Katmasters was started in October 2004 by a handful of friends who loved to fish for Catfish. They wanted a place that they could meet and talk about their favorite sport of Catfishing. So with that “Katmasters” was born.
Of course Katmasters was put onto a server and the whole world had access to it and it wasn’t long before these few Catfishermen who started Katmasters realized that there were quite a few other folks out there who had the same interests. And not only in their part of the country, but clear across the United States there were others who were eager to learn as much as they could about fishing for Catfish. There also came to Katmasters a handful of folks who had a real knowledge of these fish and were willing to join us and share in their knowledge.
In less than a year Katmasters grew to over 300 members and in our second year we had grown to over 1600 members. It was apparent now that there were many people who shared the same interests. With this many people, there is never a lack of information to be shared and learned from.
It became quite clear that Catfishing really is a sport, and a rapidly growing sport at that. There are now Professional Catfishermen, who regularly fish in tournaments around the country. They have various tournament trails that they follow much like the Bass Fishermen. Though it may not be common knowledge to most casual Catfishing men and women, these tournaments are open to everyone regardless of their knowledge or skill level. The Pro Catfishermen that compete in these events strongly encourage the participation of all fishermen regardless of their knowledge or skill levels in these tournaments. They are NOT JUST FOR THE PRO'S!! We also, the membership of Katmasters, encourage everyone to participate in these tournaments, and try to provide the most updated schedules of these tournaments on our site.
The primary objective of Katmasters has changed from a place where a few friends could get together and talk about their fishing trips, to one which is to foster and perpetuate the sport of Catfishing for all people of all ages. To help each other and share information in the hopes of making everyone whom fishes for these great sport fish successful. To work closely with State Departments of Game and Fisheries to further expand this growing sport. To spread the word about Catfishing and educate people about this great pastime. To work with and interact with fishing tackle manufacturers. We need to show them that this is a fast growing sport that needs special equipment. To educate as many as possible of the importance of “Catch and Release” for future generations. To provide a website with a family type atmosphere for people to learn from and to share information on. A safe and friendly place for children of all ages to share their stories and pictures of that big catch at.
Catfish play a important role in their underwater environment. There are some areas that routinely harvest trophy catfish. Sometimes these fish are harvested for food, but more often, they are just carried around on a stringer to show off. Katmasters asks that you practice CPR on big catfish. Catch - Photo - Release. It is fine to keep a few of the smaller catfish to eat, but please release the bigger ones. Lets all help preserve catfishing for future generations.
