Inhabiting deep pools, lakes, and large, slow-moving rivers, the flathead catfish is popular among anglers; its flesh is widely regarded as the tastiest of the catfishes. It is a voracious carnivore and feeds primarily on fishes, insects, annelid worms, and crustaceans. They get huge and in the world of catching whiskers, they are picky eaters. Bottom fishing with some form of natural or prepared bait is widely practiced, although live baits are very popular, especially for larger specimens. Jonathan Pierce reeled the monstrous flathe… Flathead Catfish or Pylodictis Olivaris. A fully developed flathead catfish on an average grow up to the length of 155 cm and can weigh up to nearly 55-60 kilograms. As Brandon said, you need a pole that can handle the fight. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. What a fun day of kayak catfishing this trip was. Seasonal Movement Patterns, Habitat Use, and Home Range of Flathead Catfish in the Lower St. Joseph River. At night they may move shallower and feed at different levels. Possession limits on takes: possession limit 5 ; not included in the combined possession limit for other flathead species. Compared to other popular game fish species such as bass, crappie or bream, flathead catfish are enormous. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, this fish prefers to live in large freshwater rivers and basins. Overall, catfish are some of the most abundant species of fish in the world. Widely dispersed through natural range and transplanting, flatheads are fairly quick-growing. Flathead catfish prefer to live in deep and cloudy water without any current. Jetzt bestellen! Channel catfish hold the lead there. (2011). Their locale often has a hard bottom and there may also be driftwood or timber in it. Flatheads aren’t the most numerous. They don’t get as big as the blue or flathead catfish. There have been blues over 250 lbs. The range extends as far north as Canada, as far west as Texas, and south to the Gulf of Mexico including northeastern Mexico. It was caught in the Elk City Reservoir near Independence, Kansas. On a good day, you might land a dozen or more when fishing prime waters during prime times, and the biggest of those will provide enough rod-bending action to keep … Catfish normally vary in size with smallest species ranging from 4-5 centimeters in length while the largest and the heaviest of catfish species extending to 4.5 meters or 15 feet in length and weighing about 300 kilograms. Blue Catfish. Young flathead catfish are also cannibalistic, which has largely precluded their presence in aquaculture. Amazon.de/Fashion: Kostenlose Lieferung und Rückgabe. Relevanz. They look almost exactly like flatheads except for the fins, which grow like a tadpole. But if you’re like most catfish fans and are more interested in catching a mess of catfish to keep and eat, I suggest you focus your attention on smaller flatheads, up to 10 pounds, which are much more common and easy to catch. [6], The native range of the flathead catfish includes a broad area west of the Appalachian Mountains encompassing large rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio basins. The Bream Species: Sunfish, Bluegills, Shellcracker, Warmouth and More. They range from Canada down to Mexico. The best for flatheads hold at least 200 yards of the line size you intend to use. This species is primarily found in large bodies of water, especially reservoirs and their tributaries, and big rivers and their tributaries. In this video, I hit the Tennessee River in search of some trophy size flathead catfish. However, a record from 1982, caught by "other methods", shows that the flathead catfish would be North Americas longest species of catfish, after a specimen pulled from the Arkansas River measured 175 cm (69 in.) Flatheads are popular with catfish anglers in large lakes and rivers and provide a strong and stubborn deep-digging fight. Individuals above 250 mm (9.8 in) in length feed almost exclusively on other fishes.[9]. The males, which also build the nests, fiercely and tirelessly defend and fan the clutch. By using LiveAbout, you accept our, Facts About the Life and Behavior of Yellow Perch, Facts About the Life and Behavior of Nile Perch, An Intro to Catfish and Bullheads and Their Record Weights, Facts About 6 of the Most Common and Popular Sunfish Species. Aside from its flat head, this fish looks like any other catfish. Flathead Catfish growth differed among sampling years, especially for the years 2007 and 2014, which had the largest sample sizes. A Pennsylvania angler, using a trout head for bait, caught a 56.3-pound flathead catfish last Sunday night to set a pending state record for the species. The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. These fish have a habit of being particularly selective in the foods that they consume. There are three main types of catfish: the channel catfish, the blue catfish, and the flathead catfish. LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. But … In rivers, they prefer deep pools where the water is slow, and depressions or holes, such as those that exist in eddies and adjacent to bridge pilings. [citation needed] The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998, from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg). The flathead catfish is very large in size compared to other catfish in South Carolina. As the name suggests, they have flat heads. The closest living relative of the flathead catfish is the much smaller widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus. Although not exclusively nocturnal, flatheads are more active at night and may spend the day inactive in deep water or under cover. Its size also makes the flathead catfish an effective subject of public aquaria. The male creates the bed for the female to lay her eggs and will ferociously protect the bed from anything that comes near. A common and large-growing species, the flathead (Pylodictus olivaris) is one of the ugliest members of the freshwater catfish clan, but also one that is regularly caught in larger sizes and which provides a good struggle on hook and line. They exist in snag-filled environs size range: common length — 130cm backlashes! Was last edited on 18 November 2020, at 16:27 ; Maximum length — 50cm ; Maximum length 130cm... 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