Humble Fish Garners New Appreciation
Fishing for catfish is a family affaire.
This is Passport to Texas
Nobody will dispute that largemouth bass is the favorite sport fish among Texas anglers.
Today in Texas about 50% of our anglers say they prefer largemouth bass.
Yet, Dave Terre, chief of inland fisheries research and management, says largemouth bass has an unlikely rival.
About 20 percent of anglers prefer fishing catfish in Texas.
The humble catfish is gaining in popularity. That’s because unlike largemouth bass, catfish are better able to survive and thrive when water levels—and dissolved oxygen levels—are low, such as during drought.
We’re trying to study catfish more intensively to determine how we can make fishing for catfish even better.
Texas Parks and Wildlife developed a management to guide the future of this sport fish in Texas.
Most people in Texas – when they think of a fish, they think of a catfish. I think that’s the honest truth. Bass get more notoriety, but catfish are very important and I think a perfect fish to start new anglers on fishing, and to get a new generation of Texas interested in fishing.
Three of ten species of catfish in Texas provide important fishing opportunities to anglers: Channel, Blue, and Flathead. Find the Catfish Management Plan on the TPW website..
The Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and funds fisheries research in Texas.
For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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