The Minnesota River has long been praised as one of the great North American flathead cat fisheries, but the dam at Minnesota Falls near Granite Falls marked the end of the cat's upstream habitat.
With the dam gone, all that's going to change.
The Granite Falls Advocate Tribune reports in Great fishing migrates upstream to Granite Falls: First person to catch a flathead catfish to be awarded with prize:
To celebrate the history-making return of great fishing in Granite Falls, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a unique contest, said Nicole Zempel, director. Beginning with the Minnesota fishing opener on May 11, the first person to catch a flathead catfish in the stretch of the Minnesota River from Memorial Park to the dam in downtown Granite Falls will be awarded a prize befitting the importance of this occasion.
Read the article to learn how to enter the contest. Since photographic evidence will be proof enough, it's a contest those who catch-and-release can enjoy.The article continues:
The removal of the Minnesota Falls dam about three miles downstream of Granite Falls has re-opened this section of river to the natural migration of fish. For over a century, the Minnesota dam served as a substantial disruption to the annual migrations of flathead catfish, walleye, sauger, paddlefish, shovelnose and lake sturgeon to this stretch of river.
The Minnesota River is famous for its trophy, flathead catfish population. But for more than a century flathead catfish have not been found above the Minnesota Falls dam.
Now, fisheries biologists are confident that these and other game fish will be drawn upstream to the Granite Falls area. There is an approximate, 17-feet gradient change in the river from Granite Falls to the Minnesota Falls rapids, creating riffles and other desirable fish habitat.
It’s also a great section of river to paddle, said Zempel.
Bluestem thinks there's little we can write about publicly that's as enjoyable as a good night spent going after cats, except perhaps a paddle down the river.
Image: A flathead cat.
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