KDWP Commissioners Approve New Blue Catfish Regulation
Source: Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks
New harvest limits aim to balance fisheries and enhance angler opportunities.
Commissioners with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) approved a new blue catfish harvest regulation for Clinton, El Dorado, Elk City, Glen Elder, John Redmond and Melvern reservoirs at their June 20 meeting. The new regulation—now in effect—includes a creel limit of 10 blue catfish per day with no more than one fish measuring 30 inches or longer.
Blue catfish are popular with Kansas anglers, and interest in the species continues to grow. They can reach large sizes, providing big-fish opportunities previously unavailable in Kansas, while the smaller fish are popular table fare. Most reservoirs containing blue catfish were stocked within the last 20 years, making the species relatively new to Kansas fisheries.
“Many of our early blue catfish populations were initially protected with very restrictive harvest regulations to allow the stocked fish to mature and naturally reproduce,” said Craig Johnson, KDWP El Dorado District fisheries biologist. “Now that blue catfish numbers are being maintained at several lakes through natural recruitment instead of supplemental stocking, we can relax the regulations, and anglers can benefit by harvesting more fish from these productive populations.”
Research shows reservoirs with lower population densities exhibit the best growth rates for the species, equating to larger fish available to anglers. The time required for a blue catfish to reach 30 inches varies from eight to 14 years, making older and larger fish quite valuable. The new regulation encourages angler harvest, which is necessary to provide desired densities in Kansas waters. Blue catfish harvest should focus on smaller fish less than 30 inches, especially fish between 18 and 28 inches, while releasing the larger fish to fight again.
“For the 10 blue catfish per day with one over 30 inches limit as well as protected slot length limits for blue catfish to meet the objective of improving fish size structure, anglers need to harvest legal length fish,” said Johnson. “Releasing the smaller blues with the idea that they’ll grow larger isn’t the best approach in lakes with limits encouraging harvest. Take your blues home. They make for a great fish fry, and you’ll know you’re helping improve the fishery.”
For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/fishing.
