Photo by RON SINFELT

Anglers visiting the Mobile Delta for the first time are amazed at the beauty and complexity of this natural estuary system. The scenery is only matched by the outdoor opportunities the area offers. The many creeks, lakes and bayous all but scream out to the anglers, “Fish here!”

The delta of the Mobile and Tensaw rivers is the second-largest such floodplain in the U.S., second only to the Mississippi River Delta. The Mobile Delta is 30 miles long and 12 miles wide. All of its waters empty into the north end of Mobile Bay.

The Mobile Delta is home to over 30 species of mammals, including hogs, deer and turkeys. This wetland is also a sanctuary for a multitude of fish -- even saltwater species, when brackish waters back up into it.

With so much water in such a vast area to fish, plenty of options are present here. But one fish, however, doesn’t get the attention it deserves: the catfish.

CATFISH POSSIBILITIES
Even though catfish don’t feel that much pressure in the Mobile Delta, they’re plentiful. Three species are common in the region: blues, channels and flatheads (often referred to as “yellow cats”) -- all possible catches in the Delta. For the professionals’ view on Delta catfish, the local fisheries officials are the experts.

Dave Armstrong, District Five Supervisor for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, sees a strong and viable catfish population thriving as he goes about administering his region, which includes the Delta.

“We have three species of catfish available to anglers in our Delta waters,” said Armstrong. “While the sizes these cats reach are not huge, the numbers make up for the size. Blue catfish in the Delta average 2 to 5 pounds. Channel catfish average 1 1/2 to 5 pounds. Flatheads average 2 to 10 pounds, with an occasional bigger fish landed. Blues and channels are regular catches, while the flatheads are not as common.”

While doing studies on catfish, Armstrong has discovered that the cats are prepared to dine from a very wide menu.

“Catfish feed on a variety of things. The larger catfish that are able to battle strong currents will feed on crawfish, small bream, shad, small frogs, salamanders and various insects. The smaller fish focus on juvenile fish, minnows and insects normally found near the bottom of the water column in lesser current,” Armstrong explained.

While most rod-and-reel anglers choose to target catfish in daylight hours, Armstrong believes that the success ratio between night-angling and daytime fishing is significant. “The catfish are more tactile feeders,” he explained, “meaning they can sense their prey a lot better in dark conditions due to the sensitivity of their barbels and whiskers as they move slowly along the bottom. This makes catfish much more adept at night feeding than other species.”

Another sense that catfish use more than do most other species is smell. Because of this trait, baits with a strong odor lure the catfish. With this in mind, Armstrong has his ideas on which catfish baits are best.