# What is it?



## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

No hot spotting, ok? This is a cat that I caught at a private pond a few months ago and was again caught by someone else. I didn't have a camera when I caught him/her first. we've had many discussions on what type of cat this is, I've stubbornly insisted that it's a flat head because of the square tale. I've had folks that supposedly are in the know of cat identification and say it's a blue and a big channel. What's your opinion?

[attachment=1:33qnqquf]cat 3a.jpg[/attachment:33qnqquf]

[attachment=0:33qnqquf]cat 2a.jpg[/attachment:33qnqquf]


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

I'll say it's a big ole' bullhead.

Blues and Channels have a prominent fork in the tail.


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

Blue cats have a square anal fin. So not likely a blue. could just be an especially ugly channel cat. No a flat head, a flat head that long would have twice or three times the mouth that that does. Cool catch anyhow!


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I think it is a Channel Cat. It would be a state record Bullhead, assuming it was caught in Utah (and the private pond is accessible to the public).


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I think that only Channel and Bullhead Catfish are in Utah waters.
At least I have heard this before.


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

Being that I am from Oklahoma I am stumped. I am going to say that it has to be either a cross between a bull and a blue or a blue and a channel. Can't really tell but that is gonna be my best guess.


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

I'll tell you what it is.......UGLY!!!!


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

easy, keystone :lol:


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Dinner


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## MKP (Mar 7, 2010)

Ugly, I'm going with ugly...


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

Looks like a bullhead to me


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## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

I have caught some that looked like that when I was kid by the ogden airport.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

It is a very ugly channell cat Fred. I had a very long discussion with the northern region biologist when i caught that cat i thought was a flathead in the bear river. There has NEVER been anything with the name blue, flathead, or any of the 2 combined present in utah waters. How ya been anyhow? I have been busy catching little fish that aren't worth posting about.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Whoa!! 

Like Sawsman and RnF said, looks like a huge bullhead to me!!

Do you still have it? I would take it somewhere and have it ID'd.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

If it's a bullhead, it's a world record... **** thing weighs 14 pounds, measures 30"... sure looks like a bullhead though now that it's mentioned... just hard to believe they could get that big.


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## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

wyogoob,
No, it was released both times. It was 30" and weighed about 13-14# in a *very small pond*. You can rest assured, if I catch him again, I'll take some better pics. Still haven't got a explanation for the "square" tail????? Still hanging tough with some kind of cross bread or flat head.  He did have a very, very big mouth and head which you can't see in the pics. Can't see it being a bullhead for several reasons. Most importantly, this is a relatively new pond and there's no way a bullhead could have reached that size. Also. the owner has planted trout, bass and channels, ---- only, bought from Id.some years ago!!! Still think one of the plants contained a "flat head" or a cross breed by mistake. Just my opinion. Can I repeat, "Square tail" !!!!!!!!!! :? :? :? :? I mean square with absolutely no fork, and actually rounded at the extremities.!!!!! A channel with his tail worn down Hard to believe, but possible. 
Quote from the internet = the only catfish that has a sqare tail is a *FLAT Head*.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Doesn't look like a flathead to me.

I say world record black bullhead!!!

Did you catch it in a discharge pond at a nuclear power plant?


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Okay Leaky, obviously this is buggin' you really bad. I'm going camping there for tonight and tomorrow night... and I'm packing the catfish pole. I'll catch him, take a bunch of pics, and we'll find out once and for all. It's been 13 years since we stalked the pond, so those "small" cats that we put in could have had time to grow that big... especially considering the abundance of crawfish they had to eat at the time.


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## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

manysteps ,
Good luck. Didn't realize you knew the pond!!! Checking back to my e-mail. etc. I see your the Man!!!!  Again, good luck. If he's a flat head, remove him. Otherwise do what you want to include releasing him to be caught again, again, and again.  If anyone should know, you're the guy.  Honestly, what's your best guess?? :?


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## drJake (Oct 11, 2008)

brookieguy1 said:


> I'll tell you what it is.......UGLY!!!!


+1


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## blueboy22 (Sep 30, 2007)

Depends on where it was caught to know what it is, so where was it caught?
PS, Whats Hot spotting?


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Well folks, I just got off the phone with Many Steps. He nailed that fish one more time and took loads of pictures of it. We should be seeing something pretty soon and he made sure to take pics of some of the prominent markings before releasing it "again"!


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## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

Good, good, good. :!: :!: :!: :!: Also glad he released the big guy.   Can't wait for the pics! Hope this puts a name to this old bugger. :? What did he catch him on??? Hopefully this will put an end to my belaboring this big, ugly guy.
Any bass??


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

> What did he catch him on???


Leaky, I can't tell you that! I can tell you it is no secret bait. Ya just gotta know where to cast.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Here you go Leaky. (I hope this image link from Facebook works, otherwise I'll have to post the pic again.)

Clearly a forked tail on this cat, and I'm sticking to what I said originally to you. It's a blue.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Nope, didn't work, but this one should.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Man, this sure looks like a blue to me.

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/f ... fish/blue/

BLUE CATFISH

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ictalurus furcatus

CHARACTERISTICS: This pale blue catfish has a deeply forked tail and white chin barbels. The upper and lower jaws meet evenly, or the upper jaw may project slightly beyond the lower jaw. Distinguishing small blue catfish and channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, can be difficult, but the two species can usually be separated by anal fin shape and size. The anal fin on the blue catfish has 30 or more soft rays, and its free margin is straight. The anal fin on the channel catfish has 24 to 29 soft rays, and its free margin is rounded. In body color, the blue catfish is light blue, while the channel catfish is light yellow with small, scattered dark spots. See Cuvier and Valenciennes (1840) for the original description of blue catfish.


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## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

Hummmmm,
Me thinks we have more than one big guy in there. :shock: The one I caught clearly *didn't* have a forked tail, didn't have a mouth anything like the pic. 
The head and mouth was much,much bigger and not under slung :? :? :? :? So much the better. More than one big guy is enticing!!! I'll just have to go there again and catch "my guy" and take pics. That'll probably a while from now so, -----------------, until then,


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

OK, math wasn't my strongest subject and the count did exceed the number of fingers and toes I have, but I counted 26 anal fin rays. (And the anal fin is rounded)

From your own description;


Bears Butt said:


> The anal fin on the blue catfish has 30 or more soft rays, and its free margin is straight. The anal fin on the channel catfish has 24 to 29 soft rays, and its free margin is rounded.


It is well known that male channel cats turn quite "blue" right before the spawn and even after. Here is a current discussion on BFT about that.

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gf ... ead#unread

Sorry guys, looks to me like just another channel cat. Very nice one however. The other fish with the squarish tail probably sustained an injury to it at some point and likely also is a channel cat.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

I want to think it's a channel cat. That's what we planted in there 13 years ago... I have no idea how a blue could have gotten in.


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