Hoot Owl Cafe.com

The Channel Catfish is the most adaptable of all the big catfish.It tolerates more turbidity and can survive in any unpolluted warm water river or stream.

Channel's like medium to large rivers with slow to moderate current,but will not tolerate as much current as the Blue Cat.

They are found on sandy,gravel or rocky bottoms with good cover,such as brush piles.They also like tailrace areas of streams where there is an abundance of food.

Compared to other cats,channels are not very selective as they will eat live,dead or rotting fish,larval or aquatic insects,crayfish,crabs,snails and clams.

Channel cats feed 24 hours a day but most active around sundown and after.

Channels like water temps above 50 degrees but can be caught . 

Channel cats love catalpa worms,which are found on the leaves of catalpa trees from later in the spring through summer.To make catalpa worms more irresistible,try cutting off the head and poking a matchstick through the body to turn the worm inside out.The juice will give off more scent which helps the catfish to locate it more quickly.

Catfish are generally known to be bottom feeders,but not necessarily true for Blue Cats.

Blues tend to roam the open waters more then other catfish species,and fishing commercially tend to catch more cats on trout lines fished next to the surface then on the bottom.

Primarily big river fish ,Blues favor faster clear running water and are usually found on clean sand,gravel and rubble bottoms.

They prefer water temps in the 77 to 82 degree range.

Slightly higher ththan the other catfish prefer.

They like to feed on tailrace areas because of the abundance of food found there.

Blues roam about in large schools,feeding at any depth where there is an abundance of foods.

Throughout the South Blues diet consists of Gizzard and Threadfin Shad.

Blues are also different than other cats as they migrate upstream to spawn and when the temperatures dip they swimm to deeper pools down river. 

 Flatheads are often called mudcats,and many angkers have the wrong idea about this magnificent fish.Flatheads rarily inhabit muddy parts of a river bottom,and spend most of their time in pools with sandy bottoms or gravel.They also like the tailwaters of dams where there is lots of food.

They like tofeed around stumps,timber,and submerged barges and brush piles.

Flatheads prefer water temps in the 70 degree and up range.They are not as active in cold temps.and remain almost dormant in the winter months.

The adults feed mostly on fish and crayfish.Stinkbaits do not work well on the Flatheads as they do not like rotten fish in their diets.

They are caught mainly at night,when they move out to the riffles of streams to feed.

Some anglers prefer to use the clincher type sinker instead of the egg type with a hole through it.

The clincher type anchors bait better over a given spot but the slip sinker is much superior.

Fishing the boils below a falls or damn can produce giant catfish.

Some fishermen use liver but most anglers use large shad minnows.

They catch cats weighing from 50 to 100 pounds.Light bait tackle is no match for the big monsters.

At night when catfish move inshore to feed.This is why so many limb liners and cane pole-rs swear by night fishing.Such fishermen and some large family groups gather around and build a large bonfire and cook the fish on the spot.

It is from gatherings like this that Dixielands famous catfish and hush puppies got their reputation.

Hungry anglers can almost inhale catfish under these conditions.

But it took an old colored cat fisherman to really tell the story.

After biting into a big catfish fillet he said "If the good lord made anything better,He ate it himself".

Here is a recipe for cooking catfish

Ingredients

Two 5- to 7-ounce genuine U.S. farm-raised catfish fillets

1/4 cup flour Salt and pepper (to taste)

Pinch of red chili powder

2 ounces clarified butter

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup chopped green chili

1 Tablespoon finely chopped tomatoes

1/2 Tablespoon butter or margarine

1/2 Tablespoon chopped scallion

Directions:

Lightly coat catfish fillets with flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Dust fillets with red chili powder.

In a hot saute pan, add clarified butter.

Lightly brown garlic.

Place catfish in pan and cook on medium-high heat until brown (about 2-3 minutes).

Turn fillets over and cook 1 minute more.

Add white wine, green chili, tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cover and cook until done (when catfish flakes easily).

Remove fillets to a plate.

Add scallion and butter to the sauce.

Stir and pour over catfish.

Serves: 2