2006 Changes in Missouri Catfish Regulations

[spoonfish]

I copied the 2006 changes in catfish regulations for Missouri.
Just remember a lot of lakes still will have there own regulations posted.

The following changes in the 2006 fishing regulations reflect MDC’s commitment to the Statewide Catfish Management Plan. The blue catfish is a long-lived species that takes many years to reach trophy/quality size. By reducing the daily limit on blue catfish, the Department will be emphasizing that large fish are a limited component of the fishery. Unrealized potential remains for these large predators to refill a role they once played within the fish community. Increased encounters with large fish should also enhance overall angler satisfaction.

Current daily limits
Currently the 2005 statewide fishing regulations for catfish harvest have been set at a daily limit of ten (10) channel catfish and blue catfish in the aggregate. This means you may harvest any combination of the two species as long as the total doesn’t exceed ten (10). There is a daily limit of five (5) flathead catfish. The flathead catfish aren’t included in this aggregate total. This means you may harvest as many as fifteen (15) catfish a day as long as five (5) are flatheads.

All three species of catfish may be harvested by pole and line, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, and falconry.

There will be no statewide length limit during the 2005 season.

Future changes to daily limits
In the upcoming 2006 season some of these regulations will be changing.

Beginning March 1, 2006 the statewide daily limits on catfish will be changed. The flathead catfish daily limits will remain the same at five (5) and the channel catfish daily limit will still be ten (10). Blue catfish, however, will no longer be counted as a combined catch with channel catfish. They will have their own daily limit of five (5). This means that anglers will have the opportunity to return home with as many as twenty (20) catfish in total, five (5) flatheads, five (5) blues, and ten (10) channels.

The other regulations will remain the same as the 2005 season.

Always be sure to check for local regulations that may differ from statewide regulations before fishing.

Beginning March 2006

Flathead: Five (5) daily
Blue catfish: Five (5) daily
Channel catfish: Ten (10) daily

[crazy]

Thanks for sharing SPoonfish. I just hope this helps out the blues as becoming a trophy fishery here.

[cook]

Thats good news.Even though you can now posess more fish,it will protect the"trophy"fish a little better.Sure would like to see a slot limit,maybe only 1 blue or flat over 30 inches per day.Its a start.

[ShilohRed]

That is a start.
Wonder when the rest of the world will join?
Pete

[primitivefrn]

good move, I know this wont be, popular, but they, need regulate jugs, 10 to a boat or something, seen some bad abuse, with them on Truman,seen Truman look like decorated christmas tree with all the jugs.

[spoonfish]

Seems we got a ways to go yet. I see they are still doing a trial in 3 areas to noodle fish :cursing:
I agree Cook a slot would be my vote and that in turn might help on the number of trout lines and jugs people put out.....

[cook]

In a way,they did crack down on jugs this year.For those of you out of state,they must be visible at all times to the owner.That means no more throwing them out and coming back later.

[catfishcentral]

How many channel cats do you guys catch in waters that are inhabited by blues? The blues here in Oklahoma have really taken over the lakes around here and maybe only 10 to 15 percent of the catifsh I catch are channels these days. I can't remember catching 10 channels in one day unless there's no blues in that body of water. Seems so easy to catch a limit of small blues 2 to 5 pounds in a afternoon that just putting a slot limit instead of lowering the limit of bluecats would increase the size.

[Mr.T]

How many channel cats do you guys catch in waters that are inhabited by blues?

On Truman, it seems to depend on the bait. I haven't caught a channel cat since I switched to shad and started drifting more regularly. Prior to that, I used worms and various stink baits and caught only channels.

[Terry Day]

Thanks spoonfish,

I picked up the most current fish and game book that wally world had yesterday (12/29/05) and those changes were not in there. It's good to know that the regulations have been changed.

[slimcat]

Thanks Spoonfish for posting the new rules, does this include the commercial fisherman as well?

[spoonfish]

They changed there web site for some reason, I finally found it yesterday.
Here's the new link, hope it helps.

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/fish/

[smallriverrat]

Thanks for posting the new regs. I am glad to see they are trying to get more blues of record size in MO. There mag has been looking at trying to get more record size catfish in Mo. So I am happy. There is nothing more fun then fighting a big catfish. I hope they stick with it and we will see a record in MO.

Dave

[Itch2Scratch]

Thanks for the heads up Spoon, I sure hope it does what they intend for it to do.....nothin like locking in on a big one.

