All About Channel Catfish (in 5 MINUTES)

All About Channel Catfish - Identification, Habitat, Spawning, Diet, Age & Size, Fishing Tips

-----Video contents-----
00:00 Opening
00:32 Identification
01:27 Habitat
02:03 Spawning
02:46 Diet
03:04 Age & Size
03:51 Fishing Tips

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[SwampyColorado]

COVID was good for my lake and local waterways. Water quality, fish quantity, and average fish size is way up. Best it's been in over 30 years.

[SpectreEelman]

I am a flyfisher, soo I do flyfish for Catfish. I recently landed a 14 lb. Channel Cat in a private community lake, ate a fly pattern called the Bossbob Leech. We get to sight fish to the cats in this lake, which is fantastic. Usually I am fishing to known structure where i know Cats should be. I've also caught some big Black Bullheads and Plecostomus or Suckermouth Catfish on the fly. want to hit the canals of Imperial County here in California for Flathead Catfish on the fly. Catfish are Hard fighters on a flyrod and deserve to be as popular as Carp on the fly.

[indianacreekwalker]

Top baits... Cut Bluegill, Shrimp/crawfish, or Nightcrawlers... If you have a way to keep chicken liver on a hook, also a good bait. Hope it helps :)

[SwampyColorado]

I grew up on a lake I've used everything. I've used loads of chicken liver, I no longer recommend that. I like to use the raw colossal shrimp almost exclusively. It is easy and fairly clean to use and always have them in my freezer. The new thing is cut chicken, doesn't smell as bad as liver anyways and stays on the hook way better.
You can realistically catch a channel on about anything. Any lure. Dog treats. Hot dogs. Corn. Peas. Soap. Hot pepper. Dough balls. Nothing would surprise me.

[daveyuke]

Channel catfish kept two as pets in garden pond. Would feed at the surface, never gave any problem to any of the other fish in the pond. Almost impossible get more cats in the uk although not illegal to keep it is apparently illegal for shops to sell.

[riderr]

I live in PA USA but Channels are the same everywhere.No need for a Heavy Rod really, a Med is more than enough rod for them.I like to use a baitrunner reel, here they hit like freight trains and it's off to the races as soon as the bait hits their mouth.The best baits I use is cut Fallfish, Bluegill, and Sunfish (not Green Sunnies if you have them up there), with the head and stomach sections the best pieces.These will catch your larger fish with some good keepers (IMO 18-24") here and there, my PB Channel is 36" unknown weight).For the good keeper sizes I'll use hotdogs ( cheapest and toughest cut 3/4'-1" length) with unsweetened cherry koolaid, and unsalted garlic powder.
I rig all of these with a Santee Rig with a 24-36" mono leader to keep it up off the bottom with a 5/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu circle hook.I get less turtles and snags and also seem to get less bites from Bullheads, all and all a big plus to me.I have stopped using egg sinkers on my main line, I use sliders but I tie a flat bank sinker to it with lighter line than my main but this year I switched over to paperclips to attach the sinker to the slider.Either way works but the paperclip is a lot easier/quicker, these allow you to break off the sinker without losing all the other tackle and possibly the fish if you where hooked up.
When I rig the hotdog I used to use a treble hook, tie it on the line and push hook through the chunk of hotdog turn a 1/4 turn and push and bury the points back in the chunk.I use a piece of tubular gauze (Surgi-tube off Amazon, 7/8" Large) anymore and just cut a piece large enough to insert the chunk, fold the opening over and run the circle hook through that folded piece.These work great for livers or other lose baits but I get more fish with the hotdogs and mix.This gauze does have to be cut off the hook when you're done fishing but it's easy to do, I usually leave the "empty" (after a while the fish will have the bait mashed out of it, especially if those dang Bullheads are after it) pouch on the hook and just add another then at the end of the day/night I'll cut them off the hook all at once.

I catch Channels at all times, no big difference in the number of fish if it's day, night, eve,or morning.Usually it's just nicer to fish at night because it's cooler, none to almost no boat traffic or other people, and a lot less bugs once it gets around 11-2am depending on the temp.
During the spawn, they're catchable but it's few and far in between so I just wait till they're done and fish for other fish and /or bait which is usually a little over a month (June) here

[mrtings]

I have yet to catch a channel cat but I do love the bullheads! I wish it was legal to have them as pets.

[mrtings]

Caught my first channel catfish last night!

[shad]

I love catching these guys they put up good fights and I can find them esay im my river

[waynesloggett]

Easy knot tieing and easy way of getting hooks out of mouth of fish if they swallow to much of lure

[jonasidas]

Every time she says "ab oot" take a drink. Jk but great video!

[spudsmccatfish]

She has never caught a channel in her life, but nice video👍