Submitted Photo This recent photograph shows a section of the Red River north of Grand Forks. Flow in the Red River is less than some long-time river watchers can remember.

The flow in the Red River is as little as many old timers can remember. The famed catfish of the Red are showing definite signs of stress. A nationally recognized catfish guide has chosen to cease operation.

The long-term average flow for this time of year in the Red River on North Dakota’s eastern border is about 2,300 cubic feet per second. On Tuesday of this week the Red at Grand Forks was flowing at a paltry 204 cfs, a product of a lengthy drought that has gripped the state and the region.

Sand bars have emerged, some so tall that kayakers are looking up at them. There’s deadfalls too, huge trees like those growing for many years along the banks of the Red. Small dams are completely exposed.

“I’m done until further notice, rain or next year or whatever comes first,” said Captain Brad Durick, Grand Forks, a well-known channel catfish guide on the historic Red River. “We’re running out of water is what we’re doing. I’ve talked to guys who have been here for 70 years and they say they’ve never seen it this bad.”

Durick and his clients enjoyed a terrific season of catfishing this spring and summer, at least while it lasted. A year ago, said Durick, he drove his boat over a dam on the Red on the north side of Grand Forks. A few days ago he was looking up at the top of the dam from water level.

“There’s just a trickle of water coming over it,” remarked Durick. “What if nothing changes for next year? Then what? I’m worried about a winter kill.”

In Durick’s book, “Cracking the Catfish Code”, he details how to find catfish. One of the keys is current. Now, with little or no current to be found, it is affecting the fishing and the condition of the fish.

“There’s a lot of things happening right now, none of which are good,” said Durick. “The bigger fish just aren’t feeding. At the Drayton tournament last weekend I saw two fish that looked right. The rest were scrawny fish with big heads.”

Durick’s son recently pulled in a 34 ¢ inch channel cat that had a big head and slender body, no fat belly typical of Red River cats. The fish weighed under 13 pounds, not 17 or 18 as is usually the case for a healthy catfish of that length.

“They are not looking good,” explained Durick. “If you can find current they are healthier, seem to be feeding a little better.”

Durick called the low water situation on the Red “scary stuff,” noting that it could take an entire generation to get the fish back if the situation gets any worse.

The Red River often flows very high in the spring as the snowmelt gets underway. Durick says “one big melt” can provide a fix but, for now, the “whole river, from start to finish, is dry.”