Other fish, crustaceans, insects, mussels and other shellfish and plant matter make up the bulk of their diet. Just like their flexibility in habitat, they are much the same in diet. Counting the number of rays on the anal fin is the surest way. When blue catfish are this size, it’s often difficult to distinguish them from channel catfish. They are often even found in brackish waters, and anglers sometimes catch them mixed in with flounder, redfish and other saltwater species. Habitat varietyīlue cats are highly adaptable and live in almost any type of freshwater lakes, ponds, creeks, swamps and rivers are all good candidates to hold populations of blue cats. In some states, blue catfish have been blamed for diminishing populations of other catfish species, most notably channel catfish. Their fast growth rates, along with their tasty flesh, have made them popular across the country. At certain sizes, it takes counting these rays to distinguish a blue cat from a channel cat.Īlthough only native to the river basins mentioned earlier, blue catfish have been stocked in many states.
Their anal fins are straight-edged and have between 30 and 36 rays. Even in the same bodies of water, their colors of different fish can vary.īlue catfish have a distinct line running from their upper mouths to their dorsal fins. However, some blue catfish are much darker and some very light-colored. They are often slate blue on their backs, with the blue giving way to silver or gray on the sides, and white on their bellies. They have a set of four whiskers called barbels around their mouths.ĭespite the name, the color of a blue catfish varies widely, based on water quality. They have deeply forked tails, which makes them easily distinguished from flathead catfish.
Blue catfish are slender, smooth-skinned, scaleless fish.
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