ok guy's n' gal's used to this catfish community used to make fun of the bass guys for always whining about people keeping fish but it seems more and more in the catfish community are doing this as well

lets sit back and look at the big picture if there is a close to even number of large fish harvested to smaller fish harvested that means there will be more producers later down the line because we are allowing the smaller fish to get to the size of the ones we all chase now

and yes the larger fish are the egg layers and they are passing on better genes to their offspring but at the same time the larger fish will eventually die weather its due to old age water conditions food conditions ect


lets quit the dang arguement over whose right and whose wrong both sides have valid points yeah cpr is great but also over harvesting the smaller cats is detrimental to the overall population in the long term

if we continue to bicker the way it has been lately we are basically stooping down to the bass fishermans level of its only right to keep certain fish then in another 5-10 years we will be in the same boat of saying its not ok to keep any blues or flats

big fish are great to catch and yes i want my kids and grandkids to catch them as well but seriously fellas lets not stoop to the bass crowds level in the cpr debate

I reckon if you choose to keep some bigger fish, and it's within the law, so be it. I personally don't keep anything bigger than 8-10 lbs because I don't care for the way the bigger fish taste. I'm all for conservation and responsible fishing, but until the state of Texas changes the laws regarding the retention of larger fish, some folks are going to do it. Can't argue with the law, you can only lobby to have the laws changed. Bickerin' about it isn't going to change anyone's mind, that much I know.

Bag limits prevent over harvesting of box fish. Slot limits have proven very productive with redfish, stripers, and white sturgeon. At the turn of the century hundred pound cats were not uncommon. Over harvesting destroyed bloodlines. They are making a comeback due to ending commercial fishing and a C.P.R movement. If we stay vigilant the chance of seeing 200lb blues is possible again.

thats what i'm saying though mcraig yeah overharvesting the larger fish in the past was a huge problem but now we have limits that help prevent that from happening but commercial fishing was a huge part in that

cpr is great dont get me wrong but lets not more less condemn those who keep a few big fish on occassion

and lets face it if the catfish community as a whole sticks together the whole idea is more likely to please everyone instead of dividing the sides the way the bashing and condemning of those who keep a larger fish every now and again

And I'm not as hard on it as I'm making my self out to be, but a 30" limit on blues I think is more than fair.

I agree with you Brando that a person can take any legal fish that they want. That is following the letter of the law. The bass fisherman worked hard in a group effort to increase the size of the bass they are catching. Some thru genetics with the Florida bass but a large part is due to catch and release. The fact that many want to fish for trophys and that is all that matters is great. There will always be the people that do it to put meat on the table and as long as they follow the letter of the law it is their right. I personally will never agree and would love to see the state do more to protect the large cats. Hopefully in the future we will get better regulations.

And I do agree that a 30inch rule will help but there will still be lawbreakers and honestly too many fishing illegally in one way or another go by without ever being noticed personally I think the changes we need to focus on are the hook limits number of game wardens and the jug lining and trotlining need to be monitored far better than how they are currently monitored and most of these issues would be solved with more wardens in the field

you don't have a clue about fair ... who are you to decide what's fair?

you want fair? ... cut the limit down to 10 fish under 30" and 3 over 30" ... or something of that nature

that way everybody has compromised a little ... fair?

Ya and Deer Season should be.year round..................

Catfishes are pretty scarce all the spots I fish.............

My hats off to the bass crowd. Call them what you want, but they have done a tremendous job turning around the Texas Largemouth Bass Fishery. We all have a great example of what catch and release does over time.

With that said, be careful how you say: "well, as long as they are within the state legal limits, I guess it's ok." It's not ok. Biologist admitedly know very little about the blue catfish (as I have spent the later part of Nov-Feb) w/ these guys working on new information they are working with.

There is good reason to beleive that the larger fish 20lbs and over carry a different or slightly different gene that causes expedient growth.

Right now in South Texas, a well over qualified scientist is studying the gene pool and scientific make up between 2 blue cats the same age, one 3 pounds, the other 30 pounds. Both fish are 8 years old. Both were harvested from the same body of water.

