Photo by Keith Sutton.

Georgia is blessed with an abundance of fresh water. No one living in or visiting the state is more than a short drive from a public waterway of some kind. Hence, fishing is one of the Peach State’s most popular forms of recreation.

Among the many fish species inhabiting these waters, the catfish is particularly prized as an angler’s target. Few fishermen here don’t know the catfish. Year ‘round, all the favorite species of cats are regularly taken in a variety of sizes and numbers. It’s entirely proper to use the old cliché “a dime a dozen” when discussing Georgia’s often-dense catfish populations.

Catfishing here is as old as Georgia itself. The earliest Native Americans doubtless viewed the catfish as a desirable food species. Early European settlers as well -- particularly those inhabiting homesites near large streams -- used the fish as a vital source of protein. Commercial catfishing had its heyday in the state’s major river systems. In addition, recreational anglers have always caught catfish with great regularity.

Plenty of old, washed-out black-and-white photographs survive that show smiling fishermen from all walks of life and time periods happily hoisting stringers of cats from pan-sized to gigantic. The catfish indeed figures heavily in Georgia’s fishing tradition and lore.

Naturally, most catfish pulled by hook and line from state waters are small. In fact, many fishermen consider a fish of 5 pounds or better large by their standards. Ten-pound cats, for most, are rare and highly prized.

For some, though, catfishing has become a veritable clash of the titans. These anglers have honed their catfishing skills and perseverance to the point that satisfaction only comes from doing battle with true bewhiskered behemoths. Plenty of these inhabit Georgia as well (though the previous dime-a-dozen reference can’t always be used where they’re concerned). A bona-fide trophy catfish, here as in other places, is special: No easy-to-skin, easy-to-fry panfish he!

Just ask Brinson’s James Tyus. The Decatur County angler was fishing the tailwaters below the George W. Andrews Lock and Dam on April 1, 2006, when he hooked and landed a gargantuan blue catfish. No April Fool’s joke, this 67-pound 8-ounce monster: The 48-inch-long cat was subsequently weighed on certified scales and determined to be a new state record. Unfortunately, though every effort was made to keep the fish alive, it died within a few weeks of capture, before it could be placed on permanent display at the Flint Riverquarium in Albany. Tyus’ giant blue bested the old state-record fish, a 62-pounder taken from Clarks Hill Lake in 1979 by Ralph Barbee Jr.

Though 13 or more catfish species have at least minimal ranges in Georgia, but three merit discussion by veteran and prospective trophy catfish anglers: the blue, the channel, and the flathead catfish.

The blue catfish is usually a pale blue in color with a deeply forked tail and white chin barbels. Its upper and lower jaws meet evenly, or the upper jaw may project slightly beyond the lower jaw. The anal fin of a blue cat has 30 or more soft rays; the outside edge of this fin is straight. As attested to by the recent state-record catch, blue cats can attain great size in Georgia and, looking at trophy catches nationwide, are the true giants among the big three.

The natural historic range of the blue cat in Georgia is not wide, but has increased through the years owing to stream-to-stream migration and intentional and accidental introduction.

Blue catfish prefer riverine and reservoir habitats. The largest individuals are usually encountered in tailwaters below dams, where currents are swift and substrates consist of sand, gravel and rock. They also like to congregate in holes around deeply submerged treetops. Blue cats are opportunistic feeders, consuming live or dead fish and various invertebrates with relish.