Boat handling and fishing techniques in strong currents, as well as understanding how seasonal and daily movements of water affect fish behavior in rivers, present angling challenges different from those associated with lake and reservoir angling. In response, FWRC fisheries scientists place high priority on research addressing riverine catfishes. Special attention has focused on channel catfish because channel catfish are adaptable and found in a variety of rivers throughout Mississippi. As examples, channel catfish can be found in the state's relatively undisturbed stream ecosystems as well as in rivers that have been highly modified by human activity, such as sections of rivers immediately below dams and in artificial canals. In large floodplain rivers, channel catfish can maintain harvestable populations even in sections with unstable channels subject to scouring, bank collapse and meandering.
Invertebrates are good sources of protein and energy for channel catfish.
These movements typically occur during early spring flooding when channel catfish are accumulating energy reserves for spawning. Channel catfish have demonstrated a propensity for moving great distances to access floodplains. Maximum recorded distance moved by a tagged channel catfish from the original tagging site was approximately 60 miles. When water was confined to the main river channels, most fish limited movements to less than half a mile. During high water, channel catfish made directional movements toward or remained in river sections connected with the floodplain.