Differences Between Channel & Blue Catfish

Channel Catfish Attributes

• Like all catfish, the channel catfish has whiskers near its mouth that help it locate food. Large specimens exceed 50 lbs. It has dark spots on its body, but in large channel catfish the spots may be obscured. The anal fin has 24 to 29 rays. Channel catfish coloring varies with their environment. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, "Coloration is olive-brown to slate-blue on the back and sides, shading to silvery-white on the belly."

Channel Catfish Behavior

• This species of catfish is omnivorous with a varied diet, except when they are about 4 inches long, when they feed primarily on insects. Adult catfish hunt worms, frogs and other fish. In contrast to the blue catfish, the channel catfish prefers calmer waters without strong currents. Favorite areas include rock ledges, undercut banks and beaver dams. Wild channel catfish are sexually mature in about 3 to 6 years, or by the time they are about 12 inches long.

Blue Catfish Attributes

• The blue catfish can reach much larger sizes than channel catfish, with large fish weighing in at over 100 lbs. This animal lacks the spots of the channel catfish. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, "The margin, or edge, of the anal fin can be used to identify these fish; blue cats have an anal fin with a very straight margin, in channel cats the anal fin has a rounded margin." Blue catfish have 30 to 35 rays on the anal fin, which is more than those of the channel catfish.

Blue Catfish Behavior

• While their diets are similar, the blue catfish feeds on other fish earlier in life than the channel catfish. Blue catfish will scavenge for dead organisms to supplement their diet. Large specimens may feed only on other fish. Blue catfish prefer larger waterways with swifter currents. Typically, they reach sexual maturity at about 24 inches in length. They usually move upstream in the summer and downstream in the winter.