If this is true, and you harvest fish over 20lbs, you are harvesting the gene pool that needs to be protected. (yes, there needs to be a checks and balances set up)

Also, if this is true, look for TPW to implement some new bag limit laws on the "different" strain of blue catfish.

For now, put the big ones back and let them breed.

I've been fishing for about 60 years and have only touched 3 or 4 big cats over 20 lbs. I also believe that the numbers of people that target these fish are the ones that are already CPR their fish. As for the rest of us, we might get lucky again one of these days and get another one, but, for my dinner table, its gonna be some 2-4 pound channel cats. Does anyone really eat the biggun's? They look good in the pictures, how about the dinner table?

Catching a large catfish and keeping them is a lot less detrimental to the overall population than trotlines are. You're focused, imho, on the wrong issue especially when comparing catfishing to bass fishing, it's an apples to oranges discussion.

I could agree with that Albert. That's a good idea. Now go be happy internet little internet angry man.

how is he an internet tough guy? has he made threats or talked about whipping people's butts? Nope. All he has done is voiced an unpopular (on this site) opinion.

+1, Albert don't sounds like the internet tough guy on here. I do agree with CPR, but I also think calling someone names or bagging on them because of there opinion has no place here. Some folks need to growup a little.

Salsa, can the rest of us find more information on this study?

he just seems a little angry that's all I'll edit my post.

all i got to say is...

people, please don't spay/neuter your cat
















fish

I never catch any fish over 5lbs, 'cause I'm not targeting the big ones anyway.

I believe the ones targeting only the bigguns are usually practicing CPR. The regular old 2 or 3 times a month fisherman that happens to catch a fish over say 15 lbs and actually land it, isn't going to catch enough to hurt the population. Guys that can go out and honestly land big fish on a regularly basis usually know a bit about conservation.

I feel that trot and jugliners that keep multiple large fish are still doing real damage. This fish was posted as a smartarse reply to the 140lb cat, and its done all the time.

He's not angry. He just points out the truth. We bemone the actions of other fishers on their elitist behavior and yet there are quite a few on her that project the exact same attitude. He's been on this forum longer than a good amount of us on here and has contributed greatly. You may not agree with him and that's fine but take the name calling and shove it.

Then don't tell me I have no clue what's fair when a slot limit has been put on Lewisville very sucessfully

how about doing what i do now? i go fishing for fun and they all go back. i go fishing for food and i keep only as many as i need. i've never kept a cat over 10 lbs or more than 3 or 4 at a time. the lake here has a combined daily limit of 50 over 12 inches for blues and channels. for yella's it's a minimum of 18 inches and a limit of 5. i've never even come close to meeting those limits and don't plan on trying to. enough to eat and put the rest back. seems sensible.

I agree with others here. As long as the law remains like it is we all should respect each others rights as long as we follow it to the letter. Bass fisherman have self regulated along with good lobbying. I personally agree with CPR. Maybe it is time for all of us who appreciate big blues to start the ball rolling with additional limiting. That is the way to get it done, education and self governing. Must my .02 worth.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

http://fishcatchingtravel.com/

Could it be that guides are driving this topic???? Follow the law and forget what self-serving antagonists preach. Some of the best fish I have ever eaten where 40+ pounders. What I can't stand are the jerks that keep less than 12 inchers and less that 18 inchers for flatheads. That's a real traversty!

Sorry uncle I admit to have eaten large catfish when I was a kid, and there's a reason they aren't commercialy raised that size (and they could be).

And I'm not a guide, but I have watched slot limits bring a decimated redfish population back to the North Carolina coast, and I have watched the blue catfish world record go from 99lbs to 143lbs over the last 25 years when 100lb blues were not uncommon in the 1800s. I have to believe conservation has everything to do with this, and I would like to see a 200lb in my lifetime.

I like that net4u web site. That would be great for traveling.

