Catfish Confidential

Is there a sick, twisted person out there who doesn’t love catfish? If you know someone who doesn’t you need to be very careful around them, they might not be human. Having spent serious time chasing these magnificent creatures in waters all over the eastern seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico I can say I’s definitely addicted to catfish. They’re fun to fish for, catch, cook, and eat. They give the outdoorsman the whole package. Best yet, they’re relatively cheap to fish for. Here’s some useful, and not so useful facts about these most admirable to Animalia.

First, and foremost, catfish are everywhere. They come from a large family and have existed almost everywhere on Earth at one point or another. Antarctica seems to be the only area on the globe that has not yielded any evidence of catfish habitation as far as we can tell. Madagascar, New Guinea, America, Canada, Mexico, China, Russia, you name it and odds are they have their very own species of catfish. These hardy fish have evolved and adapted to live in waters from the South American tropics to places like Canada, that are frozen over for half the year.

What is more interesting is the characteristics they display across the planet. There are examples from about eight families of catfish which are hypogean, meaning they live totally underground. There are also a number of specimens that troglobitic, or cave-dwellers. There are also a number of species of catfish that have adapted to live in salt water. They also literally cover every form of habitat the Earth’s waters have to offer. From rocks to boulders, mud, silt, sand, and weeds, you’ll find a catfish.

Catfish also come in a number of sizes, which inherently determines their dietary needs and feeding behavior. These amazing fish can range from up to six-hundred pounds down to a mere tenth of an ounce. The three largest species are the Mekong giant, the Wels catfish, and the Paraiba, which are all formidable predators. The mid-range of size include the detritivores, which feed primarily on matter on the bottom of the body of water. Then there are still smaller, parasitic, species such as the candiru.

Sustainable fisheries being of such importance in today’s world means catfish are perfect for aquaculture projects. Catfish have a healthy conversion rate making them great for farming. The conversion rate refers to the amount of food it takes to produce a particular amount of farmed product. Catfish can grow very well on an economical diet and some species are very well adapted to pond life. This makes them easy to manage and harvest at an optimal age. The flesh provides an excellent meal, full of protein.

As much as there are no shortages of waters containing catfish, there are no shortages of people eager and ready to serve them up. The most commonly eaten catfish in North America are the blue catfish and the channel catfish. As a boy growing up I was always excited for the day after a strong rain when my grandfather would take me to a local creek where we would get a stringer of yellow-belly, or mud cats. Like most red-blooded Americans these smaller species of catfish were breaded and fried.

But no matter where you go someone will have a local favorite for their catfish. Myanmar uses catfish in a noodle dish. Catfish pepper soup is a favorite in Nigeria. Malaysia has ikan keli (catfish fried in spices). Indonesian catfish is called warung and is usually eaten with vegetables. In Bangladesh catfish is usually eaten as a delicacy during monsoons. Catfish is often cooked in a paprika sauce called harcsapaprikas in Hungary. There are also a number of Vietnamese dishes featuring catfish. Interestingly, Vietnamese catfish cannot be sold as catfish in America. Therefore it is labeled as swai in all America grocery outlets. So the next time you pick up a bag of swai filets in the freezer sections you’ll know you’re looking at a Vietnamese catfish.  Ronald Reagan even went so far as to name June 25, as National Catfish Day to recognize the value of farm raised catfish. They are that important to humans food supply.

On the down side, whenever humans decide to start going commercial with something in nature it often gets away and begins to cause havoc in other ecosystems. Such is the case with certain species of catfish. For example, the flathead catfish is a large predator with a voracious appetite. This beast of a fish has been reported as far north as my native waters on the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania. With few natural predators and a large supply of food such a fish will explode in numbers and eventually push out the native fish in the area.

Another example of an invasive catfish species is the walking catfish that was introduced into Florida waters. Again, we have a fish with a big appetite who is now on the loose in an area where it can get a foothold. Because of their adaptability catfish are also sold around the world as aquarium pets. After a time the owners of the catfish turn them loose into the wild, further spreading the problem of invasive fish species. While encountering such anomalies in the wild lend an element of excitement to a fishing trip they can be devastating to the local ecosystem.

Catfish are nearly perfect creatures, physiologically speaking. Most species have a somewhat flattened head which dually serves as a means of digging through debris on the bottom of the water. The shape of their head also seems to serve as a hydrofoil, allowing some of the larger species to achieve remarkable speed. Their boney head and smaller gas bladder allow them to sink rather than float, which helps them as most either feed or hunt from the bottom.

Catfish are true hunting machines. Any person who has stalked an animal in the woods knows how crucial your sense of smell is. Some of the larger species of catfish have chemoreceptors on their skin, which basically means they “taste” anything they touch and “smell” anything in the water around them. Ergo, gustation is one their main means of locating food. Gustation is the chemical reaction created when something comes in contact with a taste bud, which is basically what covers the entire skin of a catfish. Additionally, catfish can also breath through their skin via cutaneous respiration.

While many species are nocturnal, their eyes are usually able to help them spot and attack prey in the daytime as well. However, they don’t rely primarily on their eyes, so the eyes on many species tend to be smaller. Additionally, catfish have a well advanced Weberian apparatus, which in combination with the swim-bladder helps a catfish hear better than most. Now we begin to see a predator that can swim fast, hear far away, see as good as most, and tastes, smells, and breaths through its skin. We have all the hallmarks of a creature built to survive anything.

