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Scientific Name:
Ictalurus catus
Common Names: blue channel, chucklehead cat, fork-tail cat, Fulton cat, great blue cat, high-fin blue, and Mississippi cat
Current State Record: 61.5 pounds, caught by Vincent Walston, 2/11/96 in the Little Escambia Creek, Escambia County, FL
Florida Range: Perdido and Escambia River drainages
Description: Similar in shape to the channel cat, but never has spots. Color is blue or slate-gray above and light below. The back gets darker in
tannin waters, almost a blue-black. Has an elongate anal fin with 30 to 35 rays, a deeply forked tail, and small eyes. The head tends to broaden in older fish, but retains a sharpness that the channel cat does not. The upper jaw protrudes slightly beyond the lower jaw. Adults have the capability of growing to more than 100 pounds.
Habitat: In Florida, it only occurs in streams, but could survive well in lakes, reservoirs, and small ponds
Spawning Habits: In northwest Florida, blue catfish spawn in June and July when water temperatures are 70 to 75 degrees F. Eggs are deposited in nests secluded in cavities, under banks, in logs, cans, old tires, and sometimes over open bottom.
Feeding Habits: The range of natural foods eaten by the blue cat is wide. In the early life stage they feed on aquatic worms, aquatic insects, and their larvae. Adults feed on fish, frogs, mussels, and other living and dead material. They are omnivorous in their feeding, and eat most anything available.
Palatability: Blue cat have a mild taste when small. A red streak of
flesh at the mid-line tends to taste strong as fish get bigger and age. The flesh in large fish is mild if the red streak is removed.
WARNING !!!:
Blue
catfish
are
non-native
to
Florida.
Enjoy
catching
them
where
they
now
exist,
but
DO
NOT
move
the fish
to
other
bodies
of
water.
Blue
catfish
are
voracious
feeders,
and
studies
have
shown
them
to
out
compete
native
species
of
fish
for
food.
Studies
have
also
shown
that
blue
catfish
have
severely
impacted
the
populations
of
other
native
fish
species.
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