THE CATFISH FAMILY
(_Siluridæ_)
The catfish family is represented by many species in the United States.
They have the body entirely naked, barbels about the mouth, and an
adipose fin, after the fashion of the fishes of the salmon family. They
vary greatly in size, from the little stone-cat of three inches to the
immense Mississippi-cat of nearly two hundred pounds. But one species
will be noticed.
_Ictalurus punctatus._ The Channel-catfish. Body elongate, slender,
compressed posteriorly; head 4; depth 5; eye large; D. I, 6; A. 25 to
30; head slender and conical; mouth small, upper jaw longest; barbels
long, the longest reaching considerably beyond the gill opening; humeral
process long and slender; caudal fin long and deeply forked.
THE CHANNEL-CATFISH
(_Ictalurus punctatus_)
The channel-cat was first described by Rafinesque, in 1820, from the
Ohio River. He named it _punctatus_, or "spotted," owing to the black
spots on its sides. It is also known as white-cat and blue-cat in
various parts of its range. It is found in rivers of the Great Lake
region and Mississippi Valley, and in the streams tributary to the Gulf
of Mexico.
[Illustration THE CHANNEL-CATFISH]
[_Ictalurus punctatus_]
[Illustration THE SHEEPSHEAD]
[_Archosargus probatocephalus_]
[Illustration THE CUNNER]
[_Tautogolabrus adspersus_]
It is the most trimly-built of all the catfishes, with a long, slender
body and small head. It is olivaceous or slate color above, sides pale
and silvery, with small, round, dark spots; belly white; fins usually
with dark edgings.
Unlike most of the catfishes the channel-cat is found only in clear or
swift streams, never in still, muddy situations. It is a clean,
wholesome fish, and feeds mostly on minnows and crawfish. It is a good
food-fish, the flesh being white and firm and of a rich flavor. It grows
to a weight of twenty pounds, occasionally, though usually to five or
six pounds.
The channel-cat is a very fine game-fish. It takes the live minnow
readily, also shedder crawfish, and will not refuse earthworms, cut
butcher meat or liver. When hooked it is second to no other fish of its
size as a bold, strong fighter beneath the surface. The angler who has
"tackled," in a literal sense, a channel-cat of five pounds, on a light
rod, can vouch for its gameness.
As it coexists with the black-bass in streams in the Mississippi Valley,
and is usually taken by the angler when angling for that fish, the rod,
reel, line, and hook recommended for the black-bass will be found
eminently serviceable for the channel-cat. It is fond of the deep pools
below mill-dams, and in the channels of streams off gravelly or rocky
shoals, and near shelving banks and rocks. The method of casting the
minnow for black-bass answers well for the channel-cat, though the casts
should not be so frequently made, and more time should be allowed for
the display of the minnow in mid-water.
Still-fishing with a small, live minnow for bait is the plan generally
followed; and as the bait should be left to its own devices for several
minutes at a time, a light float is sometimes useful for keeping it off
the bottom. When crawfish, cut-bait, or worms are used, the float must
always be employed for the same reason. The fish should be given several
seconds to gorge the bait, and then hooked by an upward, short, and
quick movement of the tip of the rod. When hooked it should feel
constantly the strain of the bent rod, and no more line given than is
actually necessary; otherwise the struggle will last a long time. No
half-hearted measures will answer for the channel-cat, which has a
wonderful amount of vitality. He must be subdued by the determined
opposition of a good rod and a strong arm.
There are a number of other catfishes that are taken by angling, but
none are worthy of the name of game-fishes, though as food they are
nearly all to be commended. There are two other species of channel-cats,
though neither is quite so good either as game-fishes or for food. They
are the blue-cat, also known as chuckle-head cat (_Ictalurus furcatus_),
which may be known by its more extensive anal fin, which has from thirty
to thirty-five rays, and its bluish silvery color, and with but few if
any spots. The other is the willow-cat, or eel-cat (_Ictalurus
anguilla_), of a pale yellowish or olivaceous color, without spots. Both
of these fishes are found in southern waters from Ohio to Louisiana. The
channel-cats are often called forked-tail cats, as they are the only
catfishes that have the caudal fin deeply forked.
I think no one appreciates the gameness of the channel-catfish, or has
such a just estimation of its toothsomeness, as the Kentucky darky. He
will sit all day long, a monument of patience, on a log or rock at the
edge of a "cat-hole" of the stream, with hickory pole, strong line and
hook, and a bottle cork for a float. He baits his hook with a piece of
liver or a shedder crawfish--"soft craw," he calls it, and only uses
minnows when the other baits fail. Apropos of this love for the
channel-cat may be related the true incident of the "cornfield" darky
who, while fishing for cats, had the luck to hook a fine black-bass,
which was landed after a "strenuous" struggle, to the envy of his
companions. After surveying it with evident admiration awhile, he
unhooked it, and with a profound sigh he deliberately threw it back into
the stream to the amazement and disgust of the others. "Good Lawd,
Jeff," exclaimed one, "w'at yo' done do dat fur? dat sholy wa' a good
bass; must a weighed more'n a couple o'poun's!" He surveyed the group
with supreme contempt for a moment before he replied, "W'en I go
a-cattin'. I go a-cattin'." What greater tribute to the channel-cat than
this!
On the other hand I was once fly-fishing on a black-bass stream in
Kentucky, with a friend from Ohio who was casting the minnow. Having
each made a good basket we were ready to quit, as the evening shadows
were lengthening and the air was becoming decidedly cool. I was taking
my rod apart, but my friend wanted to make "just one more cast," which
happened to be on an inviting-looking "cat-hole." As I was tying the
strings of my rod case I heard him exclaim joyfully. "I've got the boss
bass of the season!" Turning, I perceived him wildly dancing on the edge
of the pool, his rod bent to an alarming curve, and the strain on his
line evidently near the danger point. I watched in vain for the leap of
the bass, and then concluded he had business on hand for an uncertain
period, for I felt sure that he had hooked a channel-cat of considerable
avoirdupois. The fight was well sustained, and a gallant one on both
sides; but it seemed impossible for the light rod to bring the fish near
enough to slip the landing-net under it. Finally he backed away from the
stream, drawing the fish close to the shore, where I netted it--a
channel-cat of five pounds. When my friend saw what it was, he was the
most disappointed and disgusted man in Kentucky. "Great Scott!" he
yelled. "I nearly ruined my rod for a confounded catfish."--"Well," said
I, "you had your fun; he put up a good fight; what more do you
want?"--"Want! want!" he angrily cried, "I want to stamp the life out of
the horrid brute; and I'll do it, too!" But I unhooked the fish and
strung it on a willow branch. I had it stuffed and baked for our dinner
next day, when he acknowledged that it was the best fish he ever ate,
and was entirely consoled for the strain to his rod, to say nothing of
his temper, and ever after had a better opinion of the channel-cat.
[Illustration FISHING FOR CUNNERS]