Catfish are another species that are ignored by most Quebec and Ontario fishermen, as they have earned a reputation as "bottom feeders" and "scavengers". Although some smaller species such as bullheads are scavengers, larger species such as channel catfish hunt their prey as much as any other game fish does. Catfish typically start feeding at sunset, and feed through the night until a bit after dawn. Channel catfish usually wait in ambush in holes below riffles in moderate to fast current, pouncing on prey as it passes over their holes. They typically bite best between June - August, when the water temperature is at it's warmest. Bullhead catfish are more abundant, and will usually bite on a variety of bait including worms, minnows, corn, hot dogs, chicken livers or cheese. Channel catfish tend to be a lot larger than bullheads, and have a deeply forked tail. They are usually grey in colour. They are usually found in big rivers, where the current is fast, and aren't typcal in smaller lakes.
Bullheads are usually olive green to dark brown and don't grow larger the 16 inches (approx). They have a rounded/square tail, and can be found in a variety of lakes as well as many rivers.
Channel cats can easily be caught on large minnows or worms starting from sunset on most summer nights. Simply cast the bait into riffles above a hole, with or without a bobber, and let the current drift the bait over the hole where the catfish are congregating. Repeat cast if fish don't bite within 5 - 10 minutes. For bullheads, most panfish techniques should work, they tend to bite more during the spring.
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