Catfish Identification

[master_angler11]

I hear some of you mad because you can't identify your catfish.. well i thought i would put some of my tips on here and maybe a few pictures of them as well.. so you guys might know what your after.. !


Blue Catfish

Blue catfish can be identified by the following features:

No spots.

Deeply forked tail.

Upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw.

Blue-silver coloration.

Can grow to be very large. (i.e. 100+ lbs)






Channel Catfish

Spots on body that may fade as the fish gets older and larger.

Deeply forked tail.

Upper jaw is usually longer than the lower jaw.

May turn a blueish tinge during spawning time. For this reason, many fisherman mistake large channel cats for blue catfish.

May grow to be 50+ lbs.






Flathead Catfish

As the name may indicate, flathead catfish have a fairly flat head portion.

Tail is slightly forked.

Very large catfish

World record is over 100 lbs.





Bullheads

Looks like a small catfish.

Square tail or rounded tail.

Usually very small. (1-3 lbs)











Pictures--Pictures--Pictures--Pictures--Pictures--Pictures--Pictures--Pictures


Blue Catfish




http://wzus.ask.com/r?t=a&d=us&s=a&c...main_photo.jpg Channel Catfish



Flathead Catfish Bullhead catfish


Tightlines!!