The forktail cat is one of the most popular catfish, to fish for and matures to over one hundered lbs.. Today's competitor for the U.S. recordbook of one hundred tewnty four lbs. is from the Mississippi River in Illinois May 22, 2005. There are five hundred seventy two million lbs. of catfish raised in commercial ponds. The recent June 28, 2005 find of the Lacantunia enigmatica catfish in Mexico is the only known specie of catfish of the ancient Tertiary age dating to the age of dinosaurs.

The World's biggest catfish, weighed six hundred fourty six pounds, captured in the Mekong River, Thailand, May 2005, and is known as the Pangasianodon gigas Catfish, and is being studied as an endangered species.

The channel catfish grow to 45 pounds averaging 14 years but are known to live to 20 years.

The flattened head, of the opelousas and the yellow skin denotes the 2nd largest freshwater catfish. The United States recordbook is 98.50, pounds, Lake Palestine TX, in Dec. 14, 1998. Flathead catfish may live nineteen years and longer. Most species of catfish from uncontaminated water is very good eating.

Catfish Bait in the traditional stink bait, subsidise dead minnows for the preferred attractant for catfish.