Blue Catfish Description

[Earl Phillips Jr]

COMMON NAMES: Blues, Fork-tailed catfish, humpback, chucklehead.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ictalurus furcatus

IDENTIFICATION: Heavy-bodied with a wide head and high spot forward of center near the head called the dorsal hump. Upper jaw projects well beyond the lower. Bluish-gray body above, fading to white on sides and belly. No spots and a deeply forked tail. Smaller blue cats are often confused with channel catfish. The best way to distinguish between the two is by the 30-35 rays on the blue cat’s anal fin with its straight outer margin verses the channel cat’s 25 to 29 rays.

HABITAT: They frequent places with sandy bottoms and moderate currents and try to avoid silty areas.

LIFE HISTORY: They spawn in late spring and early summer, when water temperatures reach 70 to 75 degrees F. Eggs are laid in masses into nests formed under logs, in brush or debris, or along undercut river banks. Young school up after hatching. Omnivorous, but feeds naturally on fish, crayfish, and mollusks, and scavenges on dead or dying aquatic and terrestrial animal matter. Sense of taste and smell are more important than sight in obtaining food, and whiskers are used for this purpose.

FISHING METHODS: March through May are the best months, but they are caught year round. Use heavy tackle with cut bait, live herring, shad, clam snouts, shrimp or peeler crabs.