Anglers back proposal to protect West Virginia’s catfish

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Avid cat fishing enthusiasts are among those strongly backing a proposed change to the fishing regulations in West Virginia when it comes to Flathead catfish.   The Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Section presented a proposal to the Natural Resources Commission this year which would put a four fish limit on Flathead catfish and allow only one fish over 35 inches to be kept during a day of fishing on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers.

The regulation proposal is in response to catfish studies and also to complaints about some anglers abusing the fishery.

“Right now we have zero regulations,” said Justin Conner of Milton, a licensed catfish guide on the rivers. “We’re trying to get something passed to protect them.”

Conner and others like him, say the regulations are necessary because of private individuals who are catching vast numbers of the massive fish and taking them to their own private waters.

“Commercial fishermen are coming in from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky and taking those fish and stocking them in their own pay lakes,” said Conner. “They’re taking 50 Flathead catfish every time they come for every person on their boat and they have four, five, or six people on their boat.   They’re taking 200 or more catfish every time they come and they’re here five or six days a week.”

Conner has reported the individuals to the Natural Resources Police when he’s observed them, but currently they’re not doing anything wrong.

“What we’re trying to do is provide that balance for folks who want to catch fish, both tournament and non-tournament anglers,” said Division of Natural Resources Assistant Chief for Warmwater Fisheries Brett Preston. “It will also protect that large fish and our data shows if we can protect those fish up to about 35 inches, that’s the critical point for protecting a trophy fishery.”

Conner and others who spend a lot of time fishing for Flatheads on the Kanawha and Ohio say the anglers who pose the biggest threat aren’t there for an enjoyable afternoon of fishing or a tournament, they’re working.

“This is not a starving concern,” said Neal Craig of Buffalo. “These guys have big diesel trucks with livewells and a $40,000 work boat.  They’re not eating them.”

Craig and Conner say they have both witnessed the fish being offloaded from the boat into an aerated livewell on the truck to be transported elsewhere.   The practice angers them.

“A 20 pound fish can be 15 or 20 years old,” said Craig. “It’s not like deer where in three to five years you have another big buck.  It’s not like that, these fish are old and it takes a long time to replace them.”

Commercial fishing has never been legal on the Kanawha River and was outlawed on the Ohio River years ago.  However, the alleged activity falls into a grey area of the law.  While it’s illegal to catch and sell fish, it’s not illegal to give them away.   Preston said they believe the creel and possession limits will go a long way toward stopping the problem without impeding regular sport  fishermen.

“We can’t say that ‘commercial’ fishing is happening,” said Preston. “We’ve heard concern about folks harvesting a large number of fish and what we’ve heard is sharing them with fee fishing ponds over in Ohio and here in West Virginia.  Currently it’s not prohibited and the legislature has taken a step to prohibit that with House Bill 4430.  Whether that’s happening or not, this daily creel and high size limit will go a long way toward protecting those trophy fish.”

Interested sportsmen like Conner and Craig are worried because West Virginia, because of the activity, is now a target.

“The Ohio around Cincinnati and down still has big catfish, but the numbers are way down.  There’s no reason for them to go there anymore,” Conner said. “They found a loophole in West Virginia, they know we have big fish, and now they’re going to come here and deplete us.”

“I’m just glad they heard our concern and they’re doing something about it,” Craig said.





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