# Blue cats are spreading



## zam (Jun 16, 2004)

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28627532/blue-catfish-invading-local-waterways
"Blue catfish are the greatest environmental threat the Chesapeake bay has ever faced"
"In one tributary in Virginia in 60 days they documented that Blue cats ate a million and a half Blue Crabs and over a million pounds of menhaden, In one river in two months"


----------



## catman (May 28, 2001)

Link won't open.


----------



## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

The link opened for me but can someone tell the MD senator catfish have been on restaurant menus for years.


----------



## captmikestarrett (Apr 28, 2004)

And on the opposite side of doom and gloom.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/catfish/tidal-blue-catfish-status/

Capt Mike


----------



## catman (May 28, 2001)

Well I have a good source of live bluegills so I'll practice good conservation and try to rid the upper bay of those pesty critters.


----------



## CaliYellowtail (Jul 28, 2014)

Nice Pic in HD Catman! Sweet


----------



## zam (Jun 16, 2004)

yea Im kind of torn on this, on one hand it would be nice to be able to catch 100lb Catfish in the upper bay, but I can envision a time when the whole upper bay could resemble the James river where the only game in town is Blue cats now. the upper bay does seem like the perfect place for Blues, most of the mid and lower bays main stem wouldn't be effected much because of salinity but they would take over the whole upper bay from the bay bridge north


----------



## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

They are more tolerant of saltwater than most people think. In fact, in SC, they have greater salinity tolerance than other species of catfish.


----------



## zam (Jun 16, 2004)

I read somewhere that they have a greater tolerance of salt then Channel Cats, I haven't been able to find a lot of info on it though, but if that's true, they will eventually be anywhere you catch Channel cats. I think its more a matter of when not if. their numbers will keep growing and they will keep spreading. 20/30 years from now A lot of the resident fish from the Chesapeake could just be a memory


----------



## catman (May 28, 2001)

Blue cat fish fishing.


----------



## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

Need to say they are high in fish oil and let omega protein take care of them.


----------



## Eggsniffer (Sep 17, 2013)

zam said:


> http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28627532/blue-catfish-invading-local-waterways
> "Blue catfish are the greatest environmental threat the Chesapeake bay has ever faced"
> "In one tributary in Virginia in 60 days they documented that Blue cats ate a million and a half Blue Crabs and over a million pounds of menhaden, In one river in two months"


I'm curious how they documented that?


----------



## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

Yeah me too can't be dooms day they have been in the area for 40 years. Need restaurants to specialize in blue cats, cow nose rays and snake heads all good to eat. Commercial netters do more damage than blue cats.


----------



## irrompible (Mar 30, 2006)

Was shocked to catch a blue cat just north of the Bay Bridge while rock fishing last season. After reading this I'm kind of expecting to catch a few more this year.


----------



## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

2 years ago there was a good blue cat bite at ft Smallwood park with some almost 30" but not as many last year and non so far this year. Last year the guys fishing for them were complaining that the rock were eating the bait before the cats.


----------



## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

2 years ago there was a good blue cat bite at ft Smallwood park with some almost 30" but not as many last year and non so far this year. Last year the guys fishing for them were complaining that the rock were eating the bait before the cats.


----------

