By Lisa YatesEditor, The Times
The catfish is out of the bag! Sunrise Catfish Farm has been a favorite of local fisherman for years. Local anglers just stand at the shore and hook into line-busters at this favorite fishing sight. The business evolved – from all things – a dairy farm!
Brian Schmidt, who owns the business with his father and brother, explained the transformation.
“In 1995, we established the first pond,” he said. “By 1996, we had two eight-acre ponds and raised fish commercially.”
At the same time, the family operated a dairy business – a business established in 1982, he said.
Schmidt, 45, said the family allowed people to bring their fishing poles and catch fish while waiting for their cows to be milked. Word spread and a new business was born.
“In 2002, we sold our dairy cows and began the public fishing business full-time,” he said, adding the family is no longer in the commercial fishing business.
How it works
For free-of-charge, the public has a chance to fish verdant ponds with names such as the Horse-Shoe Pond, the Well Pond, the Behind-the-House Pond and the L-Shaped Pond. The L-Shaped Pond, located behind the barn, is also called the Fish Market Pond.
“We only sell what people catch,” Schmidt said. “They can take the fish live, or we'll clean it – cut off the head, gut it and skin it – or, we can fillet it.”
The fish are sold by the pound. Clean it yourself and pay $1.50 per pound. Cleaned fish cost $2 per pound. Filleted fish cost $2.25 per pound.
“We only have one rule – No catch and release,” Schmidt said.
No fishing license is needed. The fish were bought and fed by the business owners, so the state doesn't require it. As a business owner, Schmidt pays taxes.
“A lot of people think this is a church-owned business, but it's not,” he said. “It's a family-owned and operated business. A Mennonite family owns the business.”
Sunrise Catfish Farm, located at 155 Milton Schmidt Road in DeRidder, can be a challenge to find. It's eight miles south of downtown DeRidder, located off of U.S. Highway 171. There's a blue highway sign at the intersection of 171 and Mennonite Road. Once on Mennonite Road, just follow the signs.
No experience necessary
Even the most casual angler – or the outright beginner – stands a chance of coming home with an ice chest full of catfish.
“We try to make sure everybody gets to take home as many fish as they want,” Schmidt said.
He said someone is always available to give novices extra help. Beginning fishermen may want to come on a weekday.
“We can give extra special care during the week,” Schmidt said. “On Saturday, we're too swamped. We'll have two people cleaning fish, one person filleting, one person filling ice chests, one person running the cash register and two people here (at the store).”
On Saturdays, the store sells brisket sandwiches and hamburgers, in addition to its regular menu items – cold drinks, candy, chips and seven flavors of homemade ice cream.
Visitors can bring their own fishing poles, or rent them at the store for $3 per day. Hooks, weights, floats, bait, ice and ice chests are also available at the store. Nets on loan (for free) are also available – first come, first serve.
Schmidt recommends using 20- to 25-lbs. test line on poles brought from home, as that is what he keeps on the rental poles.
“We also don't recommend laying your fishing pole down,” he said. “We've had to fish out a lot of fishing poles from the bottom of the ponds.”
Schmidt doesn't recommend loading a stringer.
“It gets tangled,” he said. “When the water is hot, the fish die and turn to mush.”
Instead, Schmidt recommended placing live fish on ice inside the ice chest. He said this works better than placing pond water in the ice chest. More oxygen is available longer from the ice than from the warm pond water, he said.
One ice chest is all that is needed. If guests choose to have their fish cleaned, their ice chests will also be cleaned during the process.
Clean restrooms facilities are available on the property. Also, there's a large dining room, which is available for birthday parties and family reunions.
“If you fish, there's no charge – it comes with the fishing,” Schmidt said. Otherwise, there is a $50 charge.
Year-round fishing
Sunrise Catfish Farm is open from sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday, year-round.
“Our motto is: I catch my fish at sunrise,” Schmidt said.
He said there are 60,000 lbs. of catfish to catch; and, the ponds are stocked year-round.
Schmidt said the fish are well-fed and large, ranging from about 1.5-lbs. to about 15-lbs. in size.
During the summer months, fish are fed floating catfish food. In warm weather, fish move quickly to the surface to feed. They are fed sinking food in the winter, since they move slower in colder weather.
“The floating food would drift to shore in the winter before the fish could get to it,” Schmidt said.
Recently, a 16.8-lbs fish was caught, with an 18.75-lbs. one being the largest.
“People from about an 80-mile radius come to fish here,” Schmidt said. “We get people coming from nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and school children on field trips.”
What's the reason for the success of Sunrise Catfish Farm?
“One thing, we have the only business in the area like this,” Schmidt said.
He added, other fishing businesses are in the area, but have fewer amenities.
“Another thing is, people can actually catch fish here,” he said.
Schmidt said on the previous Saturday – a rainy day – they cleaned 13,000-lbs. of fish.
“Our busiest was on Good Friday weekend,” he said. “We cleaned 45,000 lbs of fish. Last Good Friday, we cleaned 109,000 lbs.”
For more information, call (337) 462-6990, or visit Sunrise Catfish Farm at 155 Milton Schmidt Road in DeRidder. Hours are from sunrise to sunset, Mon. - Sat.
