How We Manage Them
Developed in 2003 to safeguard and improve catfish angling, the Department's catfish management plan has three goals:
- To provide a diversity of catfish angling opportunities in Missouri. This includes managing select water bodies for large catfish.
- To inform Missouri anglers of catfishing opportunities across the state
- To seek partnerships with Missouri catfish anglers to develop management strategies for the future.
Missouri catfish anglers played a key role in the development of the plan. They provided ideas and direction for future catfish management at a series of six public meetings the Department conducted across the state in the fall of 2003. Public input was incorporated into the final version of the catfish plan. Following are some of the key objectives spelled out in the finalized plan:
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Improve Missourian’s understanding of the importance and uniqueness of large catfish.
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Maintain or improve the numbers of large blue catfish and flathead catfish statewide.
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Increase abundance of flathead catfish greater than 30” in a portion of the Missouri River.
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Increase yield of catfish on the Mississippi River to recreational and commercial fishers.
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Develop better fish population sampling and angler use monitoring techniques.
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Maintain or improve the number of large blue catfish and flathead catfish in Lake of the Ozarks, Montrose, Smithville and Truman lakes.
Missouri River/Lamine River Special Management Zones
As part of the effort to diversify catfish angling opportunities, the Department is considering special catfish regulations on a designated reach of the Missouri River and select tributaries. Data collected by Department biologists indicate that many flathead catfish in the Missouri River are being harvested before they reach 22 inches or 5 pounds. Flatheads can grow almost as large as blue cats, but relatively few flathead catfish escape anglers long enough to reach their growth potential. Anglers also harvest blue catfish at a high rate, leaving few fish in the population to grow to their full potential.
Small Impoundments
The Department actively manages channel catfish populations in small impoundments across Missouri. The Department routinely stocks channel catfish each fall to maintain populations in small impoundments. The Department recently completed a study of 60 small lakes across the state in an effort to determine optimum stocking rates for each body of water. Results from this study will allow managers to recommend stocking rates that take into account lake productivity and angling pressure.
Urban Impoundments
The Conservation Department strives to provide anglers in Kansas City and St. Louis with quality, close-to-home catfish angling opportunities. Through our Urban Fishing Program (UFP), the Department stocks 31 Kansas City and St. Louis city and county park lakes with over 75,000 channel catfish each year. The UFP lakes are stocked several times, from April - September, with channel catfish averaging one pound or about 15".
While catfishing is already good in Missouri, we believe it can be even better. Any improvements, however, will require the determined efforts of Department biologists and the assistance and cooperation of anglers.
