cats through the ice

[kevin.303]

any one ever caught catfish in the winter. there was an article in the current issue of Fur-Fish-Game, but that was the first i had heard of any mention of it. all the cats around here seem to disappear for the winter. you ever caught any Upnorth?

[upnorth]

afraid so buddy. But there not nearly as fun in the winter. radio tagging in the past has shown that almost all the cats feed heavily in the fall in the river, then migrate to lake winnipeg to hold up for the winter. seems to be very good o2 levels in the lake, even though it's not a deep lake. I've never caught any really big ones. 2-5lb range. Besides, I'm much happier catching burbot. the best fighting and eating fish ever in my humble opinion!

[kevin.303]

EEEEW, BURBOT!! just thinking about those slimy snakes wrapping that slimy tail around my arm while trying to remove a hook makes my skin crawl. i do however keep hearing how great they are. was up at bakers narrows lodge near flin flon a few years back and saw the 23 pound world record on the wall, big sucker of a fish. i wonder if this the same fish that my grandfather called maryas or mirandas, something like that.

[ghostZ]

In a local pond a few years ago my dad caught a cat thru the ice...it was around 7#.  He didn't have a clue what he hooked the way it faught!

[Uncle Howie]

One of the In-Fisherman videos had a segment on cats through the ice. I don't remember which video it was, but I think it might have been "Ice Tech."

Here in MN, we have a place called the "Horseshoe Chain" of lakes which has a lot of channel cats. I don't hear much about big ones, mostly just good "eaters" in the summer. They do some ice fishing for them in the winter. I think the Horseshoe Chain is in Kandiyohi County.

I also have a buddy who's caught some big (30+) flatheads through the ice on the Minnesota River. I've never seen it in person, but I've seen the photos!

This is just another thing I need to put on my "to do" list. Work is really getting in the way of my fishing...  :mrgreen:

[myronman3]

never any cats but plenty of bullheads.  nasty little buggers.

[muskydx]

I also have a buddy who's caught some big (30+) flatheads through the ice on the Minnesota River.

  There is really enough ice on the minnesota river to go out ice fishing?    I have never heard of anyone ice fishing on a river, accept an impoundment.  how much ice can the river get, and does the current make it dangerous?  I live in detroit and no one would ever think of ice fishing on the detroit or St. claire river.  or mabe I just have the wrong impression of what the Minnestoa River is like.  please fill me in...

[bearfat]

I can kill two birds with one stone. The St Croix River which seems to have an avg depth of around 70 feet on most of the maps I look at freezes over most of the time so well  it has been known to be used as a shortcut for many drivers trying to save time and not use the bridges located about 10 miles apart in one area (Hudson WS and Stillwater MN)

Where the St Croix River feeds into the Mississippi I have driven on it many times and put up ice houses. We've slept on it many night too which is scary because you can hear the ice periodically let out low distant rumbles and hear the ice crack and heave.

I was with my buddy one day when he was jigging with a minnow head off the bottom for walleye and pulled up a few small catfiish about two hours before sundown. So it was not a fluke.

I did see a picture in the paper of a guy about 15 miles down from where the St Croix feeds into the Mississippi with a monster flathead in the month of February. I believe it weighed around 70 pounds. But it is narrow faster moving open water there (never freezes) and he was in a boat.

So some rivers freeze good and others not so good and yes cats can be caught through the ice. The best ice thickness I think I can remember on the St Croix River was around 18" or tad more. Some years it never freezes over very well and no one drives on it. This year was looking good but then it warmed up. 

Oh and the St Croix River is approx half a mile wide where I drive on it.

Here's a pic taken April 05 I believe. It's probably one of the 1st barges to come up river in spring time. I have taken a canoe in the spring and paddled up the St Croix River in the barge channels they cut thru the ice.  The ice bergs are always good for a few gag pic of guys setting up tables and chairs and playing cards. I don't have any pics of that but every few years some idiots do it to get in the paper.

[Uncle Howie]

  There is really enough ice on the minnesota river to go out ice fishing?    I have never heard of anyone ice fishing on a river, accept an impoundment.  how much ice can the river get, and does the current make it dangerous?  I live in detroit and no one would ever think of ice fishing on the detroit or St. claire river.  or mabe I just have the wrong impression of what the Minnestoa River is like.  please fill me in...

Well, I think I'll answer this post, and not a minute too soon!

Yes, there are lots of rivers in MN that see ice fishing activity. Most of them are fished either on foot or with ATVs/snowmobiles, not trucks. However, there are some who drive trucks out- see above post by "bearfat".

The Minnesota river is a fairly slow-moving river, winding through agricultural country. I've used an ATV and snowmobile both on it. I've never gone through, but seeing open areas with flowing water makes you think twice.
 
ATVs will flloat if you go through, but once you start to go through you're probably going through. Snowmobiles have the potential ability to "water skip" if you start to go through, but they sink if you don't make it. Going on foot is often the best choice of all.