Regs to Remain Consistent for Catfish on Missouri's Big Rivers

MDC announced it does not recommend regulation
changes on minimum length limits and daily limits
for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi
and Missouri rivers and a small portion of the
St. Francis River. Shown is an angler holding a blue catfish.  

A few reg changes had been kicked around by MDC on the Missouri, Mississippi, and portion of the St. Francis Rivers for catfish. These included minimum length limits and potential limits to the number of larger fish caught (in addition to existing maximum catches). However, state biologists studies indicate the fishery is healthy under current regs, and after public input, no major changes will be made. Details are below.

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No changes from MDC for blue and flathead catfish in big rivers

MDC does not recommend regulation changes to minimum length limits and daily limits for blue and flathead catfish in Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and part of St. Francis River.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced in February that it does not recommend regulation changes to minimum length limits and daily limits for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and a small portion of the St. Francis River. The decision follows research by MDC and results of public input.

MDC sought public input this past summer on potential regulation changes for recreational fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. One potential change would have established a minimum length limit of 18, 21, or 24 inches for recreational fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Currently there is no minimum length limit. A second potential regulation change would have maintained the current recreational-fishing daily limit of five blue catfish per day on the Missouri River but establish that only one blue catfish over 30-inches in length may be kept as a part of that limit.

MDC also sought public comments this past summer on establishing a minimum length limit of 18, 21, or 24 inches for commercial fishing of blue catfish and flathead catfish on the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers. The current minimum length limit is 15-inches.

MDC received more than 400 public comments with strong support for keeping regulations as they are.

The public input followed several years of related research by MDC. MDC population assessment studies for blue and flathead catfish in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers found that populations of both fishes were generally healthy and the fisheries sustainable under current management. MDC studies confirmed that current management approaches continue to support healthy and sustainable blue catfish and flathead catfish populations in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and regulation changes do not appear to be necessary to maintain these populations or prevent overfishing.

Big catfish roam in lightly fished streams

Image via Wikipedia

by Bill Graham, MDC

KANSAS CITY Mo -- Sometimes big fish swim in seemingly small waters, such as the streams flowing through the rolling hills of northwest Missouri. It’s not always obvious looking down on brownish rivers such as the Platte, Nodaway, Grand and One Hundred and Two, but huge flathead, blue and channel catfish lurk in their riverbed’s deep holes.

Those anglers willing to do some paddling can enjoy a solitary experience and the chance to catch a trophy catfish, said Tory Mason, a Missouri Department of Cconservation (MDC) fisheries biologist who also fishes as a hobby.

“I’ve almost always caught fish just using rod and reel on canoe trips,” Mason said. “I’ve never run into any other people when I’m out floating on these rivers.”

As a biologist conducting catfish population surveys on rivers, he’s also encountered some behemoths such as a blue catfish in the lower Nodaway River that he estimates topped 80 pounds. Catfish often enter streams in the state’s northwest region from the Missouri River and swim upstream into the current. Perhaps that fish was one.

Sometimes very large catfish are caught far from the Missouri River in the upper reaches of streams that once drained prairies and now flow through farm land.

Josh Hendrix of Bolckow caught a mammoth flathead catfish in June on a trotline baited with chub minnows on the One Hundred and Two River in Andrew County. It was far too big for his scale’s top weight of 50 pounds, and he estimated the weight at 75 pounds.

“I could barely lift it,” Hendrix said.

But catching big catfish in prairie rivers usually requires some angler effort to reach the more remote segments of streams, said Conservation Agent Michele Holland, who is based in Andrew County. The fish congregate in deep holes scoured by currents, and float fishing from johnboats or canoes is the best way to reach those spots. Getting boats up and down steep banks, even where public access is available, can be tricky.

“It can be a workout,” Holland said.

MDC offers public access to rivers at conservation areas but boat ramps for launching large craft may not be available at generally shallow, upland streams. For instance, the Happy Holler Conservation Area north of Savannah offers bank access to the One Hundred and Two River but no boat ramps. Some rivers that are deeper in their lower reaches, such as the Platte River, do have boat ramps. But anglers should be aware that flooding can sometimes temporarily cover those ramps with mud and silt.

Anglers can search for accesses on the MDC website at www.missouriconservation.org.  Scroll down and on the right is a “Regs and Areas” box with options. Select “Conservation Areas.” Then select the county where you plan to fish and click “Find.” A list of conservation areas and river accesses will appear. Select the area to see what type of access is available.

Once on the river, finding fish can be pretty simple, Mason said.

“Your paddle will hit bottom for half the float,” he said. “Then you’ll come to a spot where you can’t hit bottom. That’s where the fish are. You can eliminate a lot of fishless water that way.”

June and July are prime months for catching catfish in prairie streams. But August into autumn can be productive, too, because cooler weather and rains that cause a rise in water flow trigger fish to feed more actively.

Mason likes to fish with dip or stink baits in late summer.

Autumn also brings on fall color and smaller streams often wind through scenic areas, Holland said, including the segment of the One Hundred and Two River that passes through the Happy Holler Conservation Area.

“It can be a pretty float,” she said. “We usually don’t run into anyone else on the water, even on a Saturday."