At Conowingo the white catfish is sometimes seen as an occasional catch among the numerous channel catfish that fisherman take from the fish platform. They are distinguished from the channel catfish by their lack of dorsal lateral spots, noticeably less forked caudal fins, and wider and blunter heads. Coloration is similar to that of channel catfish of similar size in that they are, dorsally, a grayish blue that abruptly gives way at about midbody to a lighter, silvery color. The ventral area tends to be a dull white. We have only seen about half a dozen of these fish taken here, but that is primarily because neither of us are particularly comfortable asking fisherman if we can examine their catch by rooting through their five-gallon fish buckets.
Some fishermen throw their catches onto the concrete fish walk where they are more easily observed.
Originally a fish restricted to Atlantic Coast drainages, the white catfish has been widely introduced with varied success. It is more tolerant of brackish water than other catfishes, and has probably always been associated with the lower Susquehanna via the Chesapeake Bay. This fish was housed in a 30-gal. aquarium with other fishes and did quite well until it was released. Perhaps the most notable difference observed between it and other bullheads maintained in the aquaria was that the white catfish did not seem to be nearly as uncomfortable in a lighted aquarium. This is a fish that is about as forgiving as will ever be found in the home aquarium.