The best locations for catching catfish occur all over the state of Florida.

By Bob Wattendorf:Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Monster blue catfish was caught Monday in the Choctawhatchee.

By JIM SUTTON, The Times-Union
What’s 53-1/2 inches long, nearly 3 feet in circumference and weighs more than 60 pounds?

It could be a water heater or a world-record watermelon, but for a Panhandle angler this week, it was a state-record catfish.

James Mitchell was fishing the Choctawhatchee River on Monday when he hung a giant specimen of a blue catfish. The 64-pound, 8-ounce fish was weighed by state biologists who confirmed it as the biggest blue cat ever caught on hook and line in Florida.

Mitchell spoke by phone from his home in Caryville. The town is located about midway between Panama City and Dothan, Ala., and just west of Cypress Slough. The official 2000 census said its populated is 218. A more recent count in 2007 puts it at 232.

So fishing the local river might be a leading recreational outlet in Caryville. At least it is for Mitchell, who fishes it “pretty regular.”

He says that the river is “way down right now” which is both good and bad news. It’s bad because it’s hard to get into the Choctawhatchee or to navigate it without a small boat – which Mitchell has. The upside of the low water is that, with so much of the river nearly dry, the catfish all seek refuge in the holes where he’s finding them “pretty easy.”

A week before the big record fish, he’d caught one over 40. But that was a channel cat. A couple of days after, he brought up another over 40 pounds.

Details on the battle are sketchy. Mitchell told The Times-Union that he fought the fish for nearly 10 minutes. It was caught on a “big old live bream” and 50-pound test line. A subsequent release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the fight was over in a minute. But who’s counting?

Mitchell says he knew it was a big fish right off the bat. The FWC says it took Mitchell, his son and grandson to bring the fish on board.

The blue catfish isn’t an indigenous species to Florida. Their range is the Mississippi River. No one knows how or when they ended up in Florida. The blue cat is often mistaken for a channel cat, but lacks the mottled – or spotted – flanks of the channel cat.

Normally these fishing stories end in a gallon of peanut oil and beside a stack of hush puppies. But for now, Mitchell’s catfish remains on ice in a cooler at his place. He says his brother, Dewey, said it could be worth something.

“I might sell him,” Mitchell said.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)

BY BOB WATTENDORF: Marketing and Special Projects Coordinator and Webmaster for Freshwater Fisheries Management in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The living is easy in Florida this summer, and the catfish are abundant in the state’s fresh waters.

Anglers from throughout the United States and countries around the world flock to Florida for the many freshwater species that are available.

Top largemouth bass and bream destinations remain plenty hot, but the heat changes the fishing patterns. So, fish for bass early or late in the day, look for structures in deep water and check out areas that have shading such as around piers or under overhanging trees. Topwater lures on a moonlit night, especially with a little noise or scent thrown in, create some alternative action to attract the bucketmouths.

But most of all this summer, consider the variety of catfish species and the best places to catch this often misjudged fish in Florida to increase your chances for coming home with a stringer full of fish.

Channel cats (Florida’s record 44.5 pounds) with their deeply forked tails, whiskered faces and spotted sides are the most common of our catfish and found everywhere except the Keys, in rivers, ponds or lakes that are often stocked by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Channel catfish typically school where the bottom drops off sharply to deeper water. They usually do not hide within vegetation but can be found outside on the deepwater side of weed beds. Stink baits fished on the bottom are popular for channels.

White catfish (Florida’s record 18.9 pounds) share some similarities. However, the tail isn’t as deeply forked and the lobes of the tail fin are more rounded. White catfish prefer live bait, such as a minnow or worm.

Blue catfish (Florida’s record 61.5 pounds) are bigger than either channels or whites. Not only does their coloring distinguish them, but also the long flat anal fin on their belly and hump in front of the back fin give them a distinct look. Blues are river fish found in Northwest Florida and among the strongest of our freshwater fishes. Typically, they are taken with cut or live fish baits by using heavy sinkers and bottom rigs.

Flathead catfish (Florida’s record 49.4 pounds), like blues, are not native to Florida. As a result, intense harvest of them is encouraged. It is important that they not be moved and live released into other waters. They are solitary fish that are more difficult to catch than the others but are taken with similar equipment to blues.

Bullheads are the smallest of the targeted catfish and have more squared-off tails that are not as deeply forked, and with a heavier skull than other catfish, which is the source of their common name. The yellow bullhead’s barbels (whiskers) are pale; on brown bullhead, the barbels are dark. Bullheads aren’t the toughest fish to catch and are caught generally at night on doughballs, or on worms or crickets during daylight hours. They are very frequently taken for food, and there is no bag limit on them.

Catfish angling shines during the warmer months, but these fish can be caught year-round. While fishing can be good throughout the day, catfish are usually most active in the morning and evening. Fishing at night can reward anglers with outstanding fishing. Fish on the bottom using a wide variety of baits, from chicken livers to commercial stink baits, to catch most catfish. Catfish can also be caught on live baits such as small shiners and minnows fished near the bottom. Catfish in lakes and ponds that have been enhanced with automatic fish feeders concentrate near these feeders and can be caught on small pieces of dog food, bread and hot dogs.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com