“Lite” Reading for Flathead Nerds

Below is a link to a summary of the flathead study that me and some of my fellow flatheaders have been taking part in with the DNR down here on the Fox River in Illinois. Only three years of data thus far, but more interest in the status of the flathead on the Fox River than ever before.

Curious what your thoughts are. Warning if your not into nerdy fisheries stuff you need not proceed.

http://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/rivers&creeks/fox/2010%20Fox%20River%20Flathead%20Catfish%20Study%20Report%20Revised.pdf

Thanks for sharing moosemj, I must be one of those nerdy fisheries people you were talking about because I found the report pretty interesting.

Thanks guys, by working with the IDNR we are hoping to get some regulations for flatheads put in to improve the fishery. Flatheads are not going to go extinct, but you can certainly take out to many big fish which take a long time to replace. All the flatheaders I know are not in it for the numbers game, rather catching big fish is the goal. Take out too many of the big ones and you won’t be seeing those fish with any consistancy.

Thanks for posting Mr. Moose!

I’ve downloaded it but haven’t had a chance to poke my nose in it yet.

But I will! Alway interested in hearing about other waters.

Thanks!

From the top of my head, it looks like the most numerous size is quit a bit larger than it is on the MISS where there is commercial fishing on the Iowa border. I think the most numerous there was right around the minimum length.

It would be interesting to see a chart showing population length distribution on other rivers and compare. Fish of larger size are hard to come by on the Fox. The largest fish we have seen in four years of fishing and three years of sampling by the DNR is 45″. Just by looking at the pictures here it seems that is a fish that would not be considered unattainable.