I’m confused?

Yeah Iowa has large catfish limits. So what? we have good fisheries for catfish and LOTS AND LOTS of small fish. Someone needs to take them. If you get on the right wingdam you can get your limit of 25 channels in a couple hours, bank fishermen seem to have it tough. Just wish I still had that old flatbottom so I could get out in the river to catch them! No way any crap bait will be used in the Ranger. But when I am with friends we always get our 50, we don’t keep them but we always get them.

Now for flatheads, I don’t know. I have buddies that will go get their 25 every sat and sun. They fry some up and then give the rest away to people who NEED it. Most of what they catch is 3-5lb fish with a couple over 15 each week. This is running limb lines on the Wapsi. Take that however you wish… but I don’t see a problem since most people will not be keeping but 5 or 6 unless they have a reason to keep more.

I am glad I fish P2…. Anyone who eats big cats out of there might stick out of the crowd after a while for sure at night

Cats are still a generation back in the rule books here. Like said, they are regulated no different than a bullhead. I would assume that money has something to do with it and the lack of this produced. Not many see flatheads as a trophy fish like a musky or big walleye.

I think there has always been a community of “Cat hunters” and always will be. The issue is that without a bunch of dollar bills falling out of the fish they wont do a whole lot. I agree the limit is a bit high and they should close flatheads during winter months…

I have been around the river all my life and yet to know anyone who has violated this. I have seen fish poorly handles just because they did not know… People who do know that they are violating these fish wont change because of some law. I believe its the future and care of large fish that Brian is worried about and I appreciate that. Keep up the good work Brian. Without people like you this would never change. It will always be present. But many others will begin to grow an appreciation just because this “respect” is contagious.
I dont ever want someone to feel they cant keep some to share with there friends and family because that is the backbone of fishing.. 25 a guy… Yep, too much. 25 for a group of guys to take home and feed the family… No different than walleyes if selected in the right size. This is the backbone of fishing but there does have to be protection for these large fish (need research to decide what size fish)as well as a closed season during wintering months. They are one of the largest/oldest fish that Minnesota can show us…

Whats funny is that you have some idiots out there tying them selves to a majestic white pine or old red oak to protect that tree or deer.. Yet they do not know these fish even live in the river. Maybe that is a good thing

You could tie Brian to the fish but the fish would never make it.. Defeats the purpose

Ya Kevin, I was talking 25 bigger flatheads of 15 pounds and over, its hard to catch that many in a day. Smaller flats below the dam here in town and it can be done but its over the limit here.

Here a little over a month ago we ran ditty poles on a local creek and the fish were biting so good on them that we didn’t have time to fish with poles. All we did was troll up and down the creek with the electric trolling motor and take fish off and rebait, and repeat that until we limited out, it was one after another. Thats a good bite but when its really good is when most of the fish are between 3 and 8 pounds with about 25% over 8 pounds. 200 pound days are the norm if you want to sort and cull and keep your limit of just the big ones and throw back everything under 8 pounds. Limb lines are Illegal for those who don’t know, just for imformation. Ya Kevin you ought to get another Jon for smaller water, their just what the doctor ordered for spring when their back in the shallows spawning in smaller rivers.

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Ya Kevin, I was talking 25 bigger flatheads of 15 pounds and over, its hard to catch that many in a day. Smaller flats below the dam here in town and it can be done but its over the limit here.

Here a little over a month ago we ran ditty poles on a local creek and the fish were biting so good on them that we didn’t have time to fish with poles. All we did was troll up and down the creek with the electric trolling motor and take fish off and rebait, and repeat that until we limited out, it was one after another. Thats a good bite but when its really good is when most of the fish are between 3 and 8 pounds with about 25% over 8 pounds. 200 pound days are the norm if you want to sort and cull and keep your limit of just the big ones and throw back everything under 8 pounds. Limb lines are Illegal for those who don’t know, just for imformation. Ya Kevin you ought to get another Jon for smaller water, their just what the doctor ordered for spring when their back in the shallows spawning in smaller rivers.

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Culling is illegal also except in registered bass tourneys.

When did they change that law Kevin, it is? I always thought it was legal to keep the fish you wanted. Does is include inland waters, it didn’t use too. I’d better check, thanks

I just checked the dnr’s site and it is illegal to cull after the fish has been put on the stringer or in the livewell. If you decide you want too keep only the big ones when your taking them off the hook you can, you don’t have to keep everything that ends up on a hook, only on a stringer or in a livewell or anything that’s considered in possession. If someones on a good bite where the big ones are biting good then they can throw back anything under 8 pounds and keep just the big ones.

Isn’t that catch and release?

I thought culling was taking a fish out of the live well or stringer and replacing it with one just caught.

I’m still confused.

Your right Brian, culling is just that here too, taking off the stringer or out of the live well and replacing with a different fish. Its best to cull right off the hook before you place in a livewell or in the bottom of the boat, culling or catch and release is about the same to me,,, Sometimes we throw a few smaller ones in thew boat to clean and sometimes we keep just the big ones to see how much weight we can haul to the cleaning table. Most of the time we keep everything though but it is nice too see 75 lbs of big fillets from the big ones in the cleaning buckets. The only time of year we can be real selective on keeping just big ones is during the spring spawn when they hit as fast, if not faster, then the smaller ones. Seriously, during the spring bite we can darn near catch limits of 8 lb’ers and over for about 3 to 5 weeks, definately 5 lb’ers and over.

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Isn’t that catch and release?

I thought culling was taking a fish out of the live well or stringer and replacing it with one just caught.

I’m still confused.

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I forgot mossy was a bank liner. They (the majority of the liners) are like commercial fishermen in the sense that they “cull” (release) the fish they don’t want to keep off the lines. That is how the lingo goes down here. Most bank liners and trot liners are fishing for one purpose, to keep catfish. So when they release a hooked fish they are culling the fish from their lines. It is perfectly legal to do as long as the fish are alive.

Good explaination Kevin. I guess technically culling is with a live well or on a stringer, to me and the guys I fish with its deciding which ones to keep and to not keep, that’s culling to us. We decide which ones to keep before their put in the boat and while were taking them off the hook, want to keep it? is what we say when one doesn’t want it but the other guy may. Thanks Kevin, now I’m off the hook.

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Thanks Kevin, now I’m off the hook.

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I culled you

It made sense Kevin, I don’t know how but it did…