This is another post.... I think some people find humor in this. Why can't we use the forum as info and learning. As for this thread its anyones opinion, and when it gets like this its best to keep your opinion to yourself. This does nothing but wire people up. Lets take this thread and delete it.

Please dont remove this post. Everyone here should be civil enough to express their opinion/concerns and ideas without having an arguement over it. Disipline the people who do such things not the forum as a whole. This is a very interesting thread and has probably been over thousands of times of bass forums, this is a wonderfull way to share ideas and possibly change a fishery for the better.
My Opinion: I CPR all fish I catch, except what I use for bait. That being said there is nothing wrong with people keeping fish as long as it complies with the laws. However I have seen many big fish (blue catfish especially) caught dragged back to the dock or home for a photo and then trashed. I do not agree with any kind of waste like that no matter the fish or game species.

Slot limits and regulations work. This is true world wide. Blue catfish were introduced into Va rivers in the 70' and 80's with no regulations on size or limit. In the early 2000's it got popular and serious catfish anglers lobbied the state for regulations to prevent over harvest of trophy size blue catfish. With a limit of only one blue over 32 inches per person per day, this applied to all forms of fishing comercial and recreational. Since then we have seen the state record broken nearly every year untill the latest 143 lb blue.
That being said catfish will over populate the rivers if smaller fish are not harvested. This lowers competition for food and allows the bigger fish to grow larger. I cant speak for Texas waters and the populations there, but here in Virginia the one fish over 32 inches has greatly improved out large catfish population and left large window for those who fish for food to do just that without taking excess large fish from the river. This applies mostly to trotliners and comercial harvest as they have a greater ability to catch large numbers of big catfish. If anyone is interested I also have a link to a biologist study of our rivers here that goes into detail about how the 32 inch rule effects the fishery.
Here is just a small protion of it which applies to what is being discussed.
"Mortality rates for blue catfish to age 8 are very low in these populations, however as fish reach the age (9 – 14) where rapid weight gain occurs, total annual mortality increases dramatically, approaching 60%. Given this high level of mortality, and slowing growth, continued harvest restriction on large-sized fish will continue to benefit the trophy aspect of the fishery. Conversely, dramatic increases in harvest of small fillet-size fish would be beneficial, as overcrowding is a problem – associated with slowing growth.
The full report can be viewed here and is very educational and interesting IMHO.
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/forecasts-and-reports/tidal-river-blue-catfish-report.pdf

Bump

In some cases larger fish my not survive the stress of being caught. A size limit could require you to release this fish same as gill hooking a small crappie knowing it wont survive. I cpr most of my fish and if any limits are to change then change the bag limit from 25 to 20 or something like that.As well as the hook limit's from 200 per person to 100. Wardens have enough to contend with and what some one chooses to keep should not be up to the rest of us.
The LL slot limit was suppose to be temporary as a test and may be removed later.

You push for bag limits then next you may see number of rods you can use from how ever many you want to 2 or 3. As a bank fisherman, is that fair to those that like to use 4 or more rods?

Just some thing else to think about. Kinda like "if it aint broke dont fix it".

And this thread is another example of why the animal rights activists and PETA are slowly taking our rights away. Infighting, always infighting.

Argue all you want. Disagree all you want.

But do one thing........ OBEY THE FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEKIN' LAWS!!!

Thank you.

Rules and regulations are put in place to improve a fishery, not to take peoples rights or even have anything to do with PETA. I have seen trotliners load the back of a pickup with catfish, many of them over 30 lbs. While I agree its their right to set those lines and catch fish, I feel that it would be for lack of a better word selfish of said person to come to a public body of water and remove so many trophy size fish. I say this because I fish a small river system and on many occasions caught the same fish more than once. I actually watched the fish here grow up, we used to fish and a 30-40 lb fish was a good catch, just 7 or so years later we are catching 50-60 lb fish with regularity. I dont feel like this would be possible if it were not for the 32 inch rule.
With all that being said I would love to see people keeping more fish under the limit, blue catfish especially, have the ability to over populate a system and removing the smaller fish allows growth rates to stay high and puts less pressure on the food source.