Smaller blue cats are becoming common in the Chattahoochee River. Photo by Bob Kornegay.

In most parts of the country in which catfish abound, the general sense is that that the whiskered fish are usually most successfully sought during hot weather -- often the hotter the better. Knowing that, one must surmise that August catfish angling in a summer hotspot like southeast Alabama must be very good indeed.

And, truth be told, it is, and always has been. Now more than ever, fishermen are coming to realize this in ever-larger numbers.

Though always regionally popular as a food fish, the catfish was until recently felt to merit little more than second-class-sportfish status in Alabama. After all, this widespread denizen of the state’s warm fresh waters is homely, slimy and far from glamorous. Largemouth bass are much prettier and better publicized. Crappie and bluegills are also apt to steal Mr. Whiskers’ thunder. The catfish is . . . well -- just an old catfish.

Slowly but surely, however, the catfish’s Rodney Dangerfield reputation and longstanding angler perceptions of its sporting qualities have changed. Fishermen in southeast Bama are fast learning that catfish are hard-fighting blue-collar opponents that often grow to gargantuan sizes. They can also be much easier to catch than are largemouths and their kin, falling prey to simpler techniques and tactics. Add to this the fact that catfish remain the most popular freshwater food fish in the state, and you can see why minds are changing.

Noted authors like Keith “‘Catfish”‘ Sutton and Jeff Samsel have popularized catfishing through their writings, while competitive catfish tournaments continue to grow in scope and number. In Alabama, talk is rife among state game and fish officials of possibly extending to catfish a measure of regulatory protection -- something that it hasn’t heretofore generally been deemed worthy of.

Owing to the ever-growing level of respect now afforded the once-lowly cat, it’s likely that increasing numbers of anglers in the southeast part of the Cotton State will continue to take to the water in search of the whiskered ones. And well they should: Their quadrant of the state abounds with prime catfish haunts and habitats. Hot though it may be, catfish and catfishermen love the dog days of summer.

What follows is a look at the catfish in this corner of the Heart of Dixie, and at some destinations one might opt to visit while looking to catch a mess this month.

THE CATS
Nearly a dozen species of catfish have at least minimal ranges in southeast Alabama. Of these, the tiny madtoms, though interesting and attractive, don’t warrant categorization as sportfish. For the most part, catfish anglers here encounter channel, blue, flathead, and white catfish, as well as a handful of bullhead species large enough to provide light-tackle sport and decent table fare.

The blue catfish is usually pale blue in color with a deeply forked tail and white chin barbels. Either its upper and lower jaws meet evenly, or the upper jaw projects slightly beyond the lower jaw. The anal fin of a blue cat has 30 or more soft rays; the outside edge of this fin is straight.

Historically, the natural range of the blue cat hasn’t taken in much of southeast Alabama, but it’s increased through the years owing to stream-to-stream migration as well as intentional and accidental introductions.

Blue catfish prefer riverine and reservoir habitats. Larger individuals are usually encountered in tailwaters below dams, where currents over substrates consisting of sand, gravel, and rock are swift. They also like to congregate in holes around deeply submerged treetops. Blue cats are opportunistic feeders, consuming live or dead fish and various invertebrates with relish.