Summer is an ideal time to try your hand at a little catfishing. Most catfish eat insects and their larvae. However, they are opportunistic and will rarely pass up a meal. The whiskers are loaded with sensory cells that enable catfish to locate food by smell. Other baits work well too, especially earthworms, and occasionally freshwater clams.
Many catfish become active just before dusk and at night, when fishing success is best.
Catfish spines may cause a painful injury, so take care when handling these fish. Florida offers six varieties of catfish. Channel catfish are found statewide and are the ones most commonly raised for restaurants. A deeply forked tail and black speckling identifies the channel cat. Richloam Hatchery produces 200,000 - 300,000 channel catfish annually for stocking in urban lakes.