Mud Cat?

[sprestwood]

Is mud cat a reference to a channel catfish? I would say that a flathead is more muddy in its behavior. Many different names often originate in different geography for a common item.

 

[Dropshot]

I am not an expert on catfish, but I do not think a mud cat refers to a channel catfish.

 

[Bprice]

mud cats are typically flatheads.</p>

 

[Guest]

mud cats are not the same as channel cats or flatheads they are all very destinctly different to me.

 

[sprestwood]

I once saw a catfish below Chick dam that had a gery body with brown spots patterned like the black-white look of a cow. I've been regarding it as one of the madtoms. Was that a mud cat?

 

[Guest]

Flat heads have been called yellow cats and mud cats. There are bull heads too which don't get very big. Go to the TWRA web site and look at the pictures of the various cat fish, there are quite a few.

 

[churly]

Mud cats have always been flat heads to me-flakiest, whitest meat that swims!

 

[Guest]

I am with Doc on this one for sure. Some folks call flatheads mudcats but what I call a mud cat is a bullhead. Muddiest tasting fish in the water.
Flatheads are the best tasting of all the catfish. Probably because they mostly eat fresh or live bait. The only time flatties relate to mud is during the spawn. After that they look for heavy cover near deep holes in flowing water.

 

[Nickajack Angler]

I know that in NC growing up we caught this little small catfish that was a distinct yellow and brown, with a pure white belly that tasted like crap and we always knew it to be a mudcat. They were a nuiscance.

 

[sprestwood]

Other internet references seem to have vague descriptions of "mudcat." Mostly flathead is mentioned but it really seems that a mud cat is a reference to a fish that you are not 100% sure what the name actually is.

 

[shsimons]

Cheez,

I have never eaten a flathead. It is interesting you say that. I never thought that they taste better because they eat more "live and fresh bait"
It makes a lot of sense, "you are what you eat" right?

I feel like I just learned something new