State Prints - Tn Treasures Too Catfish

The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus lacustris punctatus) became the "Official Commercial Fish" of
Tennessee in (1988). The channel catfish, sometimes known as “spotted cat” or “fiddler,” is widely
stocked and reared in farm ponds. It may be found in most Tennessee streams and many lakes. The
channel catfish is a bottom-feeder and current feeder, generally taken by still fishing.

Channel catfish are North America's most numerous catfish subspecies. They are also the most
fished catfish, with approximately eight million anglers in the U.S. targeting them each year. The
world record channel catfish weighed fifty-eight pounds and was caught in (1964) in the Santee
Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina. A channel catfish over twenty pounds is a nice specimen, and
most catfish anglers view a ten pound fish as an admirable catch. The average size channel catfish an
angler could expect to find in most waterways would be between two and four pounds. Channel
catfish flesh is prized by anglers.