Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
"Going Fishing with Captain Catfish"
Presentation by Missouri River guide John “Captain Catfish” Trager
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Westport Coffeehouse Theater – 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO
The Missouri River has lately become a destination for trophy catfish. All up and down the Big Muddy, anglers are pulling huge fish from the turbid waters. This presentation was by someone who makes it possible for other people to land monster cats.
John "Captain Catfish" Trager runs a fishing guide service on the Kansas and Missouri Rivers focused giving people to opportunity to fish the Big Muddy's big catfish. We can't guarantee all of John's stories will be 100% true, but that's never the point anyway!
Meet Your Presenter
John "Captain Catfish" Trager
, Missouri River guide
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
- Captain Catfish Website
- Captain Catfish photos on Facebook
- United States Catfish Association Forum - for advice and research
- " Large catfish return to Missouri - Record blue is a product of MDC changes" - article in Columbia Tribune on Aug 2., 2010.
- Video on Missouri state record blue cat - KTVI - St. Louis
- Research paper on "Movement of flathead catfish in the Missouri River: examining opportunities for managing river segments for different fishery goals" by Vince Travnicek, MDC (2004)
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City
is hosted by these wonderful partners!
- Little Blue River Watershed Coalition
- Friends of Lakeside Nature Center
- Missouri River Relief
- Healthy Rivers Partnership
- Friends of Big Muddy
- Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
- Kansas City Digital Video
Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.
Recordings of Presentations
Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org. Thanks Micheal Morgan and crew for putting this important archive online! The Big Muddy Speaker Series is partially funded by the Columbia Ecological Services Field Office (USFWS) and the Mo. Dept. of Conservation.
Upcoming Presentations
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event