John's Journal...

Catching West Texas Catfish for the Bragging and the Eating

Day 2: Triple Play at Choke Canyon, Texas – Catch Flatheads, Blues and Channel Catfish

Editor’s Note: Because of the long growing season, the abundance of food and the low human population numbers, west Texas may very well home some of the best fishing for catfish in the nation. "Due to the long growing season, this section of Texas can produce more and bigger catfish quicker than most areas of Texas and anywhere else in the country," says Bobby Farquhar, regional program director for west Texas for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

Click for Larger View"Channel catfish are our section of Texas's number-one sport catfish," says Bobby Farquhar, regional program director for west Texas for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). "The channel cat is much-more numerous and found in more waters than any other catfish in our region. We see more fishermen fishing for channel cats than any other species. Blue catfish rank second and flathead cats third in importance of anglers fishing in our area."

Click for Larger ViewIn talking to Farquhar, I asked him what reservoir in west Texas provided the best opportunity to catch all three species of catfish, andhe tagged Choke Canyon as the number-one catfish hotspot in southwest Texas. The very-fertile Choke Canyon, located between San Antonio and Corpus Christi on Interstate 37 and close to Three Rivers, contains 25,670 acres. Choke Canyon filled-up rather easily when first impounded before going through a draw-down because of an extended drought. However, some years ago, the lake refilled and once again experienced a very beneficial rebirth, especially to the catfish. The bass population in the lake also benefited from this refilling of the lake.

"We've seen people come from all over the State of Texas with trotlines to take catfish from Choke Canyon," Farquhar reports. "We did have a little bit of controversy on the lake, because the local anglers believed that so-many people were coming from outside the area and catching catfish to take back home with them that they were damaging the catfish population. However, our data on the lake never revealed that the catfish population was being severely impacted by the number of fishermen catching cats from the lake." In a 25-catfish limit per day per angler, you can catch five flatheads and take blues and channel cats. Many anglers fish Choke Canyon to make a triple play on cats - channels, blues and flatheads. Farquhar explains that, "You can catch cats from one end of the lake to the other. But you'll encounter most of the heavy catfish pressure in the top one-third of the lake."

You'll see rod and reel fishermen on Choke Canyon, but trotline fishing continues as the dominant method for catching cats at Choke Canyon. According to Farquhar, "A TPWD regulation says trotline can't have more than 50 hooks; it has to have a gear tag on it that includes the date the line's been put in the water, and the fisherman's name, address and phone number. Click for Larger ViewNo trotline can stay in the water longer than 30 days without being removed. Click for Larger ViewYour gear tag must be placed within 3 foot of the first hook." Although preferred baits for Choke Canyon's catfish vary widely, some of the most-common baits include different varieties of stink baits, cut shad, live shad and/or sunfish. Anglers targeting flathead cats will fish live bait almost exclusively. "From the data I've seen on Choke Canyon, the average size catfish that most anglers are keeping will weigh from 3 to 5 pounds," Farquhar reports. If you come home with a limit of cats that weigh 3- to 5- pounds each, you'll have an abundance of good groceries for quite a few fish fries.

Catfish Like a ProTo learn more about how to catch catfish, go to www.amazon.com", or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks" http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooksand type in the name of the book, “Catfish Like a Pro” to buy it. Too, you can download a Kindle app for free and buy the book from Amazon to read it on your iPad, Smartphone or computer.

To contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department call (800) 792-1112; or, go to the website www.tpwd.state.tx.us. You also can go to www.YahooTravel.com, type in Texas and the lake's name you're interested in learning more about and find many websites for chambers of commerce, marinas and fishing guides on the lakes.

Tomorrow: Catch Blue Catfish at Lake Amistad, Falcon Lake and Lake Texoma in Texas

 


Check back each day this week for more about "Catching West Texas Catfish for the Bragging and the Eating"

Day 1: Fishing for the Numerous Catfish in West Texas – Trotlining and Jugging
Day 2: Triple Play at Choke Canyon, Texas – Catch Flatheads, Blues and Channel Catfish
Day 3: Catch Blue Catfish at Lake Amistad, Falcon Lake and Lake Texoma in Texas
Day 4: Catch Flathead Catfish on Trotlines at Lake Meredith, Lake Amistad, Falcon Lake and Lake Buchanan in Texas
Day 5: Great Catfishing for Catfish at Braunig and Calaveras Lakes in West Texas

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Entry 668, Day 2