I think maybe just allow 1 body of water. And my vote is Trinity River.

I like the idea of one body of water..And the fish become property of the tournament guys to do with as they please is JMO but Im not an expert to any of this by any means

The Trinity is prob one of the best untouched noodling locations around. I bet it holds the biggest flatheads and with all the slab rocks on the banks of the ft worth side it would be a noodlers dream.

Brown bag, he asked what we would like to see. I told him my opinion. As far as passing the noodling law, TPWD didn't have any say in the matter!! All politicians which shouldn't have messed with the regs anyways!!!

Fish fry. 60 pound flats taste so good.

Monster gar as well. I wouldn't do it

But its okay for you to be able to fish how you like to fish with rod and reel and keep just as many? I'm confused.

Well Im sure we would all like to see no one ever keep or kill these fish but it happens all the damn time..Ok well tell me how the hell this is going to really hurt ALL the trophy fish.."As of 2002, it was legal in some form in eleven states, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.[1] It has since been legalized in Texas.".Al..120.4, Georgia 83.0,Arkansas 116.12,Illinois 124..Kentucky104. Mississippi 95 North Carolina 85....OK.98...South Carolina 109.4...Tennessee 112...Wisconsin 74....So there you have it."People who noodle catfish keep all of them and it kills all the bigfish so there will not be any bigfish left" well these stats show differently..given some of the records were broke before noodling however almost everyone has been after 2002...Once again I do not noodle im not for or against it. I CPR all of my catfish and target big blues..

I personally keep very few fish. We are talking sbout a tournament here. I would not take part in a tourny which doesn't do it's best to protect trophy fish.
Besides the question was asked what we would like to see during this tournament. I answered the question!

I would like to clarify something. I have no problem about keeping legal fish. I have a problem with a tourny scenario keeping and killing every fish weighed in.

+1

I don't know about those other states, but in OK, it is only legal to take non game fish by noodling. Since they call Blues and Channels game fish, it is only legal to catch flatheads (as far as catfish are concerned) by noodling. There is no such restriction on blues and channels in Texas. And like Tom said, TPWD had no say. Just because other states allow it doesn't mean it's a good policy. Otherwise, wouldn't all states and all lakes have the exact same regulations?

Another thing, has anyone noticed how long it take a catfish to reach trophy size? It takes a lot longer than it does for a bass. Catfish live a lot longer than a bass also. The state of Texas stocked 105,851 blues last year in all of the state. Over 8,080,000 Largemouths were stocked in 2012 and over 12,000,000 in 2011. Look here. Yet just about everyone releases the big bass. And often, a Sharelunker is caught that was caught the previous year. At least once, the same SHarelunker was caught 3 years in a row. Since it take a bass 7 years or so to reach 13 pounds and it takes a blue twice that long to reach 50+ pounds and the bass are babied and stocked like crazy and specially bred to reach trophy size, why don't we treat big cats like big bass?

I know it's legal, for now, to keep all the big cats you want so that means it's your right...but why? I don't think I would want to eat a fish that has been eating dead shad for 15+ years. But that's just me...

Have you ever read the bass section of this forum? That should be reason #1 why they shouldn't be treated the same. When it becomes an act of treason to eat a catfish, like it is a bass, what will life be like for a catfisherman?

You missed the word BIG. TPWD encourages the harvesting of undersized bass and catfish because too many small ones mean the growth is stunted for all fish in that body of water. Trophies are rare. Even at Twok (cats) and FOrk (bass), most anglers won't catch a true giant. So if they are rare, why keep them? Especially if a 50 pound blue might live for another 10 years? If you want meat, catch five 10 pounders and let the one 50 pounder go.

And I understand this is my opinion, but I am entitled to one just like the meat guys are entitled to theirs. We don't have to agree.