Anglers casting lines into western Pennsylvania’s rivers will face stricter catfish limits starting in 2027 under new rules approved by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).
The Board of Commissioners voted at its July 2026 meeting to overhaul harvest rules across flowing waters in the Ohio River Basin—including the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers. The changes replace generous panfish-style daily limits with targeted conservation rules designed to protect native reintroduction efforts and safeguard trophy-sized fish.
Under existing Pennsylvania rules, catfish in these waters fell under general panfish regulations, allowing anglers to harvest up to 50 catfish per day with no minimum size limit. The newly approved amendments establish distinct, species-specific protections:
Blue Catfish (Catch-and-Release Only): The PFBC established strict catch-and-release mandatory rules for Blue Catfish across all flowing waters in the Ohio River Basin. Harvesting or keeping Blue Catfish will be prohibited.
Flathead Catfish (4-Fish Daily Limit): Anglers will be restricted to a daily creel limit of four Flathead Catfish, with only one fish allowed to be 35 inches or longer.
Other Waters & Species: For lakes within the Ohio River Basin and for other catfish species (such as Channel Catfish), standard Commonwealth Inland Waters regulations will continue to apply.
The regulatory shift stems from two key biological priorities in the Three Rivers ecosystem:
1. Supporting Native Blue Catfish Reintroduction
Once native to the Ohio River Basin, Blue Catfish were extirpated from Pennsylvania waters in the early 1900s due to historical water pollution. In 2022, the PFBC launched a major restoration project to reintroduce the species to the Three Rivers, with plans to expand stocking efforts into the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers by 2027.
Commission officials noted that catch-and-release rules are critical to ensure stocked Blue Catfish survive long enough to establish a self-sustaining, naturally reproducing population.
2. Conserving Long-Lived Trophy Flatheads
Flathead catfish are renowned among regional anglers for their massive potential size, but PFBC biological assessments revealed that populations in the Three Rivers exhibit low-to-moderate density and slow growth rates.
Research shows it takes a Flathead Catfish roughly 15 years to reach 24 inches and more than 30 years to reach 35 inches. The new 35-inch harvest cap aims to prevent overexploitation and preserve the region’s top-tier trophy fishery.
The new regulations will officially take effect on January 1, 2027, giving anglers and local sporting groups time to adjust ahead of the 2027 fishing season.
Anglers are also reminded that while Blue Catfish are native to the Ohio River Basin, they are considered an invasive species in Pennsylvania’s Atlantic Slope drainages—including the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Potomac rivers—where different harvest rules apply.
