Sharptooth catfish (barbel)

Long, eel-like catfish with a flat, bony, broad head, small eyes, four pairs of long whiskers (barbels), and very long dorsal and anal fins that run almost to the tail. Dark gray-olive to black on top, pale belly, often mottled. No dorsal spine.

3–20 lb.

About 5½ ft and about 130 lb (60 kg).

Almost anything: fish, frogs, crabs, insects, snails, birds, carrion and plant matter. Packs of barbel herd small fish in the shallows.

Tough and adaptable; it breathes air with an extra organ above the gills, survives in muddy, low-oxygen pools and can crawl short distances over wet ground. Feeds mostly at night.

Found from African Lakes & Rivers, Southern Africa, Gulf of Guinea & Central Africa, Morocco & West Africa, Turkey, Cyprus & the Eastern Mediterranean, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Pakistan, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam) and Indonesia (Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Sulawesi). Native across most of Africa (from the Nile to South Africa and west to Senegal) and into the Middle East (Israel, Syria, southern Turkey); farmed and released far outside its range, and invasive in parts of India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Brazil.

Native across most of Africa (from the Nile to South Africa and west to Senegal) and into the Middle East (Israel, Syria, southern Turkey); farmed and released far outside its range, and invasive in parts of India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Brazil.

1–30 ft; often in very shallow, muddy water.

On the bottom near weed beds, river mouths and drop-offs.

Year-round; best in the warm, rainy months when they move to spawn in flooded shallows.

Night, dusk and dawn.

No tide — rising water after rain triggers feeding and spawning runs.

Warm, overcast, rainy weather.

Chicken liver, fish heads, worms, dough or bread baits, crabs and frogs.

Spinnerbaits and big soft plastics will catch them during feeding runs; fly anglers sight-cast to 'barbel runs' with big streamers.

Medium-heavy 7–8 ft catfish or carp rod with a 4000–6000 reel.

3/0–6/0 circle or J hooks.

20–40 lb mono or 30–50 lb braid.

30–50 lb mono; their small teeth wear through light line.

Fish smelly bait on the bottom near weed beds, inflows and drop-offs, especially at night; leave the reel in free-spool or the drag loose so the fish can run before you set the hook.

Barbel 'packs' hunting small fish in the shallows make loud splashes at night — cast a streamer or a bait right into the commotion.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Popular food fish in Africa and Asia — skinned and fried, grilled or smoked. Fish from clean water taste best.

Sharp pectoral spines (front edge of the side fins) and rough teeth pads — grip behind the head and use a cloth. Watch for crocodiles in African waters.

No special limits in most of Africa, but you still need the local license. Where it is invasive (South Africa's Western Cape, India, Brazil and elsewhere) moving or releasing live barbel into other waters is illegal. Each African country sells its own fishing license, and national parks, game reserves and many lodges charge separate rod or park fees; some lakes and rivers have closed seasons or catch-and-release rules — check before you go.

Native in Africa, but where it's invasive keep or kill what you catch as local rules say — never move it to new waters.