[cook]

Wolfie-I gotta agree.MDC has held talks and meetings the last few years about catfish,and banned the commercial aspect on the rivers.And then...BAM...they legalized noodling!!Made no sense to me.At least it was a limited area and short season.I'm hoping it was just a trial,and will be recinded soon.

[BKS72]

This is going to get me in trouble, but I guess I don't see the difference in legalizing noodling and allowing trotlines and banklines. The guys noodling are pulling big fish, but with the amount of old lines that are around, I got a feeling the trots and banklines are taking a lot more big fish than the noodlers will. No big deal, if it's legal and it's the way you want to fish, go ahead. I just think that if you really want to build up the population of big fish, you cut down the limit of hooks you're allowed.

[cook]

I just think that if you really want to build up the population of big fish, you cut down the limit of hooks you're allowed.

Strolib,you look like a big dude,so I ain't going to whack you :crying: :crying: Wolfies on his own. :D

You have some good points,but reducing the hook limit will have no effect.Its the limit of fish and size that affects future populations.To some degree,a closed season during the spawn would help,but that ain't going to happen.

[Mr.T]

Seems to me that the folks who are going to noodle for catfish and have any real success at it are the types who are going to do it whether it's legal or not. And I think we all know those folks exist today.

Those who would actually go to the effort under the current rules to buy a separate permit and make a report of every noodling trip they make seem unlikely to me to be serious noodlers. What kind of moron really wants to stick his arm in the mouth of a 40 or 60 lb blue cat? And how many of those are dumb enough to do it a second time? Not me, that's for sure.

So even if they do legalize noodling across the state, I have a hard time believing it's going to decimate the catfish population - it's just not a big enough draw to attract that many fishermen.

Personally, I'm with stolib - reduce the hook limit and I'll bet you reduce the impact on the fish population. I don't question the notion that daily limits and size restrictions are a good measure, for those who will abide by them.

But tell me how many of you are going to put out a trotline with 32 hooks on it, run it and find it's got 15 big blue cats on and then let all but 5 of them go because of the new daily limit? Yeah, I know some of you are angels but the temptation is too great for many if not most folks. Especially when you're in the back waters of a lake or river, using a boat ramp that's not in the public eye and operating frequently under cover of darkness.

Change the law to allow fewer hooks and the agents will have a lot more teeth to make it harder for folks to abuse the legal catch and size limits. But I don't expect that to happen -- we'll be down to having no catfish to catch before they reduce the hook limits.

BTW - for anyone who hasn't reviewed the new noodling regulations, here's a page from MDC that explains it all pretty well:http://mdc.mo.gov/regs/hand_fish.htm

[BKS72]

Wolf, I probably do deserve the smack, but I guess I didn't say what I meant to well. :) I know that noodlers are pulling breeders off the nest, like I've said in other posts, my old man has been doing it forever. (I still don't get it, even after all these years) I guess my point is that either way, noodling, trots, or banklines, chances are that fish is going in the grease, no matter how big. The guys running lines that actually check them every day and do it like their supposed to, you're right, it's work between baiting, setting, and checking. I'm with T, though, most guys I know that run lines aren't in it to CPR or get their limit and turn the rest loose. If it's on the line, it's going in the freezer. I agree that noodling is taking the bigger productive fish off the nests. But I don't think the percentage of big fish taken by noodlers comes close to those being taken other ways. Don't get me wrong, a guy catches it, it's his to do with as he pleases. I just don't eat enough fish to need to "volume fish" to fill the freezer.

On a different note, I'm also starting to wonder if it's better to take one or two big fish a year to eat, since they're nearer to the end of their breeding lives than to take a bunch of smaller fish that in the aggregate over their lifetimes would produce more offspring. What do you guys think?

Oh, and Wolf, since we may both be at that Truman gathering, hit me with the flat of the paddle. It might sting more, but at least it might not break anything... :)

[smallriverrat]

Well me personally, I feel that the biggest impact to the catfish is man itself. If you do go down to the Ozarks or Truman you will find trotlines all over the place and you are not going to tell me that they are ran cuz they have been there along time and most hooks don't have bait on them or have dead catfish. If all of those would run the trotlines when they should then that would be a big impact on the catfish. I can care less if you do trotline fish but I bet most on this board also run their lines and pull them out when they leave. That is fine but the other sort of people that just leave them there and don't check them when they should etc is the ones I am talking about.

