Catfish Fishing

The Catfish Fishing Weapon

Home Page amazing-live-fish-bait-catch-secret catfish rigs and tackle night fishing lights catfish-clubs-chat rooms
Catfish Recipes night fishing equipment bank fishing for catfish  Fishing For Catfish At Night Click Here For  To Get Your Free e-book " 78 Fishing Discoveries"
CLICK HERE    Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
CLICK HERE  For A Free Copy of 78 fishing discoveries and catfish habitat information

Google
 

SITE MAP

 


habitat information about the catfish family, information includes bullhead,channnel,blue, and flathead catfish also get the latest catfish fishing reports for all 50 states! Please come Back! this site will grow!Find out how our amazing technique works to double your catch

Note: All Types of catfish bullhead, flathead, channel, and blues, are extremely active when you chum and use submerged lighting at night, in fact many times they go into a feeding frenzy. Also the biggest catfish are caught at night. Click here for details  on how to sign up for my newsletter that tells you all about this seldom used technique. Also read tesimomials from avid fisherman who use this technique.

Life History Notes:
BULLHEAD


COMMON NAMES: Bullhead, Black bullhead, Brown bullhead, Yellow bullhead

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ameiurus spp.

IDENTIFICATION: The three bullhead species are difficult to tell apart. Both the black and brown bullhead have black chin barbels while the yellow bullhead has white barbels. In addition, black bullhead have 17 to 21 rays in the slightly rounded anal fin and no serrations on their pectoral spines. Browns have 22 or 23 rays in the anal fin and deep serrations on the pectoral spines. The yellow bullhead has a longer, less rounded anal fin than the other two species. Furthermore, it has 25 or 26 rays on the anal fin and less deeply serrated pectoral spines than the brown bullhead. All three of these catfishes lack scales and have similar body color, varying from yellow-olive-brown to brownish black.

RANGE AND HABITAT: Bullheads are native to Ohio and are found throughout the state. The black bullhead is able to tolerate turbid water and is more widely distributed in Ohio than the other two species. The brown bullhead is common in areas with little or no vegetation and having relatively clean, clear water. They are most numerous in the northern third of Ohio. Yellow bullheads prefer water bodies with large amounts of vegetation. The largest populations of yellow bullhead seem to occur in west central Ohio.

LIFE HISTORY: Bullheads start spawning around mid-May and continue through June. They build nests in natural cavities or make saucer shaped depressions near submerged cover, such as tree roots or sunken logs. Females usually deposit between 300 to 10,000 eggs in the nest. At least one of the parents remains to continually fan and guard the nest. After hatching, the young swim around in a dense ball and are guarded by the male for several weeks. Adult bullheads feed primarily by taste and smell and are most active at night. They eat a wide variety of food that includes: insect larvae, small crayfish, snails, and dead animals.

ADULT SIZE: Bullheads do not reach large sizes. The average bullhead caught by anglers weighs less than one pound. The state record bullhead weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.

FISHING METHODS: Bullheads bite readily on a variety of baits. Bullhead fishing requires only simple, inexpensive equipment. Worms, chicken liver, or catalpa worms should be fished near the bottom.








Blue Catfish
Life History Notes:
Physical Description

 

Blue catfish are a popular sport fish that closely resembles its relative, the channel catfish. The scientific name, Ictalurus farcatus, translates to “fish cat” and “forked” which aptly describe these fish. They have “barbels” or whiskers around the mouth and a forked tail.

The coloring of a blue catfish is predominantly blue-gray to gray-blue, though they occasionally take on a silver appearance. The belly is usually a lighter shade of their main body color and fades toward white at the very bottom. Generally speaking, they have no other markings, though the version found in the Rio Grande River has dark spots on the back and sides. Their skin is smooth with no scales.

The body of the blue catfish is round with a flat belly. As they grow larger they develop a distinct hump on the back near the front of the dorsal fin. Blue catfish have a long anal fin with a straight margin. With 30 to 35 rays of near equal length, this fin looks as if it has been trimmed with scissors.

Blue catfish are often confused with channel catfish due to their similar appearance, especially at small sizes. One difference is the blue cat’s head size, which tends to be larger and rounder than the channel cat’s and their body, more robust. Another distinctive feature is the blue cat’s anal fin, which is long and straight, where the channel cat’s is more rounded. In many cases, the lack of spots on the body will also distinguish it from the channel cat.

 

Range

 

Blue catfish are a warm-water fish found primarily in large rivers and lakes. They are native in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers and their large tributaries. This encompasses a region extending from Minnesota and South Dakota south through Texas, Mexico, and northern Guatemala east to the Appalachians. 

They have been introduced with some success outside this range. Blue catfish have adapted quite well when stocked in large rivers and reservoirs with suitable habitat, and are now present in large numbers in the southern United States.

 

Habitat

 

Blue catfish are found mainly in large river systems and reservoirs, though they do inhabit streams, small rivers and even some natural lakes and ponds. Unlike channel and flathead catfish, the blue prefers clean (non-turbid) rivers with a relatively swift current flow. Their ideal temperature range is between 70 and 82 degrees F, though they will tolerate much lower and slightly higher temperatures throughout the year.

Their preferred environment in large rivers, is the deeper areas that have a moderate to strong current. Within these areas, blue catfish generally seek out deep holes with abundant cover that provide relief from strong currents, but they will move up to swift water to feed, primarily at night. Outside bends in rivers, tailwaters below dams, creek mouths and discharges are all common blue cat locations.

In large reservoirs, they seek many of the same features as they do in rivers: deep, secluded areas with plenty of brush and other natural or man-made cover. The absence of current in many reservoirs causes blue catfish to cover more water when searching for food, which often brings them shallow during peak feeding periods. Therefore, they often seek areas that provide both the security of deep water and the easy access to shallow feeding areas.

