The Blue Catfish, Our Featured Fish
- Description – Blue catfish have no scales and vary in color from slate-blue to grayish brown on their back and sides, fading to a whitish belly. In muddy waters, some even appear albinistic, the pale skin evoking the common nickname “white cat.” The blue catfish is often mistaken for a young channel catfish, but it lacks the spots and the edge of its caudal fin is not curved. Both have forked tails and similar coloration, but the Blue Catfish's anal fin has a straight edge, with 30 or more fin rays. The females are larger than the males.
- Range – Blue catfish can be found in portions of at least 30 states, from Iowa to southern Texas and from Nebraska to North Carolina. They’re also found throughout the eastern third of Mexico and south into Guatemala. The native range encompasses the major rivers of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri river basins of the central and southern United States, but blues have also been introduced in Washington, California and Arizona. State fisheries agencies have stocked millions of blue catfish in large and small impoundments across the United States.
- Size – As a practical matter, a 60-pound blue cat would be the trophy of a lifetime, and the average hook-and-line fish is under 15 pounds, but the potential new world record blue catfish was caught from Lake Texoma Jan. 16, 2004 weighing 121 1/2 pounds!
- Habitat – By nature, blues are big-river fish and are found in the swift areas of these large rivers. They prefer clearer, faster water than other cats, and are usually found over a hard sand or gravel bottom. They are also found in deep-water holes and drop-offs throughout lakes. They are principally bottom feeders.
- Food Hab
 its – In many respects, the behavior of blue catfish parallels that of striped bass. Like stripers, large blues feed primarily on shad, herring and other schooling baitfish. Blue catfish are mainly fish eaters, often feeding solely on a single species. The most common fish eaten are those that inhabit the tailraces below dams. Blue catfish also take crayfish, insects, clams and other invertebrates. Cut herring, gizzard shad, worms, and commercial baits are also effective in catching these big fish. Smaller fish are taken on commercial baits, such as stink baits and chicken liver.
- Blue cats are active year-round, except when water temperature falls below 40 degrees. Most anglers fish for them during warm months, but many are learning the species’ habit of gathering in large feeding schools during winter. Some schools may contain several trophy-class fish. Most hold near the deepest well-oxygenated bottom structure available.
- Age & Growth – Despite the massive size documented for this fish, most growth studies show a 10-year-old blue cat measuring only 24 to 36 inches long. Under favorable conditions, however, blues exhibit a much greater growth rate.
The Blue Catfish is one of the strongest fighting freshwater fish and considered excellent for eating.
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