| Catfish angling for Channel catfish is easy and fun. | | | | catfish have taste buds distributed over the |
| They are North America's most numerous catfish | | | | surface of their entire body. These taste buds |
| species. They are among the three most | | | | are especially concentrated on the channel |
| common fish stocked in lakes and ponds along | | | | catfish's 4 pairs of barbels (whiskers) surrounding |
| with bass and sunfish and can be found in every | | | | the mouth. This combination of exceptional senses |
| river and stream. They will eat just about | | | | of taste and smell allows the channel catfish to |
| anything and put up a great fight when hooked. | | | | find food in dark, stained, or muddy water with |
| Channel catfish closely resemble blue catfish. Both | | | | relative ease. |
| have deeply forked tails. However, channels have | | | | Channel catfish can be caught at almost any time |
| a rounded anal fin with 24-29 rays and scattered | | | | of day but the best times are from dusk to |
| black spots along their back and sides. They have | | | | dawn. Because of there keen sense of smell they |
| a small, narrow head. The back is blue-gray with | | | | have no trouble finding their prey or your bait. I |
| light blue to silvery-gray sides and a white belly. | | | | prefer to use cut baits because I have found that |
| Larger channels lose the black spots and also take | | | | you are much more likely to catch the big one |
| on a blue-black coloration on the back which | | | | using them. |
| shades to white on the belly. Males also become | | | | Cut bait is fish cut into chunks. Channel catfish |
| very dark during spawning season and develop a | | | | just love cut baits. When you use cut baits the |
| thickened pad on their head. | | | | fluids from the bait seep into the water leaving a |
| Channel catfish have a top-end size of | | | | very enticing trail for the catfish. I am more |
| approximately 40-50 pounds. The world record is | | | | concerned with the size of the catfish I catch |
| 58 pounds, caught in the Santee-Cooper | | | | than the size of the catch so I use a 4/0 hook |
| Reservoir, South Carolina, in 1964. Realistically, a | | | | with a good size piece of cut bait. If I am getting |
| channel catfish over 20 pounds is a spectacular | | | | a lot of tugs at my bait but no bites I will |
| specimen, and most catfish anglers view a 10 | | | | gradually reduce the size of the hook and the bait. |
| pound fish as a very admirable catch. | | | | If I were going for a bigger catch of catfish I |
| Furthermore the average size channel catfish an | | | | would start with a 1/0 hook and increase the size |
| angler could expect to find in most waterways | | | | as my stringer filled up. |
| would be between 2 and 4 pounds. | | | | Doug Burns is founder of A leading source for |
| Channel catfish can be caught on a variety of | | | | tips, tricks and information on catfish fishing. Doug |
| natural and prepared baits. Catfish have even | | | | has been an avid angler for 35 years and a |
| been known to take Ivory Soap as bait. Channel | | | | steady contributor. |
| catfish possess very keen senses of smell and | | | | Have a Question? I will be happy to answer it. |
| taste. At the pits of their nostrils are very | | | | CatfishAngling. |
| sensitive odor sensing organs. In addition channel | | | | |