood plains. Go shallow. You have to be there when it's rising.

Once it drops, it's over.

We have a set line tourny during July near Three Rivers. Some boats launch at the locks to set, others launch in Mississippi, or Atchafalya and set.

Live 3" buffalo work the best, IMO.

Also, we catch fish at the hydro plant after hours or on a Saturday. Not supposed to drive boat within 100 yards of the hydro plant, but the fish pile up on the concrete slab next to the wall. Drop your line down with a 2 - 4oz weight and a river hook with a buffalo or small shad on it. Get in a log jam and you can drink a case of beer and have a boat full of spotted cats!

Cast net usually for me if I'm fishing the Red.

Was throwing it one time to catch some shad and pulled in a ten pound buffalo.



Speaking of buffalo, I was at that same spot below Lock and Dam 5 snagging with that same surf rod and hung a buffalo that was about thirty pounds. My buddy, who probably doesn't weigh 125 lbs soaking wet tried to rassle it up on the bank amongst the rock when that sucker started going nuts. It beat his arse like you'd taken a baseball bat to him then flopped back in the river. I could barely breath for laughing so hard.