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Corn with vanilla was the winner!
There's some irony in this species being my assigned study- my friends and family know me to say often, "I hate catfish;" mostly because I am awkward and clumsy and always manage to get poked and/or cut by them. I have a conspiracy theory that, like actual cats, these fish can sense when a person does not appreciate them amply and thus actively seeks them out. More than once, all others I've been fishing with have been pulling in one pan fish after another, or some mean bass, while I somehow manage to snag a mean old 1-eyed cat.

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Catfish have sharp, serrated spines on their dorsal and two caudal fins, so handle with care!

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Of about 16 species of catfish in Texas, only 2 have a deeply forked V-tail:
Blue Catfish
and
Channel Catfish

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"fish cat" + "spotted"
True to angling's antics, Channel Catfish have been known by other names...

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Several remarkable catfish have been caught in Texas' Lake Tawakoni, including one thought to be a new record...

Garcia's fish weighed 47-pounds and bested the current state channel catfish record weight by almost 10-pounds. That catfish weighed 36.5-pounds and has stood as the record since 1965, when it was pulled from the Pedernales River by Joe Cockrell.

DNA testing revealed the catch was in fact NOT a channel catfish, but a hybrid cross between a channel catfish and blue catfish

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Diverse and widespread species that prefers bodies of fresh water such as:
-upland reservoirs,
-rivers and their tributaries,
-natural lakes, swamps, and marshes of the coastal lowlands
Specifically in areas:
-in open waters of natural lakes,
-under woody debris and logs,
-overhangs of cut banks,
-along edges of submersed aquatic vegetation in reservoirs and rivers

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Also, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! Some community lakes and other specific areas have slightly different regulations.

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In addition to pole and line methods, channel catfish may also be taken via trotlines, throw lines, or jug lines. Check the Texas Outdoor Annual for specific rules on these methods.

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It is considered good practice to release catfish that are "monsters," i.e. over 10 pounds
-once over that size, they are not as good for eating
-it can take nearly 20 years, or more, for that size of catfish to be replaced

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Fingerling channel catfish mostly subsist on aquatic insects, zooplankton, and other aquatic invertebrates

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As channel catfish grow, they vary their diets to include "anything that don't eat them first"; this can even include small mammals and birds...

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Catfish have the ability to taste food before biting it, up to 15' away
Folds in their nostrils and receptors on their whiskers increase their ability to smell significantly; "Put bait in the water and cats will find it!"

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Spam, chicken livers, Kool-aid, hot dogs, corn, anise, vanilla...