The channel catfish is generally more slender and elongated than is the blue cat, but also features a deeply forked tail. It has a protruding upper jaw. Adult channel cats are dark gray along the back, grading to light yellow or greenish-yellow along the sides. Juveniles are typically light gray on the back and silvery on the sides. The head profile of the channel cat is curved from the dorsal fin to the snout. The anal fin has 24 to 29 soft rays and has a rounded or bow-shaped margin.

Distinguishing between small blue and small channel catfish is normally simple, as young channel cats usually exhibit small, scattered dark spots. Identification can be more difficult with big adults, at which stage the channel cat often loses most or all spots and the body takes on a bulkier conformation. At this stage, the anal fin is the only readily identifiable characteristic for the layman. Just remember: straight edge on the blue, curved edge on the channel.

To date, the largest channel catfish caught in Georgia weighed 44 pounds, 12 ounces. It was taken by Bobby Smithwick from the Altamaha River on May 18, 1972.

The natural range of the channel cat encompasses practically the entire state and, of course, stockings have long since introduced it into those few areas where it does not naturally occur.

This species inhabits rivers, reservoirs, creeks, backwaters, swamps, and oxbow lakes. It likes slow-to-moderate currents over sand, gravel, and silt. Submerged trees and areas with aquatic vegetation are also favorite haunts. Preferred foods include live or dead fish, insects, crayfish, and mollusks.

The flathead catfish, ugly even by catfish standards, is the only large catfish with a head flattened between the eyes. It features a projecting lower jaw, giving it a belligerent, bulldog-like expression. The back and sides of the body and fins are mottled with black, white, olive and even pale yellow. This mottled coloration underlies the colloquial title “Appaloosa cat” in some areas of the state. The short, rounded anal fin contains 14 to 18 rays; the tail is slightly notched, but never forked.

The state-record flathead is a 67-pound, 8-ounce fish that was pulled from the Altamaha River by Gene Middleton on May 24, 2000. In the spring of 2004, also in the Altamaha, an 85-pound flathead fell prey to a setline. That fish ranks among the largest all-time Georgia flatheads, but was ineligible for record status because it was not taken by means of conventional tackle methods.

The natural range of this fish in Georgia, like that of the blue cat, is quite small, but has grown considerably over time. Illegal stockings have been rampant in certain areas, particularly in portions of the Altamaha, and in a number of waterways, native populations of bullheads and redbreast sunfish have suffered.

Flathead catfish prefer flowing water and deep holes with sand, gravel and mud substrates. Individuals are usually associated with underwater structures such as fallen trees, stumps, rock ledges, and riprap. Larger fish are solitary by nature; a single flathead hole usually contains no more than one or two big ones.

Extremely aggressive predators, flatheads are opportunistic enough to take a dead morsel when it’s available, but they much prefer live food. Shad, sunfish and smaller catfish species are favored.

In many parts of the state, big catfish may be sought and taken during all seasons. However, many expert trophy-cat anglers point to the hotter periods of the year as prime times to go after them. In the southern half of Georgia, the peak season is longer, from spring through early fall. In north Georgia, high summer is when most big cats seem to be taken.