Catfish help – are these the same type of catfish

This is the 2nd year in a row that we caught a catfish on a lake that is not known to have many catfish in it. Last year it was me and this year it was my fishing partner. Both of us thought we had a state record bass for awhile. Both fish put up a great fight on 8lb. Test line on a medium light action rod. The one today had some really cool markings. Are both of these catfish the same kind?

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I assume they are both channel cats but I’m not sure. The one today ( one with funny markings ) looked different to me. The head seemed much larger. I believe the one last year was about 34” and the one this year was about 31”

They look like really nice channel catfish, lower margin of anal fin is more rounded than straight.

Buffalo Fishhead

They look to me like channel cats. The one with the black paint spilt on it, is that the one you’re referring to with “some really cool markings”?

I’m not really a catman, but the other one is a really nice channel.

All channel cats. The darker fish is likely a male while the other looks like a female.

Yup, both 100% channel cats. Dandies, too!

All channel cats. Nice fish.

How big do channel cats get? These were both from a lake. My fishing buddy has fished this lake for like 20 years and these are the only 2 that he’s seen caught. Caught mixed right in with bass. The one today rushed towards the surface like a bass as the start. That is why we truly thought it was a bass for awhile. After 3-4 minutes we kind of figured it was another cat. Funny thing is my fishing buddy for all the 1000’s of bass, Walleyes, and BIG pike he’s caught still will not handle or even touch a cat. If I’m not with him he just gets them close and then cuts his line or grabs the hook with a pliers and shakes them off – Big baby !!!

we’ve gotten channels up in the 20# range.

fishthumper wrote:

Funny thing is my fishing buddy for all the 1000’s of bass, Walleyes, and BIG pike he’s caught still will not handle or even touch a cat. If I’m not with him he just gets them close and then cuts his line or grabs the hook with a pliers and shakes them off – Big baby !!!

I have no problem grabbing a big catfish, except maybe that one with all the black paint on it. Anyone else happen to notice, or have ever seen that before? @beachbrian?

Trying to grab a bullhead flopping around your feet in the dark can also become a regretful experience.

riverruns wrote:

we’ve gotten channels up in the 20# range.

The bigger one last year I’d guess was getting up there in upper teens in not pushing 20 I’d think

Definitely all channel cats and very nice ones too. Channel cat ranges are expanding quickly throughout the State. Not sure where you were at, but based on your location (Sartell) I bet the cats got in there through the Sauk river system.

That second one looks like a tar-baby.

I caught one with the same sort of markings on it on Saturday. I was told it’s a pigment issue with their skin and not a sort of fungus or anything.

fishthumper wrote:

then cuts his line or grabs the hook with a pliers and shakes them off

And this is the reason I always use a net. Too many rusted break off hooks out there!

The Red River’s average channel is 18 pounds. Twenty’s are no big deal up there. On P4 anything in the teen’s is a trophy. The largest channel I’ve had in my boat on the ‘missi was 22 pounds.

Those are some healthy fish! With all that excitement in bringing them in, it makes a person wonder whey folks go back to fishing bass.

Most areas in MN the channels are spawning or getting ready to spawn. The males get darker and will look like a different species of fish. However the last photo is sure different. I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.

But look at the smiles on the anglers faces!

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Those are some healthy fish! With all that excitement in bringing them in, it makes a person wonder whey folks go back to fishing bass.

But look at the smiles on the anglers faces!

Brian – I sure understand why people like catching and fighting those cats and I’ll take the enjoyment when they show up – But I have no problem returning to my bass fishing once they are released. My ADHD would not allow me to show down to the pace needed to fish those cats all the time. Plus all the Cat fishermen I know of drink bad beer and eat yucky spam !!!

fishthumper wrote:

… drink bad beer and eat yucky spam !!! <

That’d be a good country song.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
then cuts his line or grabs the hook with a pliers and shakes them off

And this is the reason I always use a net. Too many rusted break off hooks out there!

The Red River’s average channel is 18 pounds. Twenty’s are no big deal up there. On P4 anything in the teen’s is a trophy. The largest channel I’ve had in my boat on the ‘missi was 22 pounds.

Those are some healthy fish! With all that excitement in bringing them in, it makes a person wonder whey folks go back to fishing bass.

Most areas in MN the channels are spawning or getting ready to spawn. The males get darker and will look like a different species of fish. However the last photo is sure different. I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.

But look at the smiles on the anglers faces!

There are quite a few 18 lb. channel cats caught in the Red River, but the average size channel cat weighs far less than 18 lbs..

Karry Kyllo wrote:

There are quite a few 18 lb. channel cats caught in the Red River, but the average size channel cat weighs far less than 18 lbs..

Depends which section of the river you are on.

It’s absolutely 18lb average if you go far enough North. I have the hundreds of data points to prove it.

That may be in Canada towards the mouth of the Red at certain times of the year but on the MN/ND stretch I have over a thousand data points that I collected for years that say otherwise. There are many more smaller catfish than 18 lb. catfish in the population.

