# flathead catfish



## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

Hey out there...I am in the planning stages of setting up a system to raise some channel cat for the table...I PREFER flat heads though. From what I have read, they are difficult to raise for meat as they tend to eat each other so am working on a way to reduce this tendency. Does anyone know if there is ANYWHERE out there that I can get fingerlings?


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Truth never heard of trying to raise them just Channel Catfish.

Flatheads are more of a Hunter, Channel Catfish are more scavengers.

big rockpile


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Ever think about mudcats or yellow bellys? By far the best tasting catfish going.They don't get real big and should be easy to raise.Just a thought,I have them sometimes!

Wade


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

1shotwade said:


> Ever think about mudcats or yellow bellys? By far the best tasting catfish going.They don't get real big and should be easy to raise.Just a thought,I have them sometimes!
> 
> Wade


are these the same as bullheads?


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Fetherhd said:


> are these the same as bullheads?


Wish I could tell you but I really don't know.Kind of dark green looking back and a yellow belly. I don't think I've seen them over maybe 4-5 lbs. They sure taste good and they are one species that will breed and have offspring in a stagnate water pond.


Wade


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

sounds like a bullhead. Have eaten them prefer the flathead as it is a live food hunter and has sweet firm white flesh. There has GOT to be a way of raising them. Just need to find fingerlings to work with. Will go with the channel or blues though until I can track some down.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

There's often a good reason why someone can't find something. Usually it means that it doesn't work. If you can't get the adults to spawn in captivity, you won't find their babies for sale. Bullhead catfish are the closest you're going to find a yellow flathead. And like Wade said, they can get more than big enough to market without spending a fortune in food. With the flatheads, best bait was always a smaller catfish. I'd think that if one started out with a pond full of them, eventually one would end up with just one monster after all others had been eaten! 

Martin


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

A lot of taste is determined by the water.


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## palm farmer (Jan 3, 2014)

I have some Blue cats in tank culture right now, they are slow to grow, the little hybrid bass out run them ten to one, they dont eat a lot of the pelleted food either but they will play hell on minnows and the little sun fish


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

THANKS....I may give the bullheads a try...wanted to raise tilapia but missouri state regs makes that a pain in the whoo whoo!


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Flathead catfish are cannibalistic; In pond culture you wind up with one flathead for about ten acres of water. This is why you don't find them for sale.

Mud puppies, bullheads, mud cats--around here the biggest I've ever seen has been about 8 inches long. I suspect they taste as good to the blues and flatheads as they do to us. 

A cousin swears that the old humpbacked blue does well in his ponds. I think that the reason commercial men raise channel cats is because they pay better. Why tinkle into the wind?


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Fetherhd said:


> THANKS....I may give the bullheads a try...wanted to raise tilapia but missouri state regs makes that a pain in the whoo whoo!


 Go to MFA Ask them about Fish Days and a list of Fish they will have, plus asked them what would be best in your situation. They have pretty good variety.

big rockpile


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## KMA1 (Dec 9, 2006)

I don't know of any flathead catfish operations, even in larger ponds. Flatheads are fierce and efficient predators, therefore not conducive to raising in overcrowded conditions. Flatheads also have rather specific spawning habitat requirements that make them very difficult to spawn in pawns or pools.

Channel catfish are by far your best bet as far as growth and food conversion to weight are concerned.

And yes, yellowbellies or mud cats are one of the species of the bullhead catfish genus.

Hope this helps.

KMA1


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

there is a place called Moores Fish Farm east of Tulsa, OK. they sell catfish fingerlings, don't know the breeds, but you could check their website and find out. Orchliens also sells fish, check with them to find out when they get them and what kind you can get.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

I've purchased fish from Moore for our gun club ponds. They have channel cats in various sizes, grass carp, hybrid bluegills and minnows. At one time we had spawning ponds of our own, but they require too much attention for our operation. Spawning catfish is a specialty operation if you do it right.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

A friend of mine who lives in MO just told me that he buys flathead fingerlings from a supplier in Iowa.


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## K.B. (Sep 7, 2012)

over a 100 pounds - wow!
http://www.castawaylakes.com/flatheadcatfish.html


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks k.b!!!


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

Tempting to get a flathead and let it eat everything. One fish to clean would be a lot easier.


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