1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve always heard flatheads are hunters predators blah blah but I know plenty of folks that catch massive flathead on cutbait and massive blues on live bait also. They are catfish, they eat everything they can and then some more 

 

one thing is for sure, channel cats fight like crazy and blues will chomp down on your hand and won’t let go 

Along with avoiding being slimed, another reason why I use fish grippers when handling catfish.

I fish for them on purpose and even I try to keep them out of the boat for hook removal. They’re in their feed bag prespawn right now, that’s why you’re getting so many on bass baits. It will stop dead in a couple weeks when they start spawning. Then you are more apt to get one on a big if you drag it into their nest. Blues are every bit the open water predators that stripers are, and I think they are the best eating. 

On 5/13/2024 at 12:37 PM, gimruis said:

 

That's because its raw.  There's no kill step.  It relies on the end user (you) to properly wash it before eating it.

 

I think catfish is pretty good eating, but I don't target them and I've never caught one, so its kind of irrelevant for me personally.

 

On 5/13/2024 at 12:51 PM, MN Fisher said:

Everything you get from a grocery store, farmer's market, where-ever should be washed. Not only do you not know what chemicals were put on it, you don't know who handled it before you. If you don't wash your raw food before preparation...then it's on you.

 

I actually prefer bullhead over catfish...any I catch go in the livewell.

The products get recalled and you cannot wash e.coli off lettuce

That's not what I meant, specifically.  The first part of my post was not directly formulated for the second sentence in that post.  I see now why might think that.