Some people didn’t like catfish before, but now many enjoy catching them. This is because there are a lot of catfish; they are fun to see, they can get very big, and they taste good when you eat them. But finding tips on how to catch catfish can be hard.
If you have never tried to catch catfish before, you should try it this year. You might like it.
Fishing Tips for Catfish
People like fishing for catfish. There are many kinds of catfish living in rivers and the sea. Catfish have long whiskers like a cat and no scales you can see. They can taste things with their whiskers.
Catfish hide underwater near rocks and wood during the day. At night, they swim around to find food. You can find catfish almost everywhere in the world. Some stay in one place. Catfish come in different sizes, from very small to very big. They eat things like small fish and bugs that live in the water.
Fishing for catfish is best at night because they come out then. Use things like shrimp, chicken liver, and worms to catch them.
If you want to catch catfish:
- Learn about different catfish.
- Find out where they live in rivers or the sea.
- Learn the best ways to catch them and get tips for seeing them.
Catfish Types
The most important tip for catching Catfish is to know there are different types. Just like you would see a Steelhead fish differently than a Lake Trout, you need to know which kind of Catfish you are trying to catch.
In the US, fishermen often try to catch three main types of Catfish: Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, and White Catfish. These fish might live in the same places and look for the same food, but they are very different. Here’s a quick guide to help you choose which Catfish you want to catch.
Blue Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus)
Also known as Channel cat, hump-back blue.
How They Look: Blue catfish are long and thin with long black whiskers on their chin. They have four pairs of whiskers around their mouth. Their back is blue-gray, and their belly is silver-white. They have a split tail, and their eyes are low on their head.
Size: Blue catfish are the biggest catfish in North America. They can weigh more than 100 pounds. The biggest one caught weighed 124 pounds.
Where They Live: Blue catfish are originally from Minnesota and Ohio down to Mexico. They like big rivers with fast water and sandy bottoms. Now, they are also found in other places because people moved them.
Their Home: Blue catfish live in freshwater, in big rivers. They look for cool water in summer and warm water in winter. They use their whiskers to find food because they don’t see well.
What They Eat: Blue catfish eat fish, bugs, small water animals, and plants.
Spawning: Blue catfish spawn in early summer. They lay eggs in dark spots like under rocks or inside logs. After the eggs hatch, the baby catfish stay together until they find a safe place. Both parents help take care of them.
Tips for Catching: Blue catfish taste good. Use fresh bait like cut fish, shrimp, or chicken liver. Fishing on the bottom or casting bait are good ways to catch them.
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus)
Also known as Forked tail, blue-channel cat, spotted cat, and river cat.
How They Look: Channel catfish belong to the catfish family and live in freshwater, but can also be found in locations where rivers meet the sea. They are long and thin, like blue catfish, with whiskers around their mouth. They have a special fin and a sharp spine in their top and side fins. They are usually gray or greenish on top and silver or white below, with a split tail. Young ones have dark spots.
Size: Channel catfish are big, weighing more than 50 pounds. The biggest one caught weighed 58 pounds.
Where They Live: They come from places like southern Canada, through the middle of the United States, to Mexico. Now, they live in all parts of the United States because people have moved them to new places. They can live where the water moves in and out with the tides and in still water.
Their Home: Channel catfish like deep water where they can hide around logs or rocks.
What They Eat: They eat plants, seeds, fish, small water animals, bugs, and more. They look for food at night and use their whiskers to taste because they can’t see well.
Spawning: Channel catfish spawn when the water is warm in late spring, laying lots of eggs in muddy places. A male catfish can have babies with more than one female. They hide their eggs in dark spots like under rocks or inside logs. The babies stick together in groups until they find a safe place. The young ones stay together during the day and spread out to eat at night.
Tips for Catching: Channel catfish taste good. Use fresh bait like crab, shrimp, squid, chicken liver, or hot dogs. Fishing on the bottom of the water is a good way to catch them.
White Catfish (Ameiurus Catus)
Also known as Mudcats, cats.
How They Look: White catfish are part of the catfish family and are smaller than other big catfish in North America. They have white whiskers on their chin, which makes them different. They have four pairs of whiskers around their mouth. They are blue-gray on top and white below, with a slightly split tail. They have a wide head and big mouth and are sturdy but smaller than channel catfish.
Size: White catfish usually weigh only 6 pounds and are 24 inches long. Most of them are about 13 inches long.
Where They Live: White catfish live in fresh, slightly salty water from New York to Florida. They are originally from the Chesapeake Bay area. People have also put them in lakes and rivers in the middle and west of the US.
Their Home: White catfish like water that is a bit salty, but they also live in lakes, ponds, and rivers. They live in slow-moving, muddy water, including river pools and channels.
What They Eat: White catfish eat many things, including fish, bugs, and small water animals.
Spawning: White catfish spawn in early summer in still or moving water near sandy or gravelly areas. The parents make big, flat nests and lay thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch in about a week. The male may stay with the young fish until they spread out.
Tips for Catching: White catfish are good to eat. Fresh bait like worms, shrimp, or chicken liver works well to catch them from the water’s bottom.
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