The channel catfish look similar to the blue cats and are often even called blue channel cats. They have 4 pairs of barbells and a small fin on the back. Their skin is smooth and scale-free with bony spines in the front of the dorsal and pectoral fins.
Their sides are greenish to bluish gray with a silvery tinge. As they get older they turn a slate blue color much like the blue catfish.
The fiddlers and small adults normally have numerous black spots but these disappear in the larger and older cats.
The female channel cats have slimmer shoulders and narrower heads. They also have more rounded bodies and lighter colors.
The channel catfish can survive in nearly any unpolluted warm water environment. They do well in medium to large rivers with a slow to moderate current, although they don't tolerate as much current as the blue cats.
They like clean sand, gravel bottom with a lot of cover such as branch piles, log jams, and wing dams.
The channel cats spawn in late spring when the water temperature is 70 to 75 degrees. They are very hard to find at spawning time as they build their nests in secluded dark spots like a hole in a bank or along side of logs or boulders. The males will protect the nest until the young are gone.
They aren't real particular with regards to their eating. They will eat dead and rotting fish, insects, crabs, clams, snails and crayfish. They reach their largest size as they grow older and mostly feed on fish.
For a good sporting adventure try your hand at catching some channel catfish. Just use some good chumming with rotten cheese, or some chicken livers, worms, or minnows and you can even catch them with spinners and jigs. They're out there and they're hungry, just waiting for you.
For more catfish tips visit my site at http://www.squidoo.com/catfish-tips and then go fishing!
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