We are now accepting entry for the 2017 Scheels Boundary Battle to be held June 24/25, 2017.  This tournament is limited to 50 boats.  The cost to enter is $220. 

A new twist this year is a kids tournament will be run at the same time as the regular tournament.  Enter any kid under 16 years old as your partner or a third partner and the kid will automatically receive a gift package.  Other prizes and incentives will be announced in the months to come. Cost to enter a kid is FREE

For more information or to register online.  www.boundarybattle.com

So here I am after I am after a couple years of thinking about it I thought it was time to get a medium that I can help keep the catfish world up to date on some things. I can tell some stories and keep everyone entertained. I am hoping to integrate some video into this but time will tell. I just don't think many people want to look at a fat catfish guide yakking on in front of a camera but who knows. 

What I do know is the catfish world is hungry for information and I have lots.  My biggest problem is living in North Dakota I am geographically challenged from the rest of the catfish world.  Sometimes this is a good thing because I sit on America's Finest Channel Cat fishery and many days have it all to myself.  I am sheltered from many of the problems and some of the drama of the catfish world.  The problem with it is the only contact I have to many of my catfish brethren is social media and getting to meet some of you is nearly impossible.

The name Catfish University may seem generic and even a copy of a couple social media groups but I have been conducting Catfish Universities long before it was a Facebook group and I owned the domain name and thought no better way to utilize what I already had.  You can read more about Catfish University on the home page.

So onward and upward.  I hope to keep you up to date with the entire catfish world and throw in some regular tips and ideas.  Winter should be pretty easy because of the off season.  Spring and summer if I get on one time per week I would be surprised. 

Enjoy

Monsters on the Ohio was yesterday and get this 192 boats.  Last month the Mississippi River Monsters had 184.  These are the two biggest tournaments for catfish anywhere and the people who attend say they love them.  This is good for the sport.

I remember back when the Cats Incredible on the Red River was the top dog in huge catfish tournaments with 150 boats.  I realize some laws changed and the tournament has changed hands at least three times since those days of greatness.  I have to ask why has the enthusiasm and numbers for that tournament waned over the past few years?  We have a rabid catfish community here in the Grand Forks area and many new faces yet come tournament week many of the old faces are not showing up like they used to.

What will it take to make the local tournaments the greatness of Monsters on the Ohio or Mississippi River Monsters?  After all we do have the greatest channel cat river in the world.  Is it just that we are too far and there are now so many other tournament options for out of area people or has the goals of the professional tournament angler gone to the big blue cats?

Nothing shuts down a catfish bite like like a huge change in water temperature.  Here is the graph from my Red River at Grand Forks, ND  Basically a 10 degree drop in four days.  The catfish are feeling this one and once everything settles out they will be heading for the wintering holes.  If I was forced to fish this situation I would be fishing almost totally out of the current and deep in structure while sitting on spots for a long time to draw that sluggish fish out.

Well my 2016 guiding season has come to a close and let me say the Red did not disappoint.  The biggest problem moving forward might be that the fishing was so good that some return guests may  come to expect a bite like that.  It was simply special.  There were many memories made and I was just lucky enough to be there for it.

I am still working on numbers but three of the five boat records I keep were broken this year.  My boat ended the year with a little over 9 tons of channel cats through the boat. and did it in less than 100 days on the water.  Check out the catfish photo page for some of the highlights or on the Facebook Link to see some of fish from 2016.

I will let my friend Larry Myhre from the Sioux City Journal tell you about one day he had with me this "Magical May" on the Red River.  http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/myhre-we-get-a-taste-of-catfish-heaven-on-the/article_67bc1079-5f96-558e-976f-76a9d43bebfc.html


We are currently booking for 2017. Click the Guide Service page and it will take you to the official site of Brad Durick Outdoors LLC and get in on the action.

Rippin Lips has recently released their 2017 product catalog.  Now located in Iowa Rippin Lips is in the process of providing high quality catfish gear at an affordable price.  I have used the Supercat rods and Tournament Circle hooks exclusively for the past two years and can tell you there is a lot of quality in that product. 

www.rippinlips.net

TIP- If you are an Amazon Prime member the rods have FREE shipping.