Blue catfish vs flathead catfish: how to tell them apart

Blue catfishup to 165 cm · 68.0 kg · 21 years

flathead catfishup to 155 cm · 55.8 kg · 25 years

Blue catfishMississippi basin from western Pennsylvania to South Dakota and the Platte River in Nebraska, south to the Gulf; Gulf Slope to the Rio Grande in Texas and New Mexico and Mexico; introduced on the Atlantic slope, in the West and in Minnesota (FishBase). Wikipedia gives Belize and Guatemala as the southern limit. Lives in deep water of reservoirs, main channels and backwaters of medium to large rivers over mud, sand and gravel, preferring clear, strongly flowing water, down to 50 m; on the bottom in deep areas by day, moving into swifter water at night to feed (FishBase). Tolerates brackish water and is considered invasive in Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound (Wikipedia).

flathead catfishLower Great Lakes and Mississippi basin from western Pennsylvania to the White-Little Missouri system in North Dakota, south to Louisiana; Gulf Slope from Mobile Bay to Mexico; transplanted elsewhere in the US (FishBase). Adults live in pools with logs and debris in small to large rivers, also lakes and reservoirs; young in rocky and sandy runs (FishBase). Prefers medium to large, warm rivers with steady, slow current, undercut banks and woody debris; home range usually less than 2 km (Wikipedia). In some waters where it was introduced it harms native species (German and English Wikipedia).

Blue catfishOnce a year from May to June; females produce 2,000 to 4,000 eggs per pound of body weight (Wikipedia). Eggs are deposited in nests under logs, brush or riverbanks, males often build nests in pools or backwaters (FishBase).

flathead catfishLate June and early July at 19 to 24 °C (66 to 75 °F) water temperature and steady current, in nests by submerged logs and debris; the male builds the nest, guards the clutch and fans it with oxygen; on average 2,640 eggs per kg of body weight, roughly 100,000 per female (Wikipedia). German Wikipedia gives June and July.

Blue catfishBottom fishing with cut bait in channels and below dams (Wikipedia on spillways, rule of thumb), Drifting natural baits over deep river stretches (rule of thumb), Anchoring on deep ledges, especially at night (German Wikipedia on feeding time, rule of thumb), Open-water fishing beneath feeding schools of striped bass in reservoirs (Wikipedia)

flathead catfishLive bait fishing at woody cover and undercut banks (Wikipedia on habitat, rule of thumb), Bottom fishing at night in pools below eddies (rule of thumb), Float rig with live bait over brush piles (rule of thumb), Slowly hopping a jig with a curly tail along the bottom (rule of thumb)

Blue catfishFresh cut bait (shad, herring), Whole bait fish, Mussel or clam meat, Sausage or stink bait (rule of thumb), Crayfish

flathead catfishLive sunfish (where legal), Live shad or minnow, Live small bullhead, where legal, Large curly tail grub on a jig head, Crayfish

Blue catfishA food fish, also farmed.

flathead catfishConsidered a good food fish by anglers.

Blue catfishIUCN: Least Concern (2012; FishBase). Licence, minimum size and limits are set by each state. Example Texas: channel and blue catfish combined 25 fish per day, only 10 of them 20 inches or longer, no minimum length; special rules may apply to some waters (TPWD, Bag and Length Limits, accessed 21 Oct 2026). In Virginia and Chesapeake Bay it is considered invasive (Wikipedia). Careful when unhooking: the pectoral and dorsal fins carry spines (rule of thumb).

flathead catfishIUCN: Least Concern (2012; FishBase). Licence, minimum size and limits are set by each state. Example Texas: 5 flathead catfish per day, minimum length 18 inches; special rules may apply to some waters (TPWD, Bag and Length Limits, accessed 21 Oct 2026). Whether and which live bait fish are allowed is set by each state: check before you fish. Outside its native range it is considered invasive in places (Wikipedia).