Are there any blues on Fork or at least maybe a small population that TPWD didn't stock in this lake? The reason why I ask is because there are a few people I have spoken to who say that there is a different type of blue, they call them "river blues" and or "high fin blues". Is there any truth to this?

Thanks

What I understand is that there are channel cat, blue cat and Appaloosa . I catch a very small amount of blues on Fork. That is not to say there aren�t that many, just the type of catfishing I do I don�t catch that many.

ok thanks, seems like on Fork drifting is completely out of the question.

I don't believe the whole difference in blue cats deal.. a blue cat is a blue cat..

As far as drifting goes, you can definitely catch channels using that technique. Just downsize baits and tackle a bit.

There are Channel Cats, Blue Cats, and Flatheads. There are nicknames for Blues and Flatheads but to your OP, a "high fin blue" is a Blue Cat.

D & B Strain Blue Catfish

The D&B strain of blue catfish got its name at the D&B Fish Farm in Crockett, which has since gone out of business. This famous strain was also shared by the Catfish Meadows hatchery, the precursor to Overton Fisheries, and continues to exist today as broodstock and fingerlings. Also know as �Forktail Cats, Silver Cats, White Cats, or Humpback Blues�, locally they are affectionly referred to as �High-Fin Blues�. We have customers all over the state of Texas that have purchased this strain from our hatchery for over 30 years. These customers are extremely loyal and just as attached to the stain as we are. It is not unusual for a customer to drive 200 miles to pick up 100 High-Fin Blues. These blue cats have the potential to outgrow channel catfish in your fishery, and they are twice the fighter. They will straighten a hook in seconds.

Species History and Development - The D&B strain of blue catfish got its name at the D&B Fish Farm in Crockett TX which is no longer in operation. This strain was developed from pure broodstock but cultivated for stocking private waters where feeding prepared fish food was sometimes used to allow for increased stocking rates. This strain was also shared by the Catfish Meadows hatchery and continues to exist today as broodstock and fingerlings at Overton Fisheries.

Average Life Span � Average 20 - 25 years

Spawning Season - Spawning occurs between late Spring and early Summer when temperatures are between 70 and 78 degrees.

Growth Rate � With adequate food supplies can grow from 5 pounds annually.

Maximum Size potential � Not unusually for adults to reach

Well????????

Sounds like a regular ol blue cat to me... lol

So back to the original question: Are there blue catfish on Lake Fork irregardless of what people might call them? According to the TPWD website's stocking history, the last time Blue catfish were stocked was 1985. So I guess at one time at least there were blues. I have heard many times from many people the blues that are there are small like 3 to 5 lbs. and there isn't a big population. Just wanted to get someone else's opinion on the matter.

Thanks

Yes there are blue cat in fork

yes they are there , ive only caught a few but bighest was 25 lbs .

I was told by several people that here are blue cats in Fork because there are blue cats in the Sabine river. Makes sense to me.

I wouldn�t think there is a lake of any size that doesn�t have blues

Lake Fork has Channels, Blues, and Yellows. However, it is mainly a ChannelCat Lake. I made the mistake & looked at the records (biggest caught of all 3). Due to my Catfish Calendar, the Tourney was to fall on BC days. So I geared bait towards Blues for both days. Me, my sister & my niece fell flat. I think my niece got 2 (only realized it when she reeled it in to check bait). The record of that tourney was about 13# & it was a ChannelCat. Caught on shrimp.

As to Blues, yes, my Dad called them Humpback Blues & he was a river fisherman. First time I heard of them as High Fin Blues was at Running Branch Marina at Lake Limestone. If not mistaken the record 36# for Limestone caught in February 2003 was a High Fin Blue. He got his certificate, but the record was broken again within a month. I myself have caught a lot of Humpback Blues in rivers mostly. Interesting as to the stocking. From what Ronny told me at Lake Limestone (he grew up on the river there before the lake), he said most in the Lake now are current bred. In other words, as to my understanding, they (most were not the original Blues.

If you look in the TP&W guide each year, it explain the Catfish, be it Blue, or Channel, as being or having hybrids and/or subspecies.

It does not mention that about Yellows, but as to my experience, I classify them as PJs or Ops. I have found that the Ops are, or have, some sort of splotchy skin or spots. Thus the title of Opelousas (like an Appaloosa horse, may not be spelled correctly), of which Op is the shortened name. But also, they tend to be shorter & stockier (more powerful). The Plain Janes tend to not have spots or splotches, but they tend to be longer & more pliable (strong, but not as much as the others. That is my observation over 40 years. My two YellowCat teachers (around 1979/1980) never shared their thoughts on that angle.

I catch a few blue catfish on Lake Fork. As far as drifting on Fork it does work but you do loose some tackle. When i drift i usually use some cut bait or shrimp. I like catching fish so mostly i achor or tie and use Stubbys Cheese bait.

Thanks for the input guys!

Nomenclature is a fun thing. It�s really neat to see the different names that fish get from different groups of people.

Female blues tend to have a much higher back this making the fin �higher� in which some gathered the name �high fin� or �hump back� lol

The male blue catfish has a much larger head and generally has a much flatter back thus keeping the dorsal fin somewhat �lower�

A blue cat is a blue cat...the difference is in the gender as far as anatomical difference and obviously some fish just look different than others.

Same for the Yellows. Also called Ops, Flatheads, ect.

Even after showing dozens of articles explaining this to my father, he will still stand on his head and explain to me all the different species of blues and yellows, lol it�s all good!

A blue is a blue, a channel is a channel, and a flathead is a flathead. There are blues, channels, and flatheads in almost all of the lakes around here. Always funny to me when people try to tell me the there are different types of blues and flatheads, kinda like when people catch a spawning white crappie and say it HAS to be a black crappie because it�s black.

About 10 years ago my family would meet my uncle at fork and we spend a weekend running trotlines and jugs on fork. We would catch 200-300 channel cats, maybe 10-15 blues and 2-3 big flat heads. Most blues were 5-10 pounds. They are definitely in the lake but they are far and few between at least for us they were.

I mostly agree, but as far as genetics go, you can have somewhat different fish of the same species. Take the Florida Large Mouth that is stocked in a lot of lakes in an attempt to get a record fish. Even some species of rattlesnake have slightly different venom from different regions. I've seen two documentary that said I believe the Rock Rattlesnake has different antivenom depending on what region you get bit in because the venom is different.