 

Spawning Habits

 

The spawning season for blue catfish runs from June to early July when water temperatures first reach 70 to 75 F. They prefer to spawn in dark, secluded locations similar to those they inhabit. Males and females work together to build a nest prior to depositing and fertilizing their eggs. Afterward, both will remain to care for the young.

Eggs hatch after about one week. Both parents will guard their newly hatched young, particularly the male. However, soon after birth, young blue catfish will go their own way. By the end of their first year, they will reach 2.25 to 4 inches in length.

 

Food Usage/Selection

 

Blue catfish are mainly nocturnal (nighttime) eaters and search for most of their food on or near the bottom. Their barbels give these fish a strong sense of smell, which plays a key role in locating food. Though blue catfish will eat nearly anything that is available, their preferred diet includes small fish, crayfish, frogs, clams, mussels, and insects. Depending on what is available, they will consume both live and dead organisms. Large blue catfish often feed exclusively on other fish.

 

Sporting Qualities

 

Blue catfish are a popular fish among both sport and commercial fishermen. Sport fishermen enjoy the large, often legendary, size of the fish as well as its stubborn, fighting nature. Anglers can catch blue catfish with a rod and reel or by the use of trotlines, jug lines or limb lines. The white meat is tender and delicate and is often marketed commercially.

Because they rely heavily on their sense of smell when feeding, most anglers use bait with a strong odor. In addition, because they are such a large fish, the bait should be invitingly large. Blue catfish will take a wide variety of bait and are not particular about whether the bait is alive or dead.

Common live baits include large minnows, crayfish, frogs, green sunfish and bluegills. (Some states limit or prohibit the use of bluegills and other sunfish as bait). Other popular baits include cut shad, chicken or turkey livers, cheese bait, fish entrails, “stink” bait and other baits with such strong, pungent odors. Blue catfish rarely strike artificial lures, though in those instances, they may be caught on lures that resemble natural forage.

Heavy tackle – stout rods, strong reels and heavy line – is recommended when fishing for blue catfish. Some anglers even pursue them with saltwater tackle. Once a large blue catfish is hooked, the angler will often have a long and difficult fight ahead. A combination of determination and strength makes the blue catfish challenging to land or boat.

 

CHANNEL CATFISH


COMMON NAMES: Channel catfish, Spotted cat
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ictalurus punctatus

IDENTIFICATION: The channel cat has a slender body with a deeply forked tail. The upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw and there are barbels around the mouth. The dorsal and pectoral spines are sharp and deeply serrated, and the anal fin is curved and has between 24 and 30 rays. The body is bluish silver on the sides and generally has dark spots. Some anglers mistakenly call channel catfish with few or no spots blue catfish, but the blue catfish is found only in the Ohio River.

RANGE AND HABITAT: Channel catfish are native to Ohio and can be found in most large streams, lakes, and many farm ponds. Channel catfish prefer areas with deep water, clean gravel boulder substrates and low to moderate current. However, they are tolerant of a wide range of conditions.
LIFE HISTORY: Channel catfish begin spawning when water temperatures reach 70 °F. They use natural cavities, undercut banks and muskrat burrows as nests. The female lays a gelatinous mass containing between 8,000 to 15,000 eggs. The parents remain over the nest to fan the eggs and guard the young after hatching. Adult channel catfish are bottom feeders that use smell and taste to locate food. They are omnivorous and will eat insect larvae, crayfish, mollusks, small fish, and dead fish.

ADULT SIZE: The average size channel catfish in Ohio is around 12 to 14 inches in length. However, fish over 10 pounds are not uncommon, especially in large rivers and productive lakes. The state record catfish weighs 37 pounds and 10.4 ounces.

FISHING METHODS: Channel catfish will bite almost any type of natural bait. The best tactic is to fish nightcrawlers, shrimp, crayfish, chicken liver, stinkbait or cut bait near the bottom. Appropriate size sinkers are useful when fishing for catfish. Learn more about

COMMON NAMES: Flathead catfish, Shovelhead, Mudcat

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pylodictis olivaris

IDENTIFICATION: The flathead catfish is the only catfish in Ohio with its head flattened between the eyes and whose lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. This is also the only large catfish with a square tail. Their body color is usually yellow-olive or a dark brown with dark brown blotches. Their belly is yellow or yellowish white.

RANGE AND HABITAT: Flathead catfish are native to Ohio and can be found in large river systems and a handful of inland lakes. Adults prefer deep pools with slow current and cover, such as submerged logs and drift piles.

LIFE HISTORY: Flathead catfish spawn when water temperatures reach 70 F. They build nests in dark secluded shelters such as natural cavities, undercut banks, or near large submerged objects. The eggs are laid in a compact golden-yellow mass which is fanned continuously. The egg mass may contain as many as 100,000 eggs. After hatching, the young remain near the nest for several days in a large compact school. Flathead catfish feed almost exclusively on live fish.

ADULT SIZE: The average Ohio flathead catfish ranges between 5 and 15 pounds; however, they can grow much larger. The Ohio state record for this species is 76 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 55.6 inches in length. Flatheads as large as 80 pounds have been seen.

FISHING METHODS: Flathead catfish are caught on live bait, such as large suckers or chubs. Anglers should use heavy tackle and cast near large submerged objects or drift piles. Fishing at night is often a successful technique for flathead catfish.

 





Other Catfish webpages

bank fishing for catfish
catfish rigs and tackle
night fishing catfish
catfish-clubs-chat rooms
night fishing lights
night fishing equipment


Team FishHoo! Banner Exchange