Catfish Stocking to Begin in DFW

Catfish are fun to catch and they a some kind of good eatin’ when fried just right. This is going to be music to your ears if you enjoy catfishing like I do, becasue Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will begin stocking channel catfish the week of April 18 into several Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area lakes that are part of the Neighborhood Fishin’ program.

DFW has five Neighborhood Fishin’ sites that consists of South Lakes Park in Denton, City Lake Park in Mesquite, Greenbriar Park in Fort Worth, Chisholm Park in Hurst, and Lakeside Park in Duncanville. Fish stocking will take place every two weeks until the end of October, except during the month of August, so grab your gear.

Catfish stockings are planned for the weeks of April 18, May 2, May 16, May 30, June 13, June 27, July 11, July 25, September 5, September 19, October 3, October 17 and October 21. Of course, the exact dates for stocking may vary and are not announced in advance in order to spread fishing pressure over the entire week.

To be successful at any type of fishing, you need to understand the behavior of the fish that you are pursuing. Channel catfish are no exception. Channel “cats” are most active during times when there’s very little light. If you fish for channel catfish just before it gets light in the morning, or just after the last light of the day, you’ll be more successful than you will if you fish when it’s bright and sunny. Also, fishing when it’s overcast or fishing in the portions of a lake that are covered by shadows will greatly increase your chance for success.

Any angler 17 years or older needs a fishing license to fish at the Neighborhood Fishin’ locations. Also, it is important that anglers use no more than two poles while fishing. The bag limit for channel catfish is five fish per day with no minimum length limit. The Neighborhood Fishin’ is a cooperative effort between TPWD and local cities to promote Texas fishing in community fishing lakes.