How to tell the age of a flathead catfish

It happens when the water gets warmer. Blue catfish as an example spawn at a water temperature of 70 degrees up to 84 degrees.

Its not possible to estimate the age of a Flathead Catfish from its weight alone.

How to tell the age of a flathead catfish. With the help of annual rings laid down on the ear stones ie otoliths of the catfish we can determine its age. Its not possible to estimate the age of a Flathead Catfish from its weight alone. The accumulated layers which appear as growth rings are counted to determine age.

This is a proven method of age calculation for channel catfish and it probably will apply to flatheads. 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. 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.

Knowledge of individual growth and mortality rates of an introduced fish population is required to determine the success and degree of establishment as well as to predict the fishs impact on native fauna. The age and growth of flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris have been studied extensively in the species native and introduced ranges and. 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. Best Time of Year to Catch Flathead.

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. To age catfishes the otolith is first glued to a glass microscope slide to hold it in place while the scientist grinds away some of the otolith to view the annuli inside. Once the annuli are visible scientists polish the viewing surface with a fine grit sandpaper andor mineral oil to polish the surface making discernment of annuli easier.

Adult flathead catfish are most often solitary fish known to pick out a favorite spot under a tree log or undercut bank and remain alone in deeper water. At night the flathead catfish will move into shallow water areas to feed. Their preferred habitat is deep pools of.

Now most catfish species tend to spawn during summer or spring. It happens when the water gets warmer. Blue catfish as an example spawn at a water temperature of 70 degrees up to 84 degrees.

Their most preferred however is 81 degrees. But as for flathead catfish they prefer to spawn during the mid-60s to 70s. 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. Line And Tackle For Flathead Catfish. Picking the right line will be based on what type of Flathead you plan on catching.

If you are fishing for smaller flatheads then you can use 15-30lb line as the fish get bigger so should your line. Serious flathead catfishers will use braided line that is. 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. 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. 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.

The calculated length at each age can be compared to the length and age chart to determine how the fish in your lake or pond compare to average-sized fishes for Michigan lakes and ponds. Aging of scaleless fish such as a catfish or fish with very small scales such as trout presents a different problem. If this is the case its easy in theory.

You just need to locate the catfish on whichever body of water you are fishing. Its still 100 doable to catch monster flathead catfish during the day. Especially between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.

The locating the flathead catfish part can be a. How to locate and find flathead catfish How to Catch Flatheads 1 - YouTube. Hey guys this was only the first video of this series which teaches you guys how to catch flatheads.

The next video.