The FOD for tonight will have to be a quick one - too much of the real world intruding right now. The flathead, Pylodictis olivaris, is one of the largest of the North American catfish in the Family Ictaluridae. Their only competition would be the blue cat, Ictalurus furcatus, and it would be a pretty tight finish, as flatheads have been known to reach 1.5 meters in length and 120 pounds. Their broad, flat head makes them easy to recognize. Flatheads are usually big water fish, most common in large lakes and rivers, although we've pulled a few out of some of our smaller local streams. Like most catfish, they're largely benthic in their feeding. Unlike many of the ictalurids, they seem to prefer their prey alive, and feed heavily on small fish. Flatheads go by an assortment of other names - locally, yellow cat seems to be the preferred moniker.Flatheads are the primary quarry of catfish grabblers across the South, which means this post would't be complete without a Girls Gone Grabblin' video...
Daniel Hall, if you're out there... you owe me a trip.
what is a "mud cat" and generally how big are they?
ReplyDeleteLocal names probably vary, but in the American South the term mud cat usually refers to a catfish in the genus Ameirus, commonly known as bullheads. You can tell them from the channel and blue catfish (in the genus Ictalurus), because the bullheads have a somewhat rounded tail fin while the ictalurids tail fin is forked. They don't get nearly as large as the flathead discussed here (a 2-3 pound bullhead is a big one), but they might be confused with a young flathead. Flatheads, of course, have a flat head, and a protruding lower jaw.
ReplyDeleteBullheads might reach as much as 5-6 pounds, but that would be one to write home about. A pound is more common.
I'll eventually be writing about the madtoms, too. They're much smaller, usually a few inches.