NCWRC still working on catfish management plan

shotgunner

Ten Pointer
I do not target catfish very much but I do keep some to eat when I catch them. There was some talk of reclassifying them as game fish a few years back. Just wondering if that is part of the new management plan?
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They will never really be classified as "game fish" certain bodies of water may have length or slot sizes on them.
 

ECU_Pirate

Banned
They will never really be classified as "game fish" certain bodies of water may have length or slot sizes on them.

And I agree with that. An invasive species should never get gamefish status. But they are there and people spend big bucks catching them, me included. Also never going to get rid of them.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Amend 15A NCAC 10C .0301 to designate Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Flat Bullhead, Snail Bullhead, White Catfish, and Yellow Bullhead as inland game fish when found in inland fishing waters. This designation restricts harvest to hook and line and prohibits the sale of these species. 

Amend 15A NCAC 10C .0321 to establish a statewide creel limit of 10 fish in aggregate with no closed season for those catfish species listed as inland game fish.

 Amend 15A NCAC 10C .0401 to prohibit the possession or harvest of Margined Madtom and Tadpole Madtom in all inland fishing waters. The possession of Broadtail Madtom, Carolina Madtom, Mountain 418 Madtom, Orangefin Madtom, and Stonecat is prohibited by 15A NCAC 10I .0102 Protection of Endangered/Threatened/Special Concern.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
And I agree with that. An invasive species should never get gamefish status. But they are there and people spend big bucks catching them, me included. Also never going to get rid of them.
They can call them whatever they want, but in certain places they need slot limits on them. As far as the invasive species go the state spends thousands of dollars stocking several invasive species every year and they have gamefish status so I put very little stock on that moniker. Heck I consider some people more of an invasive species than catfish. LOL
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yeap.....................but they have status. And if you note the ones they are concerned with protecting in this particular some are just common pests. Whites for example, little turds, channels and blues eat much better if you go after the smaller ones and are sooo much easier to catch. Those pesky whites move in and it is like white perch, you can't keep a bait on the bottom.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
rainbow trout,,,brown trout,,,,musky,,,,,

Musky are a native species.

Your point about rainbow and brown trout, point taken

Also the WRC stocks native species into areas of the state they are not native (channel catfish, walleye, brook trout. striped bass, ect)
 
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woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
my mistake,,,never googled that and made a false assumption based on my history with them,,,

take care
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Musky are protected though with a high minimum size limit in lakes where they are not native though (Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss) so there is that.
 

DannyB

Button Buck
I wouldn’t mind seeing a state wide minimum. Go to the falls lake dam on a warm afternoon and you’ll see buckets filled up with 10” catfish
 
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