flathead catfish fishing planet louisiana

A study in North Carolina showed that it was not uncommon to find 12 to 19-inch largemouth bass in the stomachs of 29- to 40-inch flatheads. As they get bigger, they eat bigger fish. But as soon as they get big enough to wrap their cavernous mouths around small fish, they begin preying on fish. Very small fish consume insects, freshwater shrimp and crawfish. Unlike other North American freshwater catfish species, which will scavenge as well as hunt live prey, the op is almost a strict piscivore, meaning that it lives entirely on live fish. The succulent taste of its flesh is often attributed to its diet. This big, thick slab of meat, found between the ends of the ribs, has a unique texture, almost being grained like well-marbled fillet mignon. Knowledgeable catfish fishermen covet the “belly meat” of the fish above all else. Its flesh is somewhat soft, but very white in color and mild and sweet-tasting. Wherever the species is found, it is the most esteemed catfish for table fare, easily beating out channel and blue catfish. The native range of flathead catfish is the entire Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio River drainage and the smaller rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico from western Alabama to northern Mexico, including the whole length of the Rio Grande. Small fish usually have white tips on the tops of their tail fins. A number of ops, especially smaller ones, are so dark as to be approaching a mottled black color. True to its scientific name, the fish can generally be called olive-colored, but a lot of variation exists, some but not all of which is due to the color and clarity of the water from which the fish came.

The huge gaping mouth has a strongly projecting lower jaw that looks like the landing ramp of an LST. Tiny, beady eyes are spaced wide apart on the flat head. The head is so flattened that it appears to have been run over by a cement truck that backed up to see what it hit. The op is one of those peculiar fish that is ugly enough that it can be considered beautiful.

The fish’s scientific name is Pylodictis olivaris, which is part Greek and part Latin and means “olive-colored mud fish.” Less common names include pied cat, Mississippi cat, shovelhead cat and even mud cat.

Flathead catfish fishing planet louisiana