Channel Cats

(Ictalunxs punctatus)

Size, Shape, and Color

Channel cats are one of seven species of catfish common to North America. They average 14 to 21 inches and two to four pounds, though ten-pounders are not uncommon, and giants of 30 pounds or more are taken occasionally.

Completely scaleless, the channel cat is easily identified by four pairs of barbels around its snout, a deeply forked tail, and spines on the forward end of its dorsal and pectoral fins. More inclined to slenderness along their entire length than other cats, channel catfish tend to have a relatively smaller and more pointed head, with the upper jaw slightly overhanging the lower.

Coloration ranges from light gray-blue through pale olive with silvery hue to steel blue-gray on the back with the lighter lower sides fading to l dirty, milky white belly. Black Specks often dot the back and sides of mature adults.

They have a highly developed sensory system with sensory tissue covering a large area of their body Surface. Touch, taste, and sight make them quite proficient in obtaining food. In addition, they are active swimmers. As a result they eat other fishes more than they, themselves, are eaten and come out on top in any predator/prey situation. (Figure 4-2.)

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