But that isn’t where it stops. Depending on species, catfish can have up to four sets of barbels on their head, which the resemblance to cat’s whiskers is where we get the name. These appendages can also aid in the detection and harvest of food. Affixed to the spine and skull are barbs, some of which are hollow and capable of producing a protein based venom to ward off attackers. This venom is produced in the epidermal tissue by glandular cells. Others aren’t hollow, but sharp and capable of inflicting some heavy wounds. They have large, broad tails that can allow them to swim fast and fight strong currents.

As if all that wasn’t enough scientists have also found that catfish can produce sounds and actually communicate. Many times it has been questioned why some species of catfish groan or croak when taken from the water. Those are distress sounds created in the swim-bladder, and they would sound far different under the water. Research has shown catfish can use their swim-bladders and pectoral fins to produce sounds. The sounds produced vary depending on the mechanism use, and reason for making the sound. The sounds can be alarms, determining distance, courtship, and locating other fish.

The catfish’s mouth is also something to pay close attention to. Catfish will often gulf or inhale their prey as opposed to cutting or biting. Some species have a mouth that can expand to unprecedented sizes, allowing them to inhale larger meals. Catfish have no incisiform teeth and they cannot protrude their mouths forward like other fish as a result of the support structure for their barbels. This means the fisherman will do best to have a stable bait that the fish can attack and inhale smoothly.

There is no shortage of suggestions regarding the best gear to tackle these feisty predators. You’ll see every approach from fancy boats specially fitted with all the bells and whistles right down to the simplest rod and reel. Going back to fishing with my grandfather and grandmother, I have seen a number of respectably sized catfish landed on an old-fashioned Zebco 202, which was all my grandparents fished with.

So as a skinflint, I refuse to spend large quantities of green to fish for catfish. If you have a boat that’s good enough. A simple rig with a depth finder will serve you well. When you fish a lake or river try to sue your depth finder to look for slopes on the floor beneath you. Often times you’ll have success drifting your bait up these slopes. Naturally this could change based on water depth, temperature, time of year, spawning patterns, and feeding patterns. Your electronics don’t need to be fancy, just as long as they give the depth so you can judge where to set your lines. Once you have that figured out it’s just a matter of moving around to find the fish.

If you’re fishing from shore you really only need a rod and lawn chair. It really doesn’t get simpler than that. Look for areas you can cast out to where there will be a deeper pocket. If you can structure nearby that may hold baitfish it is a plus. You also want to fish the area where the wind blows in to as that wind will push the food chain in your direction. Don’t spend your money on metal sticks to poke in the ground and bells and lights. Wherever you fish, you’re bound to be able to find a tree and it will give you all you need. You can make a stick to poke in the ground. Another trick is to use a pencil-sized twig with the bark stripped off as a strike indicator. Just put a small slit in the end so you can hang it on your line. Easy and cheap puts the catfish on the table.

Regarding tackle, you don’t need anything special. Large channel catfish have been landed on four-pound test line. It’s just all a matter of how good an angler you are and how much time you’d be willing to spend landing the fish. Basic rods and reels within your budget is all you need. Hook, line, and sinker is all the average person has to worry about. The only additional thing I use is the occasional steel leader when I fish areas with a lot of sharp rocks on the bottom. You only need the regular rig for most places.

An overabundance of information will be more the problem in trying to determine the best choices for bait on your next catfishing endeavor. This is another case where simplicity will win the day. Any major retailer that sells baits will no doubt have a selection of packaged stink-baits, flavored dough-baits, and packaged minnows. While I have seen mixed reviews on these products effectiveness you can get good results on more simple, straight forward alternatives.

Worms are good bait for catfish, but they also attract various other species. This isn’t a problem if you don’t mind catching any in a variety of fish. We had discovered at one point that worms dug out of areas where cow manure was stored gave them a particular aroma that made them seem more delectable to fish in general. However, regular night crawlers work well too. If you live near farm fields you can good luck with night crawlers after a rain storm as they wash into the water where they are descended upon by the hungry catfish and other varieties.

My personal favorite, and go-to bait, is chicken liver. These are cheap and effective. Chicken liver has a high iron content and strong odor, which means the fish can locate them from miles away. I’ve encountered many anglers who insist on rotten chicken livers. Don’t do this to yourself. The possibility of food-borne illness is increased and nobody has even been able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt they work better. Even if they do work better, they’re just nasty.

Live or dead fish also work quite well. Good success can be had with both, but you will typically need some larger baitfish to really grab the attention of nice sized catfish. Depending on your location you can get any of a number of varieties of baitfish that will yield some impressive catches. If your baitfish are dead and a little funky they seem to work better than rotten chicken livers would. Take your funky baitfish and carefully make some smaller incisions along the side to maximize the amount of smell they’ll put in the water.

The last selection is a bit out of the ordinary. First, get the cheapest cut of beef you can. Reduced for quick sale is fine, just as long as you don’t spend any more money on it that you have to. Take it home and cut it into bait sized portions and put it in a Ziploc bag. Then you marinate it for a few days in the hottest sauce you can find. If you want a variety of flavors you can even switch it up and use some different bar-b-q sauces. We’ve found Texas Pete hot sauce and Sweet Baby Ray’s Chili Wing Sauce. Keep in the fridge until ready to use and keep it in the cooler while you use it. When you reel it in you can place the used meat back in the bag and let it marinate more. This is more economical as a small portion of beef can last for a good long while.

There are plenty of catfish tournaments out there, and anglers who get really in depth with their catfish trips. But, the best time you can have fishing is sitting along the bank dragging in some catfish on a Saturday night. Avoid the complications and just use some simple equipment and tactics and take the time to have a cheap night out. Let’s not forget the fantastic protein you’ll harvest for your next fish fry as food is always the best way to a person’s heart.