06-29-2005, 11:42 PM
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - Some very large catfish will be stocked this week in four of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program locations. The program is focused on getting kids in urban areas of the city involved in fishing.
The parks that were selected were Hindman Park, Boyle Park, Kiwanis Park and Otter Creek Park. Each of the ponds will receive about five of these trophy-sized fish, which must be hand delivered because they are too large to fit through the stocking tube.
These catfish were trapped near one of the AGFC net-pen facilities where they have congregated and aggravated normal growing operations by forcefully eating feed and chewing on nets, according to AGFC urban fisheries biologist Clifton Jackson. "Trapping and relocating these fish to urban settings presents a win-win solution to a problem. Our partnership with the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department helps the AGFC’s Fisheries Division by offering inner-city residents the unusual opportunity to fish for trophy catfish in a metropolitan area," Jackson explained.
“The big catfish will make a splendid compliment to the regular stockings of channel catfish that occur throughout the summer at these locations. These fish range in size from 15 to 60 pounds each," Jackson said.
"It is almost impossible for catfish in any pond in a city park to attain such a size since fishing pressure and harvest is significantly higher in city parks, and it would take 10-30 years of natural growth to reach 20-40 pounds. These fish are really not difficult to hook up with and they will bite baits similar to other stocked catfish," he said. They may be easy to get a hook in, but they do pose a challenge to successfully land one of the giants.
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The parks that were selected were Hindman Park, Boyle Park, Kiwanis Park and Otter Creek Park. Each of the ponds will receive about five of these trophy-sized fish, which must be hand delivered because they are too large to fit through the stocking tube.
These catfish were trapped near one of the AGFC net-pen facilities where they have congregated and aggravated normal growing operations by forcefully eating feed and chewing on nets, according to AGFC urban fisheries biologist Clifton Jackson. "Trapping and relocating these fish to urban settings presents a win-win solution to a problem. Our partnership with the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department helps the AGFC’s Fisheries Division by offering inner-city residents the unusual opportunity to fish for trophy catfish in a metropolitan area," Jackson explained.
“The big catfish will make a splendid compliment to the regular stockings of channel catfish that occur throughout the summer at these locations. These fish range in size from 15 to 60 pounds each," Jackson said.
"It is almost impossible for catfish in any pond in a city park to attain such a size since fishing pressure and harvest is significantly higher in city parks, and it would take 10-30 years of natural growth to reach 20-40 pounds. These fish are really not difficult to hook up with and they will bite baits similar to other stocked catfish," he said. They may be easy to get a hook in, but they do pose a challenge to successfully land one of the giants.
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