Big river catfish like this don’t come easy, and in western Pennsylvania,
new regulations could help keep more of them swimming for years to come.
River Rumors: Big Changes Brewing in Pennsylvania
By Keith “Catfish” Sutton
If you fish the rivers around Pittsburgh—or know somebody who does—you might want to pay attention to what’s coming down the line.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is taking a hard look at catfish regulations in the Ohio River Basin, and some pretty significant changes could be on the way. At their April 27 meeting, commissioners voted to move forward with proposed rulemaking that would tighten things up for both blue cats and flatheads in the Ohio River Basin, including the Allegheny River, Monongahela River and Ohio River around Pittsburgh.
And when you look at the details, this isn’t just tinkering around the edges.
The proposal would make blue catfish catch-and-release only in those flowing waters. At the same time, flathead catfish would get a new four-fish daily limit, with just one of those allowed to be 35 inches or longer. That’s a big shift from the current setup, where catfish fall under panfish regulations with a 50-fish daily limit and no size restrictions.
So, yeah—this would be a major change in how those fisheries are managed.
The thinking behind it is pretty straightforward. Blue cats are in the middle of a long-term comeback effort in the Three Rivers system. They’re native there, but disappeared decades ago, and biologists have been working to reestablish a self-sustaining population. Protecting every stocked fish right now is key, which is why catch-and-release is on the table.
Flatheads are a different story, but just as interesting. Surveys show those fish grow slow and live a long time—really long. In fact, some of the oldest flatheads ever recorded in Pennsylvania have come from these rivers, with fish pushing past 30 years. Problem is, it can take 15 years just to hit 24 inches and more than 30 years to reach that 35-inch “trophy” mark. You don’t protect fish like that with a 50-fish limit and no size cap.
If these regs go through as expected, they’d take effect January 1, 2027. So, nothing changes overnight, but the direction is pretty clear.
One other wrinkle worth mentioning: while blue cats belong in the Ohio River system, they’re considered invasive in other parts of the state, like the Susquehanna River and Delaware River drainages. Moving fish around is a big no-no, and biologists aren’t shy about pointing out the damage that can happen when it’s done.
Bottom line? If you’re chasing cats in western Pennsylvania, the days of treating them like panfish may be numbered. Trophy management, tighter limits and species-specific rules are all on the table.
And that’s just the beginning of a bigger shift in how catfish are managed in places where they’ve become serious sportfish.
Stay tuned.
(Keith Sutton is editor of CatfishNOW magazine and its sister publication, CrappieNOW.)
