Channel catfish
Also called channel cat, channel catfish
The most widespread catfish in North America and the one most bank anglers catch. It takes prepared baits readily, unlike flatheads.
Channel cats are in almost every river, reservoir and decent-sized pond across the continent, they are stocked widely, and they will eat nearly anything. That combination makes them the catfish a beginner actually encounters, and one of the easiest large fish to catch from a bank.
They feed by scent as much as by sight, and the whole prepared-bait category exists for them because of it. Dip bait, punch bait, cut shad, chicken liver and nightcrawlers all work. Flathead catfish, by contrast, largely want live fish, and blue catfish sit between the two and grow much larger.
Most are one to five pounds, which is a genuinely good fight on a medium rod. Fish over ten pounds turn up regularly in rivers.
They feed hardest after dark and after rain, and they concentrate in current: below dams, at the head of holes, and around any inflow pushing food in.
Fish a slip rig with a circle hook on the bottom near current, and leave it alone. Constant recasting is the main thing that stops people catching them.
Common questions
What is the best bait for channel catfish?
Prepared dip or punch bait, cut shad, chicken liver and nightcrawlers all work, because channel cats hunt largely by scent. Live fish is the better bait for flatheads, not channels.
Related terms
Where this comes up
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Channel catfish is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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