Catfish - Bayou Benoit

[Jo-boater]

Caught these yesterday in the Bayou Benoit area of the Basin. Biggest was 11 lbs. 11 oz., second biggest was 4 lbs. 14 oz. The others ranged around the 1.5 lbs. Most were caught on jugs. The biggest was caught on rod and reel with whole shad. I have one question about 2 of these catfish. I am not sure if they are a cross between a polly wog and a blue cat or just have different color meat. The fish on the top right of the pic. and the bottom of the pic. looked like small bullhead cats but when I cleaned them the meat had a slight yellow color. The meat seemed to be normal other that that. Any thoughts on this?

[Ray]

Yellow meat don't sound good to me.

[speck-chaser]

sail-cat.lol

[QUACKHEAD]

I'm not sure on the yellow meat. I've caught some up on the RED RIVER with a yellow tint to the meat. My wife is still doing fine and she didn't say it tasted bad so I guess it won't hurt you. LOL I did notice I catch more of the yellow meat fish from warmer or shallower water than from deeper water. Good catch. I likes the blues.

[Jo-boater]

Originally Posted by QUACKHEAD

I'm not sure on the yellow meat. I've caught some up on the RED RIVER with a yellow tint to the meat. My wife is still doing fine and she didn't say it tasted bad so I guess it won't hurt you. LOL I did notice I catch more of the yellow meat fish from warmer or shallower water than from deeper water. Good catch. I likes the blues.

These two fish were the only two we caught in a shallow pond with very little water flow - it was a pothole that if the water continues to drop will no longer be accessible by boat. All the others were caught in cooler flowing waters.

[Cajun Ray]

Yellow meat is fatty

[ripinlips]

My dad always called them "Yellow cats" or "mud cats"...they ate just as good or better as the others. Not sure why they are that color or what kind of catfish they stem from.

["H"]

Originally Posted by ripinlips

My dad always called them "Yellow cats" or "mud cats"...they ate just as good or better as the others. Not sure why they are that color or what kind of catfish they stem from.

Years ago I used to run trout lines in the Amite River with my grandfather. We would catch a few yellow ones mixed in with the blue channel cats. After they were fried and brought to the table none of us could tell the difference in the taste.

[LPfishnTIM]

we call them mud cats, taste better in winter and spring, most(white) people don't keep them in the summer.

[BIGJ]

We call them mud cats and catch them all the time. You will usually catch them in a channel off of the main water. They are ok in the cold weather but taste like mud in the summer. If you eat one in the summer time you will spit them out pretty quick. Nasty!!!!!

[StuBone278]

First, you can tell if its a pollywog (bullhead) by looking at the tail. If the back of the tail is flat, its a bullhead. If the tail is split/forked, it's either a blue or a channel. In my experience all the channel catfish I catch in the marsh (very shallow water) have a yellow-tinted flesh; yet, every blue catfish that I catch (same depth/area) the meat is a clean, bright white. I always thought that the low salinity in the water may have caused this, but I guess not.

[jimdecoy]

Look like channel cats to me. All the channels on the bayous I grew up around had a yellow tint to the meat. There is a hydrid between a blue and cannel that is used to stock some bodies of water. Faster growing than a "high fin blue" and usually has the white meat but not always.

[longsidelandry]

The ones that are kinda yellow are mud cats, yellow cats and are commonly referred to as a goujon (sp?)

[huntin fool]

You got ya Ops, Blues, Channels, and Mud cats..


OPS BLUES and Channels are good to eat..

All the channel we usually catch have the yellow tint, but taste just fine.

[Deerfarmer]

My brother in Henderson requests the yellow cats when he buys catfish. He says they taste better. So does his wife and she grew up in Morgan City, raised by fishermen. Just saying. Never ate them myself. Would give them a try.