Know Your Catfish

Big Blues - Anthony's Favorites

Blue catfish have a forked tail, and are sometimes very similar to channel catfish. The number of rays in the anal fin is typically 30-35, and coloration is usually slate blue on the back, shading to white on the belly. 

The spawning behavior of blue catfish appears to be similar to that of channel catfish. However, most blue catfish are not sexually mature until they reach about 24 inches in length. Like channel catfish, the blue catfish has a varied diet. Blue catfish commonly attain weights of 20 to 40 pounds, and may reach weights well in excess of 100 pounds. It is reported that fish exceeding 350 pounds were landed from the Mississippi River during the late 1800's. 

Blue Cat

Blue catfish are primarily large-river fish, occurring in main channels, tributaries, and impoundments of major river systems which make Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake prime areas. Fifty-pounders are not unusual in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake. So make sure you are ready for a battle.

Flatheads

Flathead catfish reach a length of 3 to 4 feet and their weight can exceed 100 pounds and are typically dull yellow to brown on the back and sides, and highly mottled with black and/or brown. The belly is usually

  pale yellow or cream colored. The head is flattened. The tail fin is slightly notched, not deeply forked as is the case with blue and channel catfish. Young fish may be very dark, almost black in appearance. 

Flathead

Unlike other catfish, flatheads prey only on live fish. Young flathead catfish feed mostly on invertebrates such as worms, insects and crayfish. When 10 inches or larger, their diet consists entirely of fish-shad, carp, suckers, sunfish, largemouth bass and other catfish. They reach sexual maturity between the third and sixth year. Spawning season is from late May through August, when the water temperature is between 75° and 80° F. Average lifespan of the flathead catfish is 12 to 14 years, but they can live much longer.

 Adults are usually solitary, each staking out a favorite spot under a tree or in a cove, in deep water. At night, they move into shallow areas to feed. 
Flathead catfish prefer deep pools of streams, rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs, where the water is cloudy and the currents are slow. In the Lake of the Ozarks area, 50-pounders are not unusual.

Channel Cat

Channel catfish are easily distinguished from all others, except blue catfish, by their deeply forked tail fin. Unlike flathead catfish, the upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw. Coloration is olive-brown to slate-blue

 on the back and sides, shading to silvery-white on the belly. Numerous small black spots are typically present, but may be obscured in large adults. The anal fin has 24-29 rays, in contrast blues which have 30 or more rays in the anal fin. 

Channel Cat

Adult channels are largely omnivorous, feeding on insects, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and even some plant material.

Channel catfish are most abundant in large streams with low or moderate current, lakes and reservoirs which make Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and all tributaries great places for "fiddlers."

Channel cats may be captured on a wide variety of baits including liver, worms, grasshoppers, shrimp, chicken, cheese and stink bait, among others.