Anyone kept a Channel Catfish?

Most states have laws restricting the transportation of live fish as well as the release of specimens OTHER than those caught and released immediately.

According the the ND webpage (http://www.state.nd.us/gnf/licenses/fishguide-2002.html#jj #10), stocking would be illegal, while transportation might be legal, as long as the fish was legally captured.

In WY, it doesn't matter. Fish stores can not legally sell the fish without a commercial hatchery license (which requires that the source of the fish be documented and tested prior to stocking the fish in our waters). The only legal way to have a channel cat in your aquarium is to purchase it from an authorized vendor and obtain the required permits.

Not saying the don't get sold illegally--the local LFS recently turned down 2 cats that were 24" + from some woman who figured she would just go dump them in a pond somewhere instead.
 
blues and channels are different species. here's a good link that even has a comparison chart of the two in addition to a couple of other species.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/species/catfish.htm

there's an LFS here that currently has two very large ones for sale, but it best to check your state regulations first on info for native species. not that i condone any illegal activity, but i dont see why any CO or DNR official would give anybody a hard time over transporting a channel cat. but then again, ya never know.......
 
:rolleyes: oh dear, just read in my fishing encyclopedia, and there seems to be 6 catfish, all varieties of channel cats. But i aint sure if this book is correct as its a fishing book not a fish book.
  1. Common Channel Catfish Ictaurus punctatus 60lb
  2. Flatehead Catfish pylodictis olivaris 100lb
  3. Wels silurus glanis 700lb+
  4. White catfish ameiurus catus 17lb
  5. Tandan Tandanus tandanus 13lb
  6. Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus 100lb

Catfish I thought it was
 
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If it is a fishing book....it is a "fish" book. They do not have separate scientific names in fishing books. They use the same as aquarists use......and probably many of the same common names. Many of the common names we use probably come from the people that catch or provide those fish actually! :)
 
With common names, there really is no correct and in correct. If people started calling Metrialima zebras, little nasty firecrackers with stripes... then that would be their new common name. haha im just kidding. But this is sort of like "Electic Yellows" "Yellow Labs" etc. Multiple names for the same fish. This is why scientific names are so much better to us.

In this case those catfish, some are from different families.

When we go fishing, we just call whatever catfish we pull up a channel cat! haha, but in reality only Ictalurus punctatus is. They are from the family Ictaluridae according to my literature, which contains Channels, Blues, Flatheads and Bullheads.

They are all from North America.

That other monster fish, it seems to come from Europe. Maybe they call it a channel cat there. Who knows.

For all our fish keeping purposes it is only safe to say there is one channel cat! :cool:

In maryland we get them in stores all the time. Albino ones too. The water in tropical tanks is probaly too warm for them and they reason I don't see big ones outside of Outdoor World in the local mall.
 
Originally posted by Hypancistrus-zebra
:D k

i heard the bullhead is one hell of a fighter, not too easy to catch tho?
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sorry...the BULLHEAD is the easiest fish to catch in the world, it is a pain in the ASS when you are trying to fish

the *******s will bite ANYTHING regardless of whether or not you have bait

my friends and I go to the river to catch them just for fun, you can LITERALLY catch 1 per minute of fishing


I'm not flaming, I just thought it was funny that you suggested bullheads were hard to catch

haha

if you want a bullhead, it will get to be about 12" IF it gets huge and they are kind of fun to catch and no one would really give a sh|t if you took a bullhead as they are desireabole to catch, however I think it woudln't be that bad to have in an aquarium, especially since it would eat anything that moves
 
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