I have wondered about growth/size of lake catfish. The ones in Lake Mendota by Madsion WI can get huge. If they aren’t always fighting current and burning up calories, I bet the can grow pretty dang fast.

dfresh wrote:

The ones in Lake Mendota by Madsion WI can get huge.

Curious dfresh, have you fished there?

Not too many here even know Lake Mendota exists.

Since I’m in a story telling mood tonight, here goes…

Our family moved there in 1976, to a home on the lake on the west side near Middleton.

Back then it was touted as a great jumbo perch fishery as well as abundant white bass.

That first summer my dad and I spent many evenings out there perch searching. We went out where all the boats were, had to…no GPS or even a locator for us back then.

Not sure we ever caught a perch, and all throughout that summer fishing different areas, we were lucky to catch an occasional white bass or small northern.

Not long after that, my interests turned to girlfriends as I was “arriving” in my late teens. Fishing got put on the shelf for some years thereafter.

We moved to another home, girlfriends became wives and then the kids showed up.

Some years later, I took my young daughter back out on Mendota for a day of fishing. There were walleyes and big pike in there by then and fishing was much improved. White bass were back and it was fun to come across a big school of them.

We never thought much at all about catfish there, nor did we hear much about them either.

Is Mendota considered a big catfish destination these days?

Is Mendota considered a big catfish destination these days?

Personally I’ve never been on this lake. I also would never answer a question like this on a public forum.

riverruns wrote:

I also would never answer a question like this on a public forum.

Under most any other circumstance I’d agree with you.

But having lived there, I can guarantee 99% of any/all visitor’s to Madison Wisconsin will not be there for catfishing.

In fact Madison is like the antithesis of a fishing destination.

I’m familiar with the north arm where those big cats might be, and there weren’t anything going on other than the cruisers heading out to party spots.

But yes, I suppose. Any secrets there may be best left alone.

The Yahara Chain of lakes (Mendota, Monona, etc) is definitely not a secret and probably one of the best trophy Channel Cat destinations in the US.

and yes the 18lb average is the famed extreme lower section of the Red in Canada.

3Rivers wrote:

The Yahara Chain of lakes (Mendota, Monona, etc) is definitely not a secret and probably one of the best trophy Channel Cat destinations in the US.

Oh sure, how quickly I do forget.

The secret was dashed when James and PJ and IDO TV put it all out there.

Guess this is another reason to visit Madison other than Badger football gameday.

Enjoy…

jwellsy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
… drink bad beer and eat yucky spam !!! <

That’d be a good country song.

LOL! ^ Totally…just need to add about the day my daddy went to prison and a train.

Yes I was referring to the Lockport area of the Red.

We had a member on here that fished Mendota for cats frequently. In fact, we were planning on having a small get together over there but my m-inlaw went to the hospital and I needed to be here.

Back to the Red around lockport. I recall Dirk going up there for a few days and coming back early reporting 60 fish days. Came home a day early because his back/arms hurt.

Smiling in the pain all the way!

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>riverruns wrote:</div>
I also would never answer a question like this on a public forum.

Under most any other circumstance I’d agree with you.

But having lived there, I can guarantee 99% of any/all visitor’s to Madison Wisconsin will not be there for catfishing.

In fact Madison is like the antithesis of a fishing destination.

I’m familiar with the north arm where those big cats might be, and there weren’t anything going on other than the cruisers heading out to party spots.

But yes, I suppose. Any secrets there may be best left alone.

Mendota?Secretive?Never would have thought that.Even before the days of internet forums,once word got out it was mobbed.Ice fishing was the worst,nothing to see crowds of over 500 in many areas.And this would go back to the 70s.One”secret”was that the schools of perch would suspend over deep water,and most guys would just send rigs to the bottom and miss those more active fish.
Most of the die-hard panfish folks would like to see those catfish mostly gone.

Mendota was noted for almost everything trophy,especially those big bluegills.

milemark_714 wrote:

One”secret”was that the schools of perch would suspend over deep water,and most guys would just send rigs to the bottom and miss those more active fish.

Ah…that explains why dad and I never caught any perch.

I guess I don’t remember the masses out ice fishing Mendota, seemed like a lot of years the ice was too sketchy to get out very far unless you had an ATV with the required floatation.

Monona Bay just off John Nolen Drive I know is where the crowded ice fishing villages would set up.

It always amazed me with the amount of pressure how that fishery could still put out such quality panfish.

I remember setting up an Aqua-Vue near the causeway bridge and was amazed at the size and diversity of fish travelling through that channel. Big bass, northerns, big muskie’s and scores of big bluegill and crappie.

Anyway, good discussion about fishing.

See…not all topics here are political.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dfresh wrote:</div>
The ones in Lake Mendota by Madsion WI can get huge.

Curious dfresh, have you fished there?

Is Mendota considered a big catfish destination these days?

I have not, but like BK said, a member here used to post pics some years ago, and they were monsters.