However, some catfish, such as some species in the family Loricariidae, specialize on strange foods, such as wood and algae. Anglers or fishermen catch catfish with the help of baits having a strong odor, because these fish are most attracted to strong smells. Those are the bait to choose for catfishing at night as well. Some people eat these fish, and some practice catch and release. Blue catfish do eat blue crabs with some regularity, which is problematic because blue crabs represent the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay.

See also. With their high reproductive rate and swift growth, their numbers remain stable and the IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. Uh, do you mean blue catfish or channel catfish? Individuals larger than eight inches eat fish and large invertebrates. The fish can live to 20 years. Blue catfish is a newcomer to Washington stores and restaurants, it’s sustainably caught in the Chesapeake Bay, and it’s probably tastier than any catfish you’ve ever had. The Siluriformes order contains thousands of species of catfish across the globe. Filed Under: Catfish Bait Tagged With: blue catfish, catfish bait, catfish baits, Channel Catfish, flathead catfish About Chad Ferguson Chad Ferguson is a pro catfish guide with over fifteen years experience fishing professionally for catfish, outdoor writer, photographer and noted authority on catfish …

Although liver is readily taken by channel cats, they follow not the smell of possible food sources, but the taste.

Catfish can be identified by their whisker-like barbels, which they use to locate food in dark waters. Most species are omnivorous and consume a wide variety of foods -- typical catfish eat things like other fish, invertebrates, aquatic plants and fish eggs. This secret bait comes to me from a small corner of Arkansas and has proven to pull in large blue catfish averaging 35 pounds from the Sulphur River.This requires taking a 2.5-gallon bucket to the butcher (or slaughterhouse if there is one in your area) to fill with cow's blood. No soaking are any of that mess I fillet and freeze then when thawed out to eat I remove the red strip of meat and discard.

Blue catfish can be caught year-round in the state of Texas, but the month of February and the first few weeks of March can be one of the best times to target large fish.

It turns out that hefty blue catfish are wildly attracted to cows blood. “Catfish spend a lot more time grubbing around on the bottom.

Locating Catfish Remains Priority Before The Time of Day . What Bait Do Catfish Eat. And bigger catfish are more susceptible because they’ve been out there grubbing around a lot longer.” — Bobby Wilson. Their diet also changes as they age. Domestication. This particular species’ closest relatives include the blue catfish, headwater catfish, and more.. You can find this species throughout vast regions of North America. Popular methods for fishing include bait casting and bottom fishing.

Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), another very large North American catfish

This is in part to anglers trying to avoid the heat, but also because as with fishing in the day time, catfish, especially flatheads, can be predictable during the night as well.

The trick here is to lure adult catfish that have grown to a very large size.

Old school anglers have often said, “catfish will eat anything that does not eat them first”. I eat blue cats and love it as good if not better than channel IMO. That’s because unlike the farmed variety, which eat a diet of corn-and-soy feed, blue cats feed on medium-size fish like menhaden and white perch. The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 165 cm (65 in) and a weight of 68 kg (150 lb).The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm).

They do take live bait and I have caught several on artificial lures, spinner baits and worms to be exact. However, as an answer to the question, an adult catfish will eat bluegills.

Catfish smell the odor and cling to these baits.

As they grow, blue catfish eat different things, from small invertebrates to a larger variety of fish, worms, clams, small crustaceans, mussels, crabs, insects and even frogs, as they age.

Blue catfish eat what they can find and use the sensory tissues on their whiskers and skin to find food. Although invertebrates still comprise the major portion of the diet, blue catfish as small as four inches in length have been known to consume fish. Fun Fact: The sportfishing record is a specimen from Illinois that weighed 124 pounds. The size difference is the issue; catfish will attempt to eat any fish that is smaller and unfortunate to swim slower than the catfish. Dead fish or animals that have fallen in the water and drowned are the perfect food source for catfish. Does the Blue Catfish Make a Good Pet. We have found vegetation, various clams, mud crabs, birds, snakes, frogs, muskrats, fish, jellyfish, aquatic insects, mulberries, and even corn in catfish stomachs. Like channel catfish, the blue catfish pursues a varied diet, but it tends to eat fish earlier in life. Catfish will continue eating chicken liver, cheese bait, night crawlers, dip baits and stink bait at night.