Catfish question

[RUGER]

Growning up all I knew about were channel cat and "mud cat" or "yellow cat".
Later in life I learned about blues and flatheads.

I still don't know what the difference in a yellow or mud and a channel is. They are definitely not flatheads but anyway.

Years ago I used to catch channel cats and some of them would have black spots on them.
I haven't seen one like that in years.

Yesterday I caught 5 or 6 while bream fishing and every one of them had the black spots on them.

Is it just a different type of channel cat or what?

 

[KENBOB10]

I ain't for sure, but I think twra or whoever breeds the fish for stocking can put these " dots " on them for tracking purposes. I ain't kiddin. I know for sure they did it with crappie.

 

[RUGER]

Are you serious dude?
How in the world?

 

[CATCHDAWG]

Young channel cats have spots, bigger ones do not.
Where I come from a mudcat is actually a bullhead.

 

[KENBOB10]

Yea, they were black nosed crappie. Used to catch them on watts bar. SCN prolly knows about em.

 

[RUGER]

Young channel cats have spots, bigger ones do not.
Where I come from a mudcat is actually a bullhead.

That makes sense, thanks.

 

[SilverFox]

Channel cat... all the ones I caught back home had dots. They also don't get blue size. Shrimp was their preferred bait in the rivers in SC.

 

[easy45]

Catch dog is right mudcat is the nickname for bullheads


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rsimms]

CatchDawg is correct as far as black spots on channel cats. They're like deer fawns... they have spots when they're juveniles but as they mature, they lose the black spots.

I probably taught you that when you were here Ruger, but apparently you were so excited about catching them, my "teachings" went in one ear and out the other. oke:

As for mudcats vs bullheads, CatchDawg's answer sound good to me, but I really have no idea. We don't cross paths with them where I fish.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

Young channels have the spots like fawns, how else would catman know what to eat? :lol:

 

[RUGER]

rsimms,
I was too busy watching Larry catch my 50 pound cat.

LOL