SpeciesKnotsGuides

Catfish

Scaleless, whiskered and led by smell, catfish hunt where nothing else can see. These are the fish of the night, of coloured water and of deep holes.

21 species documented

Their barbels are sensory organs: they pick up vibration and chemical traces in the water, which lets them find prey in total darkness. Two consequences follow directly for the angler — night often beats day, and a bait that smells strongly carries further than one that flashes.

The wels catfish, present across much of Europe, reaches sizes that demand dedicated tackle. Powerful rods, heavy braid, strong-wire hooks: under-gunning here does not lose you a fish, it leaves a fish swimming away with a rig in its jaw.

They hold in deep pools, around the foundations of structures and in cluttered ground, often several to a single hole. Finding that hole is most of the work; once located, it produces season after season.

Species list

NameScientific nameMax sizeBest months
Amur catfishSilurus asotus130 cmMar–Nov
Barred sorubimPseudoplatystoma fasciatum105 cmJun–Jan
Black bullheadAmeiurus melas66 cmMar–Nov
Black devil catfishHemibagrus wyckii90 cmNov–Apr
Blue catfishIctalurus furcatus165 cmMar–Nov
Brown bullheadAmeiurus nebulosus55 cmMar–Nov
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatus132 cmMar–Nov
Flathead catfishPylodictis olivaris155 cmMar–Nov
Giant pangasiusPangasius sanitwongsei300 cmNov–Apr
Gilded catfish (Dourada)Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii192 cmDec–May
Goonch catfishBagarius yarrelli230 cmOct–May
KumakumaBrachyplatystoma filamentosum360 cmApr–Nov
North African catfishClarias gariepinus170 cmYear-round
Redtail catfishPhractocephalus hemioliopterus135 cmJun–Jan
Southern catfishSilurus meridionalis114 cmYear-round
Spotted SorubimPseudoplatystoma corruscans182 cmMay–Sep
Striped catfishPangasianodon hypophthalmus130 cmNov–Apr
Walking catfishClarias batrachus47 cmMay–Oct
Wallago catfishWallago attu240 cmJun–Sep, Nov–Apr
Wels catfishSilurus glanis273 cmJul–Aug
Yellow bullheadAmeiurus natalis60 cmMar–Nov