Q&A with Chad Ferguson: One man's blue heaven
Area fishing guide specializes in catching, and releasing, big cats
09:58 PM CDT on Saturday, October 10, 2009
By RAY SASSER / The Dallas Morning News
rsasser@dallasnews.com
On Sept. 1, Texas Parks and Wildlife imposed an experimental limit on blue catfish at Lake Lewisville, Richland Chambers Lake and Waco Lake. Blue cats are the biggest common freshwater game fish species available to Texas anglers. Three 100-pound fish have been caught in Texas by rod-and-reel fishermen.
The new limit is a slot that protects fish between 30 and 45 inches. The slot limit allows anglers to keep smaller fish to eat while protecting big fish that can be released and caught multiple times. Under the new regulation, an angler may keep only one blue catfish per day that's bigger than 45 inches. The overall limit on blue and channel catfish in the aggregate for experimental lakes remains 25 fish daily.
Chad Ferguson, who makes his living fishing for catfish in Dallas-area lakes (mostly Lewisville), answered questions about the new regulations and his favorite game fish. His Web site is
http://www.txcatfishguide.com. Do you think the blue catfish slot limit will result in more big fish?
I absolutely do. With the rule change that bans bowfishing for catfish and now doing the slot limit as a trial, we are finally seeing the state take an active approach in catfish management. I am looking forward to the slot limit results, but I'm very optimistic. I think the biggest effect will be on jug fishermen. I have seen them come into boat ramps with hundreds of pounds of fish. What on earth could you do with all those fish?
Haven't you been releasing most of the big catfish, anyway?
Yes, I have been releasing all fish over 10 pounds since long before I started guiding. Not only does that put bigger fish back into the lake so they can grow even bigger and get caught again, it also helps keep the lake stocked. I lose some business over this rule, but most of my clients are supportive. Most anglers who want to catch a big fish are after it for sport, not to put food in the freezer.
What's the peak of big fish season for blue catfish?
I catch them off and on all year, but they're more consistent from late October through mid-February. The fishing improves as the fall weather cools and the fish are easier to pattern.
How do you catch most of the big blues?
I target structure in areas that hold bigger fish and watch for them on my sonar. I use a number of techniques, either drifting or anchoring and fishing with fresh bait. The fish move around with wind changes or drastic weather changes, but they tend to stay in the same general area. Once you find something that works, you stick with it.
What do you consider the best lake for big blues?
Of the lakes I fish, it's Lewisville, which has a huge shad population for the fish to eat. Lake Worth is good for big blues, but there's a consumption ban because of pollution so it's catch-and-release only. Eagle Mountain is a sleeper, but I don't think Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain have the number of fish that Lewisville does.
What are the odds of a client catching a 20-pounder on any given day?
It's fishing and there's always an off day here and there, but I have a tremendous success rate on trophy catfish. The odds of a 20-pounder are very high. We average five to seven big fish a day, and 15- to 40-pounders are common. Most anglers cannot imagine catching big fish like that on a freshwater lake.
TOP 10 TEXAS ROD AND REEL BLUE CATFISH
Angler Weight Date Water body
Cody Mullennix 121½ lbs. 1-16-04 Lake Texoma
Larry Pustejovsky 103 lbs. 8-8-07 Lake Limestone
Reyes Martinez 100 lbs. 3-11-00 Lake Texoma
John Smith 92 lbs. 2-15-99 Gibbons Creek Reservoir
Joseph Thompson 90 lbs. 10-2-95 Lake Texoma
Jason Holbrook 82½ lbs. 2-20-93 Lake Texoma
Richard C. Jordan 76 lbs. 4-14-91 Trinity River
Tony Shamburger 71½ bs. 3-19-95 Lake Fork
Sammie Roberson 71 lbs. 3-15-86 Lake Livingston
Gene Bohack 71 lbs. 12-14-97 Gibbons Creek Reservoir
