Catfishing over the last 10+ years has taken on such a powerful momentum that fair chase catfishermen and women would like to see blue and flathead catfish be recognized nationally as a gamefish. I am on many catfishing forums and Facebook groups where many of the members are concerned about the over harvesting of these catfish by commercial catfishermen. Many times even the minimal regulations for these fish are rarely enforced. While some of these fish are caught to feed families the large majority are sold to paylakes where these fish are inhumanely placed into an ecosystem that in no way can sustain them. THOUSANDS of pounds of catfish can be caught daily with no fear of regulation enforcement. Catfishing has the potential if not already to become larger than bass fishing. Paylakes are not stocked by fisheries, they are stocked by fish caught from the natural waterways of lakes and rivers that we catfishermen.  

Many of the fish caught by commercial fishermen are stocked by the DNR only to have a neighboring state sharing the same waterway without regulation steal the fish for their own personal gain, while then sold to paylakes for their own personal gain. While it may appear that I am attacking paylakes, I am not. Paylakes have every opportunity to get sustainable fish from fisheries to stock their "lakes" without having to harvest from the wild, let alone on MANY occasions trophy size fish. Many of these paylakes do not have the supply of food/resources or ecosystems to sustain these large fish or even multiple smaller fish that have potential to get large. Many of the fish harvested from the wild and stocked in paylakes become starved, diseased and stressed to the point where they succumb to their situation and are just thrown into the trash, this is beyond unacceptable.

If blue and flathead catfish were considered gamefish and protected just as bass and crappie are at least here in the south, the natural waterways can begin to rebuild themselves with potential for more trophy size catfish. I fish SC waters as that is where I live but I speak on behalf of all FAIR CHASE catfishermen that other states waters are just as important to me as my own. While there are regulations, commercial catfishermen fish on a broader spectrum and whatever they catch in their net could end up being THOUSANDS of pounds of fish daily. I AM a catfisherman, my children ARE catfishermen and it is my job as a parent and an ethical sportsman to protect this way of life not only for them but for future generations of ALL catfishermen, women and children as well. There are many videos on the internet of the horrors of paylakes, giant fish thrown in the trash riddled with flies, or even the fish that are BARELY surviving, so emaciated that what was once a potential trophy is now a sack of skin and bones. I am asking for not only help from my fellow catfishermens but that of the US Department of FISH and wildlife as well to make Blue catfish and flathead catfish protected gamefish with strictly enforced realistic bag limits and size limits.

Catfishing is more than just a sport to us, it is a way of life, something to pass down for generations and if we don't make every attempt to protect this way of life it will be too far gone to fix. Kids NEVER remember their best day watching TV or playing videogames but catch a big fish and it will be something they will remember for a LIFETIME!