This information is taken directly from the In-Fisherman book, “Channel Catfish Fever”:
Catfish spawning may span a month or more, so the spawn doesn’t have the negative impact on angling it would have if all cats spawned at the same time. Also, channel cats bite almost anything near a spawning hole, so find a spawning area and you may find good fishing. Catfish are motivated to spawn by water temperatures of 75 degrees F or above. According to some studies, temperatures approaching 80 degrees F are ideal. Spawning may take place as early as May in the South and August in the North. The most common spawning month across the channel cat’s geographic range is June.
To begin the spawn, a male channel cat seeks a hole or pocket in a bank. The hole shold be secure, preferably with only one entrance big enough to admit the male and female. A small entrance not much larger than a fish’s body is ideal. Big fish spawn in big holes, small fish in small holes. First the male sweeps the hole clean and enlarges it. Eventually the male lures a female into the hole. The female ejects eggs in a sticky, cohesive clump and the male fertilizes them. The male is a good guardian. He is aggressive in his defense of the eggs. Anything stuck near him be be hit or bit.
How’s that for everything you wanted to know about a catfish’s love life. Study this information. There will be a test later.
Good luck catfishing.