MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
03-22-2008, 08:30 PM
#11
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
Hello Partner,
I wasn't looking for an arguement..I/m teaching a unit right now on Wildlife in the classroom. Here is why I think your fish is a nice blue catfish..
Note the bottom anal fin..The channels are short and have about 24 rays {Or lines} The blue is long..like your fish and has over 39 rays{or lines.} I won't keep hammering on this though..great fish..
also your fish is missing the spots and has a large head..Channels have a smaller head...and black spots.
Chuck7
I wasn't looking for an arguement..I/m teaching a unit right now on Wildlife in the classroom. Here is why I think your fish is a nice blue catfish..
Note the bottom anal fin..The channels are short and have about 24 rays {Or lines} The blue is long..like your fish and has over 39 rays{or lines.} I won't keep hammering on this though..great fish..
also your fish is missing the spots and has a large head..Channels have a smaller head...and black spots.Chuck7
03-22-2008, 09:29 PM
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location:
Posts: 220
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
Thats fine. I know that we stocked it with channel cats and I dont think blue cats will live and grow in a stock tank / farm pond. right. I know that flathead cats wont grow or reproduce in a stock tank and Ive never seen blue cats in a stock tank before but there is a first time for everything
03-22-2008, 09:56 PM
#13
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Terre Haute, Indiana
Posts: 914
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
http://www.katmasters.com/channel.html
Bottom picture on this site looks an awful lot like his. Not all channel cats have spots. None of the ones we catch in the river near me have them.
Bottom picture on this site looks an awful lot like his. Not all channel cats have spots. None of the ones we catch in the river near me have them.
03-23-2008, 03:11 AM
#14
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
"I know that we stocked it with channel cats and I dont think blue cats will live and grow in a stock tank / farm pond."
Yes sir..I've caught the blue catfish in Maryland in a little community pond..Tehy actually had both..Blues are stronger tasting than channels.An older channel can lose thier spots..but a catfish with 39 rays on the anal fin would certainly be a blue..Where I fish at you can catch as many blue cats as you wish but only 6 channels..They are very similiar and most fisherman call all forked tail catfish channels..
Have a Happy Easter partner..By the way ../your catfish was 3 pounds bigger than mine..
Mine was only 11.5
Yes sir..I've caught the blue catfish in Maryland in a little community pond..Tehy actually had both..Blues are stronger tasting than channels.An older channel can lose thier spots..but a catfish with 39 rays on the anal fin would certainly be a blue..Where I fish at you can catch as many blue cats as you wish but only 6 channels..They are very similiar and most fisherman call all forked tail catfish channels..
Have a Happy Easter partner..By the way ../your catfish was 3 pounds bigger than mine..
Mine was only 11.5
03-23-2008, 09:53 AM
#15
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location:
Posts: 220
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
LOL Mines bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the info all I know is it was fun to catch, the kids had a ball, and it was good eating, and it was a CATFISH of some sort!!!!! lol
03-23-2008, 10:19 AM
#16
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Terre Haute, Indiana
Posts: 914
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
I did a little more research on fish identification and the number of rays is not as important as the shape of the anal fin. A blue cat's fin is more squared off while a channel's is rounded. Above picture shows a rounded off anal fin which strongly suggests channel catfish.
03-23-2008, 07:16 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: El Dorado Kansas
Posts: 1,311
RE: MY BIG CHANNEL CAT 3-17-08
It is a channel cat... and a damn fine one fora pond cat.... Nice job... I used to catch slobs like that in the potomac.... not so much anymore...
Here's a smaller blue cat though...
Here's a smaller blue cat though...
