Flathead Catfish
CatfishPylodictis olivaris · also called mud cat, yellow cat, shovelhead
Flatheads are ambush predators that eat live fish almost exclusively, which is why they are caught on live bait rather than the cut and stink baits that take channel cats. Three features identify them and all are visible at a glance.
Quick facts
- Appearance
- Mottled yellow-brown and olive with a broad flattened head, small eyes and — distinctively — a lower jaw that projects beyond the upper.
- Typical size
- 3–40 lb
- Waters
- river, reservoir
- Regulations
- Introduced and invasive in several eastern river systems, where states may encourage or require removal. Native-range regulations are quite different.
How to confirm it
- Lower jaw projects beyond the upper. Every other North American catfish is the reverse.
- Tail squared off or only slightly notched, never deeply forked.
- Broad, flattened head.
- Mottled yellow-brown colouring.
What it is confused with
One check settles each of these.
Channel cat has a deeply forked tail and an upper jaw that projects. Flathead is the opposite on both counts.
Why this matters beyond curiosity
- Look-alike species often carry different limits. Walleye and sauger, black and white crappie, pike and muskie, blue and channel catfish — each pair can have different sizes, seasons and daily limits in the same water.
- Check it before the fish goes in the livewell. Most of the tests on this site take seconds and are far easier on a fish you are still holding.
- If you cannot tell, release it. That is the answer that is never wrong, and it is the one a warden will not argue with.
- Regulations are set by your state or province and change annually. This site identifies fish; it does not tell you the rules. Check the current regulations for the water you are on.