Details On The World Record Channel Catfish

The channel catfish is very popular and the most frequently sought after of the catfish species. They are also more abundant and easier to find than some of the others such as the blue cat or the flathead.

You can find the channel catfish all through the United States in all types of water such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers and ponds. They tend to prefer clearer water than some of the other catfish and they can be found around sandbars and grassy areas.

Of course, they are bottom feeders so they will always be on the bottom of the body of water in which you are fishing.

The catfish eat a variety of different foods and are notorious for their keen sense of smell. That's why using stink baits are so popular among experienced anglers. They know the stronger the smell the more channel catfish will swim over to investigate.

Stink baits are made from a number of different ingredients such as dough, meat, garlic, crawfish, baitfish and cheese. There are many different homemade recipes available that can be very effective. Many anglers have even caught channel catfish using Ivory soap.

Shad, nightcrawlers, minnows, frogs, crickets and bullhead are among the channel catfish's favorite natural food. They will also eat shrimp and chicken livers. Using any of these will draw them in your direction. When fishing for channel catfish you need to get your bait as close to the bottom as possible because this is where they will be.

This species is considered a scavenger fish so they will eat almost anything that is an easy meal. However, using some of the options listed above will increase your odds of reeling in a nice catch.

The World Record Channel Catfish Information

The world record for the largest channel catfish has been held by the same person for many years. When fishing for the channel cat most anglers will agree that any catch weighing over ten pounds is very good.

If you are lucky enough to catch one in the twenty pound range you should be very excited. One this big is something to brag about because it's so unusual to find one this big.

Considering the fact that a twenty pound channel cat is rare, you can see why the world record has stood for so long.

In the year 1964 the world record for the channel catfish was caught in Lake Marion located in South Carolina. This giant catfish weighted 58 pounds! Can you imagine how excited that angler must have been and how proud he was after reeling in that monster!

To give you a better idea of just how spectacular this catch was the average channel catfish that you will see when fishing will weigh between two and four pounds. That's a long way from fifty-eight.

Tips for Catching Channel Cats

The channel catfish continues to be one of the favorite species of fish for a large number of anglers. Many anglers like to fish for them because they put up such a challenge. They are very aggressive and will put up one heck of a fight making catching them a thrill.

Some anglers are after that trophy fish and others are trying to reel in a new world record but there is another reason this species is so popular.