I also like a slot limit. It will help the bigger cats. At Longview they have a slot limit on the smaller flathead. Anything under 24" has to be turned back to the water because they are trying to get more smaller cats.

I also feel that we have a chance to see cats of our grandfathers and great grandfathers but it will have to be a state getting involved. That would mean that the illegal taking of cats (over the limit) and illegal methods (comm nets/ more trotlines then legal/ and more jugs than legal) would have to stop. I have heard from afew people in passing of them limiting out and they keep fishing. Sometimes catching two and three times their limit and taking all the fish home. Now that really hurts the population. We really need to cut that out if we want to have good fishing for the future.

Dave

[Itch2Scratch]

I remember as a kid watchin my dad noodle for a fish fry. One fish latched on to him or him on to it..all I could see was feet.....I suggest all noodlers commit themselves to therapy. :eek:

[Willy]

Let Me wade in on this one,I have been to the meetings and been a long time river rat and am pretty good friends with some of the people makin the planned changes on catfishing in Missouri. The Catfish Management Plan was originally to start last year but our lawmakers in Jeff City waded in and stuck their noses where it didnt need to be. They got it put on the front burner to try to legalize handfishing and the Conservation dept had to put things that were planned back aways to spend money on this new test of handfishing,last I heard they sold very few permits to noodle and its a 5 year deal to gather information on what impact hand fishing is gonna have on a catfish population in a given area.But the things the Conservation have planned is coming to be and I hope they get the money to be able to implement them,plans are in the works to have a stretch of the Missouri river have a slot limit on flatheads and if it goes well maybe someday it will encompass the entire stretch of the Missouri River and Flatheads and Bluecats will be a trophy fish if over a certian length(34 inches) and a reduced creel limit also.Channel cats will be the meat ans potatoes fish and the other two will be allowed to reach their trophy potential.

[STC T&F]

Everyone is making valid points. I had this discussion on another board last year.

My big question or need of clarification is: Are Trophy size Blues really what we want to be eating? I have also heard that flats of any size are good eating? Channel cats over 10lbs are not great either?

Just curious on your opinions here. I would think that if bigger fish are not great eating then slot limits would be the way to go.

MJO

[crazy]

I say reduce the hook limit. Ok let's put it like this. Yes you are allowed to have 33 hooks and 20 total fish. But what are the odds of having 10 channel 5 blues and 5 flats? I mean if you are good at what you do when setting out bank lines and what not. Chances are you are going to have mostly one or the other and going to go over the limit for that breed of fish. Ok so say you do go over. Now you are releasing a fish that is tired as hell and has an open wound in its mouth from a hook in it for a few hours. You really think you should be letting that fish go? Now take a hand fishermen targeting a "vulnerable" fish. Vulnerable is a bad word to use because there the aggressor in the situation. Anyways that fish is going to hurt you more then you are him. Now very true you have all the sunfish hanging around waiting to dine on the eggs. BUT at the same time it's no difference from catching a fish on rod and reel at this time of year. Bottom line is you are not going to please everyone. Those that are set against hand fishing have there strong opinions and those who are for it have there strong opinion. Me I could care less if you want to have your hand jacked up more power to you. I just want my fair shot at a 100 pound blue. So if it takes a lower limit / slot limit so be it I’m for it. I just say reduce the hook limit and you might just reduce the damn trash that is left in the water to boot.

[crazy]

The_Wolfman, Good post. I think you have a good idea about have one fish between say 30 and 50 pounds but I think it would be better to go with how long the fish is say 30-42 inches. Or what ever the weight equals in length. I better make my self clear on one thing. When i was talking about tired fish on hooks. I meant when they been sitting on a bank line or what not all night. It just puts a ton of stress on fish fighting and not going anywhere. Also yes you can catch cats that are guarding nests just as easy if not easier the females cruising. Them males will hit anything that is put in there face. You can also fish for cats just like you do for bass in the spawn in clear water. My biggest channel cat ever came this way this past summer. 27 pounds nice long skinny fish. If it was pre spawn/late summer the fish would of been in the 30's for sure.

