Catfish Distribution

Catfish are primarily river residents (though
channel catfish also live in lakes and ponds) and are most prevalent in the major river systems of
southwestern and western Wisconsin. The channel catfish has a wider range and is more abundant in Wisconsin than the flathead. Channel cats are found as far north as the upper St. Croix River and in the St. Louis River, which flows into Lake Superior. Flatheads are at the northern-most reaches of their range in the lower St. Croix. Both species are found in the Mississippi, Wisconsin and Fox rivers and in Lake Winnebago. Channel catfish have also been taken from Green Bay and tributaries of Lake Michigan.

Habits and habitats
Catfish, especially channels, are more tolerant of turbid water than many game fish, with the
exception of bullheads and carp. While they tolerate turbidity, catfish prefer clear, slow-moving
water. During the day, both species seek out dark, deep pools, such as those below rock dams, wing dams or below the concrete aprons of larger dams. Pools with submerged logs, rocks or other debris offer prime habitat. These structures disrupt stream flows, creating swirling eddies that maintain the holes and give catfish some shelter from swift river currents.

A flathead, if undisturbed, will often return to the same snot each day to rest. Flatheads tend to have a home range (area within which they remain), rarely traveling more than five miles from their resting spot. Studies have shown that flatheads captured in one location and released in another part of the same river system will return to the spot where they were captured. Channel catfish, on the other hand, don't have strong homing tendencies. They make extensive upstream migrations in spring to spawn and then tend to move downstream throughout the year. After resting for most of the day, catfish move into shallows and muddy backwaters at night to
feed. Young catfish feed primarily on insects, insect larvae and small aquatic zooplankton. As they srow, thev also feed on snails,. crav- fish and small fish. channel catfish are primarily scavengers, moving along shore feeding on any type of vegetable or animal matter that floats by; but they are also swift swimmers, and larger channel cats may feed heavily on small forage fish. Flatheads feed almost exclusively on live fish. While they will pursue fish, flatheads are known to wait motionless with their mouths wide open for fish to come to them. When a prey fish swims by, the flathead lunges forward and swallows it. Channel cats feed heavily following rains when they search the turbid water with their barbels for food washed into the river. Neither species feeds in the winter, when they congregate in deep pools, settling in the muddy bottom and going into semihibernation.

By Paul Holtan