How to tell how old a flathead catfish is

An Old Man Once Told Me They Easiest Way To Tell The Sex Of A Flathead Is That The Males Head Is Wider Than Its Body And Vice Versa For Females As Their Head Is Usually Narrower Than Their Wider Body. Know the natural habitat.

The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14 1998 from Elk City Reservoir Kansas and weighed 123 lb 9 oz 560 kg.

How to tell how old a flathead catfish is. No expert here but I read somewhere that the only true way to determine a catfishs age is by examination of a vertebra. The method is based on the fact that the vertebra grows each year by adding a layer of bone. The accumulated layers which appear as growth rings are counted to determine age.

Count the growth rings on the slice of fin from the center outward. The number of dark rings indicates the number of years the fish has lived. For example 10 dark rings would indicate the fish has lived for.

In this otolith section Corbin Hilling counted 25 annual rings. So the Flathead Catfish was born in 1994. The maximum age from populations of Flathead Catfish averages about 20 years and the oldest individual aged was 32 years old Massie et al.

Once Flathead Catfish reach about 30 inches or 75 cm they begin to develop massive girth. Many factors affect the growth of catfish such as climate forage and environment. A recent study taken from the Ohio River found the following catfish age averages.

Blue - 177 yrs to reach 35 inches. Flathead - 201 yrs to reach 35 inches. Channel - 200 yrs to.

Flathead catfish reach sexual maturity between the ages of 4 and 6 and have an average life span of 20 years. Remember that this is only an average. A 70 lb flat could be 40 or 50 years old 123-pound fish could be older but it could merely be in a fishery with more food.

Males are mature from 16 cm 63 in and 4 years of age while females mature from 18 cm 71 in and 5 years of age but may mature as late as 10 years. The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14 1998 from Elk City Reservoir Kansas and weighed 123 lb 9 oz 560 kg. An Old Man Once Told Me They Easiest Way To Tell The Sex Of A Flathead Is That The Males Head Is Wider Than Its Body And Vice Versa For Females As Their Head Is Usually Narrower Than Their Wider Body.

I Dont Think Its An Exact Science But It Might Not Be Too Far Off Either. Compared to other catfish species the anal fin of the flathead is short along its base with 14 to 17 fin rays. Flathead color varies greatly with the environment and sometimes within the same environment but is generally mottled with varying shades of brown and yellow on the sides tapering to a lighter or whitish mottling on the belly.

Size tail jaw and color distinguish flathead from channel catfish. 10-20 inches average length. Overbite upper jaw hangs over lower jaw Gray to silver back and sides white belly.

20-30 inches average length. Underbite lower jaw protrudes beyond upper jaw. Flathead catfish are native to Indiana and are not stocked by the state.

They are observed in fisheries surveys and a 10 fish bag limit regulation has been placed on flathead harvest to manage the flathead. Average lifespan of the flathead catfish is 12 to 14 years but one recorded flathead catfish lived 24 years. Adults are usually solitary each staking out a favorite spot under a tree or in a cove in deep water.

At night they move into shallow areas to. Know the natural habitat. Flathead catfish prefer lower level light and will spend most daylight hours in the shade of a tree or rock or in underwater holes and caves.

Flatheads can be found in virtually any sufficiently deep freshwater body of water. Smiling for the camera. The best time to target flathead catfish is from the spring to the fall.

Flathead LOVE warm water so usually around may august I have my best luck. When the water temp reaches 55 they seem to pick up and start biting. This can be found by researching your local body of water.

This is the way we fillet those big river flathead catfish. There is more than one way to process catfish this is the easiest way we have found. The drag will likely scream for a while before you land it.

Smaller individuals are usually more prevalent in numbers. Huge fish that are 10 15 and even 20 years old or older exist in very few numbers. You need to decide which one you want to go after.

Depends on the species of flathead. Duskys the smaller flathead require gonad inspection with a microscope to determine the sex. Larger models you can tell a difference but which is which I dont know.

Males grow up to 55cm but they are rarely seen over 50cm. You can tell the big flathead catfish are eating them up Eradication is probably not an option at this advanced stage of the invasion Weathers said. Some attempts were made in the early years to shock and remove all flatheads a process that did little to stop their spread.

How to catch flathead catfish - YouTube. I have been catching a ton of flathead catfish lately. 37 lb 35 lb 27 lb and 25 lb this month alone.

If you want to know how to catch flathead catfish. The Texas Parks and Wildlife also states that the average lifespan of flathead catfish is 12 to 24 years although there has been a flathead that lived for 24 years. Flatheads spawning begins in the Spring as water temperatures rise.