It’s no secret that Texas is home to a bounty of reservoirs and rivers, and many of them are loaded with whiskered fish. Three sub-species are recognized as sport fish - flatheads, blues and channel cat.
While blues and flatheads rank highest on the hit lists of trophy hunters, there are an army of fishing fans hooked on channel cat. They are abundant statewide, a blast to catch and pretty cooperative from one day to the next. Plus, channel cat are protected by liberal limits and they make for some outstanding table fare.
The statewide rule allows anglers to keep 25 fish channels and blue cat in any combination, but only 10 may be 20 inches or greater in length. Statewide regulations apply to all public fresh waters, except locations noted in the Exceptions to Statewide Freshwater Harvest Regulations. The exceptions are listed on the TPWD website.
