Most often, referring to fish called catfish, we mean the type of European (or ordinary) catfish. However, it must be borne in mind that in addition to it there are more than 100 species of fish belonging to the catfish family and having similar characteristics.
In fact, catfish is a large predatory fish, the main feature of which is the absence of scales. Most often, it can be found in warm freshwater reservoirs. An adult can eat not only fish, but also frogs, rodents and birds. If the catfish does not find live prey for itself, it can even eat carrion.
Basic data
The catfish meat is white, has a very rich taste, so this fish is not only massively caught, but also specially grown in captivity. This is possible due to the fact that catfish is an unpretentious fish that does not need extensive bodies of water, therefore, this can significantly save space during industrial breeding. It is noteworthy that under natural conditions the spawning period of catfish (end of May-June) is the only period when you can catch several individuals at once in one place.
In winter, catfish hibernate and stop hunting. This allows you to move it to ponds specially equipped for the winter period to other fish, for which catfish would pose a very significant threat in normal times.
When does spawning begin?
The beginning of spawning of catfish directly depends on climatic conditions in the area, which was chosen by fish as their main habitat. As soon as the water warms up to the required temperature (above 15 degrees), the catfish starts throwing eggs.
For throwing eggs, catfish are grouped into groups, conditionally divided by age criteria. Due to this, larger fish during this period practically do not prey on their counterparts. The sex of the catfish at this time is quite easy to determine: the males are slightly smaller than the females in length and much thinner than them. In addition, the males stray around the females and begin to hit the water with their tails, as a result of which, during the period when the catfish spawns, quite loud slaps are heard in the water.
Ways to grow captive catfish
Due to its unpretentiousness, catfish has become quite widespread as a fish that can be easily grown in captivity, simply by creating suitable living conditions. There are four ways to grow catfish in captivity.
1) Cage method. Spawning catfish takes place in specially equipped cages. After the fry appear from the eggs, they are sedimented from adults.
2) The pond method. The fish is placed in a confined pond and is grown practically in natural conditions. At the same time, all young growth is caught and grown in the factory or in spawning outgrowth zones.
3) Basin method. With it, catfish can be successfully grown even at home. At the same time, the sizes and types of pools do not play a special role and can vary significantly.
4) The feeding method. The only way in which catfish is grown together with other fish species. At the same time, it is used not so much to obtain meat in the future, but as the main assistant to reduce an unnecessarily large population of fish in water bodies. In the event that this procedure is not required, the catfish should be selected in such a way that its size does not exceed the size of the other fish and he could not hunt them. However, it should be borne in mind that under such conditions, after spawning of the catfish comes to an end and fry emerge from the eggs, they are in serious danger of being eaten, if not by the catfish themselves, then by other fish that live in the reservoir.
Features of catching catfish
Catfish maintains an active lifestyle throughout the warm season. It is best to start fishing a few hours before sunrise or sunset when the fish is at its peak. Another burst of activity can be seen if the water is very cloudy and the sun does not illuminate it well. Then the catfish can peck all day.
It is also worth noting the excessive gluttony of this fish after a warm summer rain. At this time, catfish can swim to the shore in the hope of finding snails, worms, or even rats that have been washed away by rain streams in a pond.
To ensure successful catching of the catfish, it is necessary to wait in close proximity to the places in which he prefers to stay for recreation. It will be useful to pay attention to the places of accumulation of small fish, which catfish will open the hunt as soon as they rest. The chances of catching him there increase if there are deep places nearby.
Also, one should not disregard places where catfish spawn, where, starting in May, you can catch several individuals at once, protecting their eggs from other aquatic predators.
Main habitats
Most often, catfish can be found in close proximity to snags, deep holes, as well as under the branches of trees hanging over the water. However, it must be borne in mind that he prefers to feed in completely different places.
The lower the water temperature drops, the more often the catfish will begin to shift its activity to daytime. And with the onset of the first frosts, he floats to deeper places, in which he practically ceases to eat, preparing for hibernation.
Preparing catfish for breeding
It is noteworthy that catfish reach puberty around the third year of life. In this case, the areas for throwing eggs directly depend on the locality inhabited by catfish. His breeding ground can be found in different places.
- In the rivers. Here, the catfish chooses a place in the immediate vicinity of the pit, in which he spends the bulk of his time. Even if the river is not deep, he will not swim away far and begin to spawn in the reeds closest to the pit.
- In the lakes. Caviar throwing here is less noticeable than on rivers, as it can be carried out throughout the lake. The catfish come in flocks, surround the females and begin to burst with tails. The female, choosing the most suitable partner, breaks the eggs. In the event that there are more males, there can be up to 4 partners per female, of which only the strongest will remain. After completing the selection, the female and the selected male together drive away the remaining applicants and go deep into a place suitable for throwing eggs. Further, using pectoral fins, they dig a hole, the depth of which sometimes reaches 1 m, and throw caviar there. Despite the fact that the caviar itself is not too much, it is large enough and needs space.
In a fishing pond. Here spawning begins only after the water warms up to 20 degrees. The site selected for this purpose must necessarily be overgrown with grass, and the water must either be in a standing state or be slow flowing.
If spawning is carried out under artificially created conditions, the females and males must be separated before spawning, otherwise they can significantly injure each other.
Spawning process
The female, preparing for spawning, crushes grass under herself in such a way that she begins to visually resemble a bird's nest. The period of spawning of catfish begins from the time of heating the water to 20 degrees and is carried out during several calls for spawning. In this case, the catfish produces a laying of eggs in a sufficiently dense layer.
On average, one female is able to reproduce about 20 thousand eggs. After completion of this process, the female and the male stay in close proximity for a day, protecting the eggs from enemies. At the end of this period, the female swims away, and the male protects the eggs until the larvae appear directly from it.
