# Fish ID



## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

I have caught a catfish with the body of a one pounder and the head of a five pounder. Im fishing on Gantt Lake.I will post pics tomorrow.I guess he is just deformed


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## firespan1 (Sep 7, 2011)

Not deformed, its a white catfish,caught several of them myself. I called the fisheries biologist and talked with him.They were not aware of their existance in the conecuh waters but identified it as such.Also caught 3 or 4 very strange catfish from conecuh river that were not blue cats or channel cats, but something like a mix between the two.Anal fin not rounded like a channel or straight like a blue cat---a mix of the two.No hump on the back like a blue,but this fish is a beautiful gun metal blue.Tail is more rounded than a channel or blue and the flesh is much whiter and and softer than a channel ---more like a blue cats flesh.I have fished the conecuh river for 35 years and never seen anything like it untill the last couple of years.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

firespan1 said:


> Not deformed, its a white catfish,caught several of them myself. I called the fisheries biologist and talked with him.They were not aware of their existance in the conecuh waters but identified it as such.Also caught 3 or 4 very strange catfish from conecuh river that were not blue cats or channel cats, but something like a mix between the two.Anal fin not rounded like a channel or straight like a blue cat---a mix of the two.No hump on the back like a blue,but this fish is a beautiful gun metal blue.Tail is more rounded than a channel or blue and the flesh is much whiter and and softer than a channel ---more like a blue cats flesh.I have fished the conecuh river for 35 years and never seen anything like it untill the last couple of years.


They are Blue+channel hybrids and for some reason are starting to show up in the yellow river as well, heres a picture of my girl friend with one from the yellow river. They are the same catfish that Steve stocks in his catfish ponds


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## firespan1 (Sep 7, 2011)

Pretty darn close. I am sure that there are variations as the ones I caught had more rounded tails,but I was pretty sure it was a hybrid.I talked with the biologist and since I didnt have a carcass to show him, he pretty much dismissed it.He said that the two species did not usually spawn together or hybridize in nature.Come to think of it I have never caught one in the alabama river and its full of both blues and channels.I wonder if they are being introduced by someone?P.S. I can tell you they prefer live bream and small catfish.Oh, and for some strange reason we do not have a viable population of blue cats up this way on the conecuh,they seem to stop somewhere north of Brewton.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

There is not enough shad on ol Escambia for blues, we have a decent amount on the lower end due to the mullet and menhaden migrations but they are still slim pickings.


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

Back in the early 90's the patsilaga and conecuh flooded real bad and alot of pond damns busted up around Brantley and Glenwood. You got a whole pile of pond catfish in the conecuh back then. There's actually several different versions of blue cat's on the Alabama river as well as the smaller rivers. The fish you caught up on gantt is actually a white catfish,. They are pretty common on Lake Eufaula. Not much different than a lighter colored pollywog.


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

I read somewhere that flatheads and channels can reproduce. Never seen it though


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

skiff89_jr said:


> I read somewhere that flatheads and channels can reproduce. Never seen it though


That would actually be impossible since the flathead catfish is of a different genius then the bluecat and channel cat, I remember the thread you are talking about from united states catfish association 

_Channel Catfish_ (*Ictalurus*punctatus)
The two can cross bread because of the same genesis 
_Blue Catfish_ (*Ictalurus* furcatus)

The Flathead is in a family of its own
_Flathead Catfish_ (*Pylodictis* olivaris)

*Catfish Hybridization *




Just like in the sunfish world bluegills and redears will cross bread from time to time also with some other sunfish but they cant cross bread will crappie

Bluegill (*Lepomis *macrochirus)
_  Redear Sunfish_ (*Lepomis *microlophus)


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah that's where i read it at. I've not been impressed with anything on those forums.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

skiff89_jr said:


> Yeah that's where i read it at. I've not been impressed with anything on those forums.


yea they tend to get up set if any one keeps a flathead or bluecat, like there some kinda endangered specie


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah most of them are yankees


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