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Common name: Blue catfish (also commonly known as: hump-back blue, Arkansas cat, fork-tailed catfish, silver cat, great blue cat, blue fulton and chucklehead)
Scientific name: Ictalurus furcatus
California record: 101 lbs. from San Vicente Reservoir on March 12, 2000 by angler Roger Rohrbouck
Description: The blue catfish are similar to the channel catfish in appearance, especially when young. The blue catfish though features a long body with a deeply forked tail. It has a straight-margined anal fin with 30 to 35 soft rays of almost equal length.
The fish’s body is round anteriorly, and compressed posteriorly, with a solid body. The head of the fish is relatively small.
Usually the upper and lower jaws of the fish meet evenly, but in some instances the upper jaw will project beyond the lower jaw.
Blue catfish are usually a grayish- blue color and can sometimes appear silver. Their flat bellies are white along with their chin barbells.
Blue catfish can reach lengths of 5.5 ft. and the weight of 100 lbs. or more. Although these measurements are possible, the average adult blue catfish weighs around 15 to 40 lbs.
Habitat: The blue catfish is native to the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio river drainages. Their range reaches all the way south to Mexico and north Guatemala. They have also been placed successfully in reservoirs in the Eastern and Western United States.
The blue catfish is primarily a large river fish, usually found in
main channels, tributaries and impoundments of major river systems. They also inhabit smaller bodies of water like streams, small rivers and some natural ponds and lakes as well.
In large rivers, these fish look for deep holes that will provide shelter from the strong currents, and they move up only to feed at night. The fish are also found in river bends, creek mouths, tailwaters below dams and discharges.
Blue catfish like clean water with fast currents. They are usually found over the bottom of clean sand, gravel or rubble. They are also sometimes found congregated around submerged treetops. They prefer water temperatures around 70 to 82 degrees F.
During the summer, blue catfish usually move upstream to search for cooler waters, while in winter, they move downstream in search of warmer waters.
Reproduction: Blue catfish spawn when the water is warm in the month of June and July. The water temperatures are usually around 70 to 75 degrees F.
The fish like to spawn in private dark areas. The male and female blue catfish work together and create a nest for the eggs. The female, capable of releasing 2,000 eggs per pound of weight, deposits the eggs into the nest while the male fertilizes them. After the eggs are deposited, both male and female blue catfish stay to watch over their young.
The eggs hatch after a week, and both male and female stay to watch over the young fish. Soon after they are hatched, the young blue catfish swim away on their own.
Eating habit: Blue catfish are opportunistic nocturnal predators. They will eat live or dead prey. They like to feed on the wounded or the dead because they are easily accessible. They will feed beneath marauding schools of striped bass in reservoirs, open water or in the tailraces below dams.
The fish’s barbells give them a good sense of smell as another tool used to find food. They commonly eat small fish, crayfish, frogs, clams, mussels, insects and invertebrates.
Fishing methods, tips, and best lures and baits: Blue catfish rely heavily on their sense of smell for locating food, so using the smelliest baits possible is a good option. Fresh cut bait works very well and good choices include shad, shiners, shrimp and clams. The innards of the baitfish are exposed when cut and will release more scent into the water. Because they are normally large fish, a large piece of bait is recommended.
Live bait will also work and popular choices are large minnows, frogs, bluegill and other sunfish, crayfish, worms and shad.
Other bait choices for targeting blue cats are chicken liver, cheese bait, blood baits, stink baits and any other baits with a strong odor that the blue cat can hone in on. Blues can also be caught using trot lines.
Make sure and check the fishing regulations as some baits are not permitted in some areas.
Because these fish can grow very large, heavy tackle is recommended. These fish fight hard and have enormous strength. They will put up a hard fight and can be difficult to land. Small to medium-size blues make excellent table fare.
Best times of the year for targeting this species: Blue catfish can be caught year-round. Fall through spring can be more productive as the state record of 101 lbs. was caught in March at San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego County.
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