Catfish, Channel Catfish and Other Species

Catfish come in many species. Size can vary from less than a pound to over a hundred pounds depending on age and species. There are even a species that can stay on land for a limited time.

First off let us check out the channel catfish. The channel cat, as most people call them, is probably the most popular of the catfish species. Channel catfish can be caught year round, except in extreme cold conditions they can be less active. As with most catfish, the channel cats prefer the deeper cooler water, usually with a sandy or gravel bottom, but can adapt to most environments. They primarily feed on insects, crayfish and smaller fish.

The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) looks much like the blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), but the channel cat has a rounded anal fin as well as twenty to twenty four rays. The channel cat has bluish coloring which fades to white along their belly. They have a smaller belly than the blue catfish. Most channel catfish have small spots on their backs. The largest channel catfish ever caught was fifty four pounds. The blue catfish gets much larger than the channel catfish, with many over one hundred pounds.

White catfish (Ameiurus catus) are primarily a tidal water species that inhabit waters having a salinity of 5 percent, but also is found in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. This type of catfish is much smaller in size. The record white catfish is only twenty one pounds eight ounces.

The blue catfish,(Ictalurus furcatus), is one of the largest species of North American catfish. Blue catfish are opportunistic predators and will eat any species of fish they can catch, along with crayfish, freshwater mussels, frogs, and other readily available aquatic food sources. Catching their prey becomes easier if it is already wounded or dead. Blue catfish often feed beneath schools of striped bass in reservoirs or feeding on wounded baitfish that have been washed through dam spillways or power generation turbines.

The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is the second largest species. The flatheads prefer live baits. The best time to catch flatheads is after dark. The record for flatheads is one hundred and twenty three pounds.

Good Luck and Happy Fishin’, Gary