RIVER FISH · Deep channels & big rivers
Blue catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
A large slate-blue catfish with a deeply forked tail that favors big-river channels, pools and reservoirs.
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Meet the fish
- Habitat
- Deep channels and pools in large rivers, often with substantial current; also reservoirs and some brackish tidal reaches.
- On the menu
- Fish, mussels, crustaceans and other animal prey, with diet changing as fish grow and move among habitats.
- Size context
- Agency material commonly describes adults around 36 inches and 20 pounds, with exceptional fish far larger.
- Range & local context
- Native to the Mississippi River basin and Gulf Slope drainages and introduced into multiple Atlantic-slope systems.
Living with the river
Water & habitat
Depth, current seams, channel structure and salinity can matter in tidal rivers. A gauge is useful context, not a map of where blue catfish are holding.
Seasonal life
Blue catfish move among channel, tributary and seasonal habitats as temperature, flow and prey distributions change.
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Before you go
Blue catfish are native in part of their range but invasive in some introduced Atlantic drainages, including Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Follow local management guidance.
Use the linked agencies and the relevant river guide for current regulations, closures and consumption advisories. A species profile is not a fishing license or a statement that harvest is allowed.
Editorial review: . Regional size examples are labeled; maximum lengths are not typical sizes.
More river fish
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