White catfish

Stocky catfish with a wide head, white to pale-yellow chin whiskers, a gray-blue to olive back, a white belly and a moderately forked tail (less forked than a channel cat, with no spots).

1–3 lb.

About 2 ft and close to 20 lb.

Fish, crayfish, insects, worms and plants.

Feeds on the bottom in slow rivers, tidal creeks and lakes, mostly at night.

Found from Virginia & Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina, Georgia & South Carolina, Delaware & New Jersey, New York, Long Island & Connecticut, Southeast Lakes, Florida Freshwater and Southwest & California Lakes. Coastal rivers and tidal freshwater from New York to Florida; introduced in the California Delta, where it is a top catfish.

Coastal rivers and tidal freshwater from New York to Florida; introduced in the California Delta, where it is a top catfish.

3–30 ft.

On the bottom, 5–20 ft.

Spring through fall.

Evening and night.

In tidal rivers, the moving tide is best.

Warm nights.

Nightcrawlers, clams, chicken liver, sardines and cut bait.

Rarely.

Medium spinning or casting rod.

Size 1–3/0 circle hooks.

12–20 lb.

20 lb mono.

Fish cut bait or clams on a sliding sinker rig along channel edges and sloughs at night.

In the California Delta, a can of sardines on the bottom at dusk is the classic setup.

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.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

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

Sweet, white meat — one of the best-eating catfish; skin it and fry it.

Sharp, mildly venomous fin spines.

Usually liberal limits; check local rules. Licenses, limits and seasons are set by each province, territory or state, and many lakes and rivers have special size limits, slot limits or closed spawning seasons — check the current regulations for the water you fish.

Common.