Fishing by hand for catfish – it’s a method rarely seen in Missouri.

Not legally, anyway, and State. Sen. Dan Clemons (R-Marshfield) wants to change that.

Clemons has sponsored a bill that would allow hand fishing for catfish and carp in Missouri during the months of June and July. Hand fishing, the act of reaching in and around underwater holes and debris in an attempt to get a fish to latch on to your hand or arm, is a sport that’s dear to the Senator.

“This is an issue that we’ve been working on for Sen. Clemons’ entire career,” Chief of Staff Gus Wagner said. “The sportsmen who support this effort have been working for about 15 years with the state Capitol and the Conservation Department.

“It’s pretty much like it sounds,” Wagner added. “You go underwater and you stick your hand into an area, maybe a hole in a bank or a tree stump where catfish rest sometimes, and you reach in and take your chances.”

Wagner said 13 other states allow hand fishing, including Oklahoma, Illinois and Kansas.

“It’s an issue that needs to be addressed by the Missouri Conservation Commission, but they haven’t seen fit to take action and accommodate the sportsmen who like to participate in this sport,” Wagner said. “The chances of this bill passing are probably about 50-50 right now.”

Kara Tvedt, fisheries manager and biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation Southwest Region, said the state experimented with a hand fishing season in 2005 and 2006, but the negative impact on fish population and the state economy caused the department to put an end to the season.

“According to the fish and wildlife service catfishing ranks second in Missouri in both number of anglers and days spent fishing, and it contributes $157 million annually to Missouri’s economy,” Tvedt said. “Now when you do hand fishing you’re basically taking off older fish, the ones more sexually mature and productive. Just pulling them off the nest you can reduce producers in the population and have an impact on that population staying high in numbers.

“Cat fishing activities produce a major economic impact on Missouri, right up there with other types of fishing, so we’re afraid hand fishing will have a negative impact on that population, which would mean a negative impact on our economy,” Tvedt added.

Despite its legal status, Tvedt said some hand fishing still occurs in Missouri’s waters.

“I’m sure there’s probably some illegal activity, but I don’t think It’s very high,” she said.