Fishing-Articles.net

Catfish in America are very common and sometimes it’s hard to tell one species from another. Unlike largemouth bass, which are easily identifiable to anyone who fishes for them even just once in awhile, catfish can often be hard to differentiate from one another. Let’s face it, they aren’t exactly a fish you’d want to snuggle up with, and to most people they are just a dark colored fish with whiskers and sharp fins.

However, to the trained eye there are some big differences. First of all, not all catfish are dark colored. Some are more blue, some more green or brown, and some are even albino colored. Additionally, they have different shaped fins in different places, different body shapes like the flathead, and peculiar markings that set them apart.  The most common species of catfish dwelling in America’s freshwaters are:

The Channel Cat

The Channel Catfish, sometimes referred to as the spotted cat or river cat, is a lot like the blues, with a thin head, elongated body and a sharply-angled tail. The difference is, the Channel Cat has a shorter anal fin and has spotted markings on the back and sides. Their color is a bit different, too. Their backs are a bluish-gray tint, and the sides range from pale blue to silver-blue. The bigger the kittie, the less black spots they will have, and their backs will turn a beautiful dark blue.

The Blue Catfish

As a Blue, or humpback blue, ages it gets a hump on its back betwixt the head and dorsal fin. Unlike channel cats, it has a longer anal fin and no spots. Their backs are blue and gray, and the sides are lightered colored; a bluish gray and white. These kitties get up to 55 inches, commonly attaining weights of 20 to 40 pounds, and even exceeding 100 pounds, making it the biggest catfish in America. Fifty-pounders are not unusual.

The Bullhead

There are multiple species of bullhead catfish. They are similar looking, with round or square tails, and their bodies are stouter than blues and channel cats. The Yellow Bullhead Catfish, which is also called butter cat and polliwog, has a longer anal fin, and the colors on their sides range from yellow to black. Their whiskers are yellow or light pink.

The Brown Bullhead is only different from the yellow by its speckled brown color and shorter anal fin. They have brown whiskers and are colored throughout the whole body. These are commonly called mud cats.

The lesser popular Black Bullhead is fished in parts of northern Texas. They only get up to around 5 pounds or so, and are not very commonly fished in most places. Black bullheads are usually black to greenish-black on their backs, and have gray or white on the belly. However, in muddy water their backs may be yellowish-brown.

The Flathead

This is one of the more unique kitties because of the flat head and a protruding under-jaw. It has a yellowish brown body, with speckled markings. It is leaner than the bullheads, and its tail is squarer in shape. The Flathead Catfish is also known as the shovelhead cat. Fifty-pounders are not unusual. The largest of these species are usually caught by trotliners, who have landed specimens well over 110.

The White Catfish

Also called the forked-tailed cat, the White Cat is somewhat different regarding shape and colors, having a rounder head and tail and shorter anal fin. The chin barbs (whiskers) are white or yellow, and the sides between bluish gray and dark blue.

Now that you know the difference, the next time you go catfishing, you will have a few more things to entertain you by applying this to figuring out what kind of kittie you have caught.