[catfishcentral]

Ok, I know this is the Missouri thread and I live in Oklahoma but here are my thoughts on noodling, limits and slot limits. We have a pretty liberal means of taking fish here in Okie land including noodling. If you fished every legal way here you could have a total of 267 hooks in the water, yes 267 hooks. You may have 3 trotlines up to 100 hooks, 20 limblines up to 2 hooks each, 20 juglines up to 5 hooks a piece, 20 yo yo's and seven rods. You can also "noodle" up to three flathead a day over 20 inches. That's a lot of dang hooks a person could use but why would you when we have a combined limit of 15 blues or channels and 10 flatheads per day. The amount of hooks IMO really doesn't effect how many fish are taken, but the daily limits put on fish.

We have had noodling legal here in Oklahoma for as long as I can remember but there's really only a handful of people that actually do noodle. They have stricter limits placed on them then a hook and line fisherman. Noodlers are only allowed 3 flathead as opposed to 10 flathead taken by "other" means. Upon reading the Missouri regs on noodling that MR. T posted it says you can only keep 5 fish and they must be at least 22 inches. This is less than a hook and line fisherman can take. I'm pretty sure that Missouri is a lot like Oklahoma in that there's thousands of people placing juglines, trotlines and limblines all over the state. These methods take a TONS of fish out of lakes and rivers. Now look at noodlers how many people do you really think are going out and Noodling? There only a handful of diehard noodlers who really go out and try this sport. Who's really taking the majority of fish from our waters? Setliners do and I have a hard time believing that a few noodler's are really hurting the sport. I'm sure that you MDC looks at these kinds of figures before they allow anything that could really hurt the population of catfish. They are more concerned with total limits of fish taken and actual methods of taking fish. "Well noodlers take breeding fish thus reducing the amount of new fish" When is the best time to fish? During the prespawn people take a large majority of fish that are trying to spawn. Why don't we just ban or limit prespawn fishing? Because there enough fish that do get to spawn and a few noodler's are not going to change this.

When I've read some of the Missouri threads it really sounds like your MDC really is proactive in protecting the fishery. I'm sure that they look closey at every way fish can be harvested and if something gets "out of line" they fix it. I love being able to take a catfish by any legal means and I know that the limit's placed on these fish insure that the population stays good. If the fishing goes downhill and changes need to be made in limits or slot limits to insure big fish or quanity I will be all for that.

[jaybird3880]

I think I would have to agree with Chris Glass. I have read all the other posts and all make good points but I will go with chris on this one.

[cook]

Wolfie-you just had to open that can of worms about QDM up here in NoMo!!:crying:
Thats good for another 10 pages on this thread!!

Tailgate up or down:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Willy]

The MDC didnt want to establish a noodling season but our so called leaders in Gov. in Jeff City kinda had them by the short and curleys in a meeting on establishing a season that a group of Noodlers got put on the agenda and the MDC had no sound data to fall back on to rebutt the preposed season so the Fisheries group came up with the plan to get data for 5 years and do a study and see how much of a impact it would have on catfish populations. The group of noodlers wanted to make it a state wide deal as Missouri has alot of small streams and rivers that really favor hand fishing. I will not lie to ya and say I have not done it and I know first hand how effective it is. Whole stretches of river drainages would get wiped out as to age classes of larger would be taken with not alot of enforcement being available. Most County agents have alot of ground to cover and only get to tackle problem areas that come too their attention. I spend alot of time on the Missouri River and do not see the agents very often and I know they try to do what they can but when someone is runnin lines and have too many hooks in the water the chance of gettin caught is pretty slim unless someone drops a dime on them. The agents have a tough job and its up to we catfisherman to police our own ranks to effect change,some may say thats a little harsh but what do ya want to do ,complain about small catfish or help grow our catfish to trophy size and numbers that we will be the envy of all other areas that catfish inhabit. Changes are coming but it gonna take time.The MDC has to back up everything they do with science and ya know how anything that deals with the Goverment on a state or federal level does not happen over night. I personally have been involved with trying to get catfish a trophy fish for many years and see some improvements happening and see some on the horizon coming , take the time to call your Local reps. and state your opposition to hand fishing and also talk to the Fisheries people about catfish in your area,most I have talked to want to help and I know the big man in Jeff City and several of his people in charge of the Catfish Management Plan on down really want this to happen.

[Kutter]

Willy, since the start of this thread, I have been trying to figure out how to word what the MDC is doing and why. Ya done an wrote it far better than anything I could come up with. Good job.

[Willy]

Thanks,Kutter. I have been privy to alot of what they have been trying to do for several years even going to the point of spending time on the water with the head guy in charge of the catfish management plan and asking pointed questions about goals and I got involved with a study the MDC did in the mid 1990s on catch rates after banning commercial fishing on the Missouri River. I kept a log on what we caught in tournaments and conditions of the river over several years and they wrote a paper on it and some of the data would open your eyes as to what flathead do over a years time.For 10 years all I ever did was fish for flatheads in the daytime and kept track of where I caught them and on what baits and in what river conditions. Helped my tournament fishing but in the St Joseph area it is tough to catch a limit of flatheads in a days time. I think the river is changing with regards to water levels and habitat , I know the dikes are fillin up behind and its turnin into more a habitat that is favorable to bluecats more so than anything else. Its tough to catch a good limit of channel cats and flatheads but if ya know where to look for blue cats you can clean up if they are biting. I talk to guys from the Iowa line south to mid Missouri and they are tellin me the same thing. Dont get me wrong ya can still find the other two, ya just have to work harder at it than it was a few years ago.Some of the best water I have fished is the North West Missouri stretch of the Missouri River bordering Kansas and Nebraska.The further north ya go the better the habitat is for Flatheads and Channels and the style of fishing that I do the best on. (Brush piles and logs, whole trees, deep dikes with good cover in them)

[spoonfish]

Noticed this ad in my local news paper today, it reads:

Should We Change Deer Hunting Regulations?
Tell us what you think.
Attend the Missouri Department of Conservation public forums 7-9 pm.

Monday Jan. 23
in El Dorado Springs at the american legion building on broadway.

Tuesday Jan. 24
in Clinton at the K-BLE building, 1311 N. Washington St.

For more info contact the Missouri Dept. of Conservation Clinton office 660-885-6981

[Mr.T]

Found somei nteresting info about rule changes/clarifications for the "hand fishing" season in Missouri in the latest issue of "Missouri Conservationist":

* Only bare hands / feet can be used to take catfish; no hooks, snorkel or scuba equipment may be used.
* Hand fishers may not posess fishing equipment except a stringer while in designated hand fishing waters and may not use the stringers as an aid in taking catfish until the catfish is in posession at or above the water surface.
* Natural sticks may be used to locate catfish but not as an aid in taking them.
* Catfish taken by hand fishing may not be posessed on waters closed to hand fishing.
* Extensive records must be kept by every hand fisherman on a form furnished by the MDC.

So as if it wasn't already restrictive enough, I think these additional "clarifications" should make it thoroughly unattactive to most folks inclined to engage in legal noodling. Could it be that MDC is intentionally making the "experimental" season so restrictive and cumbersome precisely so that they won't have to enact it as a "permanent" rule later?

[Mr.T]

In most of the states that allow hand fishnig the catfish are considered almost a nuisance fish. No limits ect. Unlike MO which considers it a game fish and has become even more restrictive on limits and methods.

I'm not sure the limits mean much anyway...

Dad told me of some fellows down in Windsor who took 27 cats off their trotline today. Gathering fish for their fraternal organization's big fish fry in a few months (similar to that other thread here). Makes me sick. I don't even think folks like the care what the limit is and certainly won't care in March when the blue cat limit drops to 5.

[spoonfish]

I think a slot limit would be a very good idea.
I know most all the canadian lakes have them in effect for walleyes and have been able to achieve some trophy class fish because of them. I like the way they have made a size limit here below Truman dam to the no boating zone of only 1 fish may be taken over 24 inches. Its a start but wouldnt it make more sense to make it no fish over 24 inches may be taken. Too many people that like to keep the big ones would throw a fit if the laws were changed to that so I doubt we will see it happen.

[smallriverrat]

I think a slot limit is a very good idea. In one lake in Missouri they have a slot limit on Flathead. Longview Lake from what I know, You can not take any flathead under 24". They are trying to protect the smaller flathead so the lake can have more. So they are atleast experimenting with slot limits.

Dave

[Willy]

If memerory serves me right the MDC had plans to mark a stretch of the Missouri river a trophy designated area and you could only have I flathead over 34in in that stretch of the river. I think it was a 30 or 40 mile area in central Mo but I cant remember where ,gonna have to dig up my copy of the Catfish Management Plan and see if its listed.I tried to talk them taking it all the way to the Iowa border but they said they needed to get data befor they could implement it more.