The best fishing periods for channel catfish are from dusk until midnight or when water levels are rising (i.e., after rains have washed food into the lake or stream). They are typically pursued by anglers using live, dead or cut bait, though anglers have long used all manner of bait presented on the bottom - cheese, shrimp, liver, spawn - or commercially prepared blood or scent baits. Fishing:įound nearly statewide, channel cats inhabit both lakes and streams. Two dorsal fins including one adipose fin, barbels (whisker-like sensory organ) around the mouth, slender body with speckled sides. Ictalurus punctatus - scientific name Identification:Ĭhannel cats, with its deeply forked tail, are the most popular of the catfish.
