Texas is blessed with an abundant supply of catfish, the frequent target of three of every four Texas anglers. Catfish popularity among anglers is just right below the largemouth bass. To better understand Texas catfish, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) fishery division biologists have undertaken a research program targeting flathead catfish. This catfish has a flat head, but other than that, it looks like any other catfish. Flathead catfish can reach a length of 3 to 4 feet and their weight can exceed 100 pounds. Lake Palestine was deemed the perfect match for the project because of its catfish population. In April, TPWD inland fisheries division crews began collecting a large amount of adult flathead catfish from the Lake. Through the use of the electrofishing method, 255 large flatheads were collected. Dozens of fish weighing 40 lbs. or more were tagged and released. The largest fish measured 53.5 inches and weighed an estimated 75 lbs. Through tracking the fish, TPWD hopes to gather such information such as how many anglers target flathead catfish, what methods of fishing they use, how many they take home, the size of the fish, when they take them and how that harvest impacts the flathead population. Equipment and catching methods vary in catching flatheads. Some catfish anglers use rod and reel and target only large trophy cats which are almost always released. Some anglers use rod and reel to target smaller fish which they retain to eat. Others employ jug lines and trotlines, and others noodle. A noodler reaches into cavities such as undercut banks or washouts, locates a fish, then inserts his hand or fingers into the fish's mouth and pulls the fish to the surface...not for the faint of heart. Lake Palestine has a mix of all these angling methods. Anglers who catch a tagged flathead catfish are asked to report their catch. They will receive a monetary reward for their effort. How much is determined by information imprinted on the tag. Some information is already coming in. Ten tagged flatheads have been reported. Five of the fish were taken by noodlers. Two were caught on trotlines. One was landed by an angler fishing with rod and reel, and one was taken on a jug line. One of the tagged fish was found dead. "There's really lot for us to learn about flatheads and the catfish fishery," said Richard Ott, Tyler based fishery biologist. "This Lake Palestine study could really help us fill in some gaps." Who knows, maybe sometime in the future TPWD might consider the possibility of a catfish program similar to the largemouth bass Toyotoa ShareLunker program. Photo: TPWD Inland Fisheries biologists collect and measure fish from reservoirs using electrofishing at night, when fish tend to be in shallow water and close to shore. Photo credit: Larry Hodge