Introduction to Channel Catfish

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are one of the varieties of freshwater catfish found in North America.

One of the very interesting facts about catfish is their ability to taste. Catfish sometimes live in murky environments, feed in the dark, and have a vast expanse of water to cover to find food. They have adapted a very cool feature…..they have taste buds in their skin!!!!! The entire body of a catfish acts like a tongue; they can literally taste the water. They can taste the skin on your hands when you handle them. Along with a well developed lateral line their skin helps them find food from quite a distance away. This is why the most tried and true method of catching catfish is to throw something stinky on the bottom and wait…and wait…and wait. Channel catfish will feed on live prey such as dying small fish or minnows (fish that eat other fish are called "piscivorous"), crayfish (crawdads), and possibly even large aquatic bugs. A researcher by the name of Len Kring from Iowa State University also once told me that in the face of starvation, channel catfish may also eat aquatic plants. This, then, would actually qualify them as being omnivorous.
Contrary to popular belief, most of the catfish found in the United States are NOT poisonous!! The barb that accounts for the first ray of each dorsal and pectoral fin is actually just that…a sharp and spiny piece of tissue, not an injector of poison. Species called the Tadpole Madtom (Notorus gyrinus) and the Stonecat (Notorus flavus) DO actually have barbs in their fins that deliver an irritant that is said to be very painful.

Tadpole Madtom from http://tolweb.org/Noturus_gyrinus/69905

 Stonecat from http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/ictaluridae/stonecat.html
The barbs on a channel cat can do some damage though if it decides to get frisky while your hand is near them.
Channel catfish have been known to crush a spinner bait, but typically the old standard is to bring a lantern, chicken liver, and some beer and wait by the side of the river bank for that rod to start jerking. Other baits to use are cut bait, crayfish, dough balls, or a variety of artificial baits that are loadable with an artificial stinky scent. Channel cats live in lakes and rivers, and are a great catch in either. Cleaning them for eating proves a bit of a challenge for a beginner, as they don't have scales and their skin must be peeled away from the meat. Catfish are known croak sometimes when held out of the water, and this species is no different.
Well there is a little bit about channel catfish, I hoped you learned something and more to come on Bluegill's Blog


>{{}};> Bluegill


To read more about the biology of these fish, try: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/cfwru/projects/completed/catfishBMP06.pdf or http://www.docstoc.com/docs/49670183/IOWA-COOPERATIVE-FISH-AND-WILDLIFE-RESEARCH-UNIT or http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2010.02509.x/abstract or try this one for about 26,000 articles about them in Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&q=ictalurus%20punctatus&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws