What kind of catfish is this?

I have recently started fishing for catfish a lot more(tastes so good!). How do I tell between the different kinds of catfish? Blue vs channel vs flathead.

This guy came in right at 8 lbs! Was a really good fight!

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

Umm, you gotta girl there...way prego!

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

Silly Seville said:

Umm, you gotta girl there...way prego!

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Nah, he's just holding it like a girl.

Pretty sure you got a Blue Cat like this one:

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

blue. no dought about it. the tail of channel catfish are deeply forked with a pointed tip. blues are rounded and less forked. also the best was to id a catfish is the anal fin. blues are squared off channels are round.

blue see the anal fin on bottom? flat squared off. 32-36 rays


this is a channel catfish. the same fin is rounded. also channels will have 24-29 rays in theres. they will have spots on the smaller ones that dissappear with age. large ones will be darker with a gold hue in the sides.



blues often have a deeper slope from head to the top dorsal. channels is relitivly flat.
blues are lighter in color and are a slate greyish in color. some can be mistaked for others but the fin on the bottom is the way to POSITIVLY id the fish.
flathead catfish. flat tail wide mouth small eyes and underbite. lower jaw protrudes past top. flat broad heads.

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

Yep. Id say its definately a blue. In most cases, blues and channels are easily discernable by the time they reach the 5lb mark. As catfishcarl99 said, the best things to look for are head shape, anal fins and tail. Another note to consider is that even same species of cats will vary in skin tone and other things from one area to the next depending on water conditions and diet. The one you got there is a very light skin toned blue. They get a lot darker than that here in eastern NC. Its hard to find official information on it but my theory is that average water depth and water clarity play the biggest factor in skin tone of blues. I used to fish for blues in KY and we would pull some preaty light colored ones out of the water. Out there it was common to find holes of 60+ feet. Here the blues are very dark and its hard to find a hole of even 30 feet. And the water here is clearer most the time unless we've had a lot of rain. In short, I think the fish get a "tan" depending on where they are. Just my theory though.

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

Thanks a ton for the information Carl. Very helpful!

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

The Real Question is...How Tasty was it...???

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

FlaCowboy said:

The Real Question is...How Tasty was it...???

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Unfortunately still in the freezer. Probably going to cook it up this weekend for the relatives! Can not wait.

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

That looks more like a white cat. Compare the looks here:
http://www.centralfloridafishingreport.com/FishProfile/133.html

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

It's a BIG catfish whatever it is ....nice catch.....
FM

Re: What kind of catfish is this?

leesumm said:

That looks more like a white cat. Compare the looks here:
http://www.centralfloridafishingreport.com/FishProfile/133.html

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I agree that it does look similar to your white cat, BUT... did you read the description?

"Most common at about a half poun up to 1 pound with the occasional beast weighing in at 2 pounds"

Now granted, he doesnt have a scale hooked up in the pic, but I been catfishing for quite some time, and thats a bit over 2 pounds.

Nice looking Blue