WDFW revives channel catfish stocking plan after a 10-year pause

Lurking beneath more than 45 lakes, ponds and reservoirs across Washington are the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), which are one of the most numerous catfish species in North America.

The first reported introduction of channel catfish into Washington waters was in 1892 when 75 fish went into Clear Lake in Skagit County. That same year 125 channel catfish were stocked into a privately-owned, unnamed farm pond near Vancouver, Washington, and 50 were planted at Deer Lake in Spokane County. In 1893, the Boise River in Idaho (a Snake River tributary) received 100 adult or yearling channel catfish, and a few were released in the Willamette River in Oregon.

Additional releases were made in various lakes and streams across Washington in the ensuing years, as all forms of catfish (mainly bullheads) became abundant and popular in the region with both sport and commercial fisheries.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) channel catfish stocking records go back to intermittent planting in the mid-1990s, and 1999 and 2011. Stocking efforts were revived in 2014 but stopped after one year due to transportation limitations.

Stocking channel catfish came at a high price in 2014. At the time, just a few fish distributors operated around the United States, and the 50,000 channel catfish transported by contracted truck drivers to Washington had to cover some 2,200-plus miles from the Hopper-Stevens Hatchery in Lonoke, Arkansas. Freshwater needed to be resupplied to support fish survival as the truck crisscrossed through five states.

After a 10-year hiatus, WDFW found a much closer supplier - Dutchboy Farms Hatchery in Challis, Idaho - and reignited the channel catfish stocking program. These young fish originated from the same Arkansas fish-raising facility and hatchery trucks could transport them from Idaho to Washington at a lower cost. The most recent stocking occurred this past spring and another scheduled in 2025.

"We've got a robust stocking plan in place right now for channel catfish, and we know this stocking program can work under the right conditions," said Steve Caromile, WDFW inland fish program manager. "The most recent stocking occurred this past spring and another scheduled in 2025."

Under the approved three-year stocking plan, WDFW planted 12,400 channel catfish averaging 12 inches at a cost of $55,000 this past spring into 12 lakes and ponds. WDFW expects to stock another 30,000 fish in 2025 in 19 lakes, costing $100,000. Pending further approval, a 2026 stocking plan includes 50,000 fish into 26 lakes and ponds at a cost of $133,000.

WDFW conducts this program carefully under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). WDFW stocks catfish in lakes or ponds under full compliance with the non-native game fish and fisheries policy. The Department plants these fish without any conflict of native fish species like anadromous salmon and steelhead.

Originally, these nonreproducing channel catfish populations were stocked by WDFW to increase predation on over-abundant forage fish populations, and to add diversity to mixed-species fisheries. These efforts have been highly successful in several statewide waterways and anglers enjoy catching them too.

WDFW stocked the following lakes and ponds stocked with channel catfish in spring 2024:

· Benton County:Columbia Park Pond, 500 fish.

· Chelan County:Roses Lake, 1,600 fish.

· Cowlitz County:Kress Lake, 300 fish.

· Lewis County:Swofford Pond, 1,300 fish.

· Okanogan County:Whitestone Lake, 300 fish; and Washburn Island Pond, 300 fish.

· Skagit County:Lake Campbell, 3,000 fish.

· Spokane County:Liberty Lake, 2,000 fish.

· Thurston County:St. Clair Lake, 1,200 fish.

· Yakima County:I-82 Pond #4, 500 fish; I-82 Pond #6, 500 fish; and Rotary Lake, 500 fish.

"We're monitoring the lakes that we've planted with channel catfish and have seen anglers with 12- to 13-inch fish," said Ken Behen, WDFW warmwater fish program manager. "Our hope is to have these lakes and ponds established with a good population of channel catfish. In past surveys we know that anglers really enjoy catching them."

WDFW fish biologists select lakes and ponds that are best suited to produce recreational fishing opportunities and high fish survival rates. WDFW expects positive growth of these fish in the selected waterways since they tend to be warmer than usual.

Channel catfish are known to be as old as 15- to 20-years-old and can grow to over 30 inches in length and weigh more than 30 pounds. The fish that WDFW planted this past spring have the possibility to grow to more than 20-plus lbs. over the next few years.

In the June of 2018, Ahmed Majeed of Kent, caught a 45-pound channel catfish at Green Lake in North Seattle. That monster-sized fish didn't count in WDFW's official state record books because it wasn't officially weighed before being gutted. You can read about the big channel catfish on The Seattle Times website.

The official state record for a channel catfish weighed 37.70 pounds and was caught by Cole Abshere at Lake Terrell in Whatcom County on Aug. 20, 2019.

The channel catfish are distinctly different from the three species of bullhead catfish - brown, yellow, and black bullhead catfish - and have a forked, rather than rounded, tail, a slate to silvery body color-usually spotted with tiny black specks-and a much more streamlined head and body.

Channel catfish also differ from bullheads in habit and habitat. They spawn only in lakes, rivers and streams that can reach a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit by late spring. Currently, the only known naturally reproducing populations are found only in the Snake, Columbia, Lower Yakima (50 miles) and Walla Walla rivers.

Other known lakes and ponds that were stocked in 2014 (note: channel catfish populations may have diminished in some of these waterways) include:

· Adams/Lincoln County:Sprague Lake, 4,000 fish.

· Benton County: Columbia Park Pond, 500 fish.

· Chelan County: Roses Lake, 2,000 fish.

· Cowlitz County: Kress Lake, 1,000 fish.

· Franklin County:Powerline Lake, 1,000 fish; and Scooteney Reservoir, 3,000 fish.

· Grant County: Ping Pond, 100 fish; Stan Coffin Lake, 500 fish; and Potholes Reservoir, 4,000 fish.

· King County:Green Lake, 5,000 fish.

· Kittitas County:McCabe Pond, 100 fish.

· Lewis County: Swofford Pond, 2,000 fish.

· Okanogan County: Whitestone Lake, 2,000 fish.

· Snohomish County:Gissburg Pond North and Gissburg Pond South, 1,000 fish.

· Spokane County:Bear Lake, 1,000 fish; and Liberty Lake, 3,100 fish.

· Thurston County:Chambers Lake, 800 fish; Lake Lawrence, 4,000 fish; and St. Clair Lake, 4,500 fish.

· Whatcom County:Lake Campbell, 6,000 fish; and Lake Fazon, 1,000 fish.

· Yakima County:I-82 Pond #1, 200 fish; I-82 Pond #2, 400 fish; I-82 Pond #3, 400 fish; I-82 Pond #4, 600 fish; I-82 Pond #6, 600 fish; Rotary Lake, 500 fish; and Sarge Hubbard Park (Reflection Pond), 100 fish.

Adult channel catfish forage on an incredible variety of food organisms, including frogs, crawfish, clams, snails, worms, pond weeds, seeds, snakes and birds, in addition to the more traditional forage of fish and insects. As with the other catfish, feeding activity is generally greatest at night, but a channel catfish seems to rely more on sight than the bullheads.

Fishing improves throughout the spring, peaking before the spawning period in June and July. Fishing may pick up again in early fall, followed by a decrease in action as waters cool. Winter is a difficult time to target this species.

It is not unheard of for bass anglers to catch them on diving plugs, spinners, plastic lures, and even surface lures. Most anglers fish for them with bait, though, and like other catfish, the smellier the bait the better right on or near the bottom. The excellent olfactory sense of catfish makes baits with a strong odor very effective.

Popular baits include worms, liver (chicken or beef), hotdogs, shrimp, cut bait (usually an oily fish like herring), and manufactured or homemade stinkbaits and doughbaits. Because fancy lures are not required, catfishing is relatively easy, inexpensive and does not require specialized equipment. All you need is a hook, a weight, and something to attract these scent-driven predators.

Catfish make excellent table fare, and many anglers consider catfish taken from cool, clean water to be the ultimate in piscatorial cuisine.

Licenses and permits: Anglers 15 years or older both resident and non-resident are required to have an annual or short-term freshwater or combination fishing license. Licenses can be purchased online or at hundreds of license dealers across the state.

For questions, contact customer service at 360-902-2464 or toll-free at 866-246-9453. You can also email at [email protected] or visit https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Mail the WDFW Licensing Division at PO Box 43154, Olympia WA 98504.

Rules and seasons: The general statewide regulation for channel catfish is a five-fish daily limit with no minimum size. Several small lakes where channel catfish are stocked have a two-fish daily limit. In the Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers, there is no daily bag limit on harvest. Regulations may change from year to year, so make sure you consult the latest WDFW fishing regulations webpage and the 2024-25 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for accurate information on the water you intend to fish.

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