The channel catfish is North America’s most popular catfish. It is the official state fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee. This fish is becoming increasingly popular as a food and has led to numerous stocking and aquaculture programs across the states. The channel catfish thrives in large rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and ponds. They are cavity nesters meaning that they lay their eggs in cavities, hollows, and debris to shelter them from currents.
The channel catfish has taste buds all over its body, this feature, along with long whiskers, allows it to find food in dark, muddy, and turbid waters. This fish is omnivorous and it will bite many types of bait including worms, crickets, frogs, crawfish, and minnows.
Channel catfish can be identified by the dark spots along its body and its rounded anal fin. If the anal fin is squared then it is the blue catfish. The channel catfish has the potential to reach 40-50 lbs in the wild, with the world record being 58 lbs. However, average size is under 10 lbs.
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