My plea is that everyone PLEASE think about it, for the lakes sake, before you throw that fish in your livewell. I know I will catch it for that statement, but please read on before judging. All indications are that Tawakoni will be under heavy fishing pressure this winter. I can remember just a few years ago when I could go out there and maybe see 1 or 2 boats all day on a weekday. That doesn't happen much anymore unless the wind is blowing. Every year more and more fisherman are trying to catch some of the wonderful lakes monster fish. As few as 5 years ago there was only 1 full time catfish guide and 1 part time catfish guide on the lake. There are at least 6 catfish guide options now, depending on what you are looking for. I know many of you have children as I do. I personally can't wait for them to be old enough to put them on a 40+ bluecat. I have caught fish in 34 public bodies of water in our great state and Tawakoni is the best I have fished. With all of your help it still can be 20 years from now for our next generation.

you might not have noticed but i believe the majority of us on this forum release most fish over 10#.

I release all of mine. I just keep crappie, but I like to get the big ones. I dont get them much but it is fun when it happens.

This is true. We released a 28lber today, but I did keep a 12lber.

The big ones are only good for two things.
1. The thrill of the fight.
2. The eggs they lay ever year.

This is a good general statement for all lakes as a whole as they are all getting increased fishing pressure with increasing popularity in catfishing and catching big catfish.

Those of us that have been targeting and producing big catfish for a long time have already seen the effects of the increased fishing pressure on many of the lakes over the past few years. Jackie Kennedy and I were just discussing this on the phone a few hours ago.

I agree with this but the people on here is just a small percent of people that fish which sucks cause my lake (limestone) for example I have seen multiple 50# cut up and put their heads on fences ten years from now fishing might be pretty bad I hope not but the rate it is going now....

MR. CATFISH,

Your lake (Tawakoni) is safe for now, as from me. I have been ribbed before that when I go out & run lines, that the lake level drops when I bring my catch in. 'Course I know it isn't true. Usually, during our Freezer Run for the 4 day Thanksgiving Holiday Trip, we usually bring in 42 to 50 Cats. I do not target the really small ones (legal size), but won't pitch them back either. The same goes for Channels. I prefer Blues & Yellows/Ops. My favorite range for eating (just right) is between 5 & 15 pounders.

I personally have seen just how many fish are in Limestone, Cats & others, on my Cuda 128. Now my uncle has seen it too & could not believe just how thick they are in the winter. If I don't harvest them, then eventually we will have lots of dead fish from the props ripping them up. In my opinion, that would be a tragedy for sure. In other words, Limestone fish are increasing more than you can imagine.

While many are in it for the sport, that's OK. I too like a good thrill. But I am mostly in it for the meat & also the research.

There are lots of observations & notes in my catfish research that I have not shared. I shared one with my uncle a few years back. We were cleaning fish & he cleans the smaller ones, and I will do the larger ones. Without looking at what he had, I said, You're cleaning a Channel now. He was. I explained I can smell the difference between a Blue & a Channel, as when you cut the belly open to expose the guts, a Channel stinks (compared to a Blue). He sniffed my Blue & his Channel & realized I was correct.

I also showed him the differences in the meat of comparable sizes, to which he was not aware as well.

Personally, I respect everyone who practices CPR, my hat's off to you. And I am glad sportsmen/women have come this far (compared to those who would waste their kill/trophy). But I have to ask for that same respect in return.

you're kidding right?

Yes, but they do get awfully thick sometimes & you might catch me looking back as I wonder if I hit any.

I normally stay out of these discussions on the board because it is a never ending battle. I have had many conversations with folks in person about this subject though. I think the easy fix would be a slot limit on Tawakoni like they have applied to other lakes. I personally do not keep anything over 15 pounds and rarely keep one over 8 or so pounds. In many of the conversations I have had with guides and TPW officials it is their contention that the current combination of CPR fisherman and meat hunters on Tawakoni is working pretty well. There is not a shortage of small or large catfish on the lake and the numbers of both in surveys are proving that.
I would love to see a slot put on the lake for the very greedy folks that keep their limits of very large fish(30+ pounders and all the folks tuned in on Tawak know who I am talking about), but that is just my opinion. 95% of the folks I know that catch large blues on Tawakoni are CPR guys, and I know a few locals that go out and bring in 1 big fish for the table. I will not condemn nor condone what they are doing, all I can do is share(not push upon) my opinion to the many people I come in contact with while fishing Tawakoni 100+ days a year.

Best thing you can do is get on line. Look up which of your local elected officials serve on Texas Parks and Wildlife's board and bug the snot out of them to put a slot and protect the fishery. We can type on this till the cows come home but all it does is cause infighting.

i dont keep much more than 20 fish a year and nothing over 8#

Here is a start

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/about/divisions/inland_fisheries/

You mean like this. This genius told me that they only fish 2 weeks out of the year so they didn't hurt the population. Can you imagine if everyone that caught big cats(on trot line and jugs) kept them for 2 weeks every year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK4w7FRqaAU

I probably keep as many catfish on Lake Tawakoni as anyone on the board...but anything over 5lbs generally goes back to the lake. Occasionally we will keep a fish in the 8-12lb range.

I would say the fish we catch are 90% channel cats....

This was a great topic and generally speaking I agree 100%.