Dale Broughton, an Ohio River catfish guide, helps angler Austen Leach pose with a big blue cat caught near Cincinnati. Photo courtesy of Dale Broughton.

Finally, the state’s largest game fish -- the blue catfish -- has been removed from the state’s endangered species list. Buckeye State anglers may now legally pursue this giant of the Ohio River system. Joint studies conducted on the Ohio River with the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODW) and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) found enough numbers of blue catfish to warrant downlisting it to a "Species of Concern."

"Our studies indicated the numbers of blue catfish were more abundant then first thought," said fisheries biologist Rich Zweifel, of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

"Our sampling on the Meldahl Pool found good numbers of big blue catfish between 40 and 42 pounds, with a few over 50 pounds."

The blue catfish is one of the nation’s largest freshwater species. The all-tackle record is 124 pounds, one caught from the Mississippi River in Illinois.

Another giant, taken below the Cannelton Dam on the Ohio River, weighed 104 pounds and is the current state record for both Indiana and Kentucky.

COMING FULL CIRCLE
According to Mike Greenlee, an ODNR fisheries biologist, populations of blue catfish in the Ohio River above the Greenup Dam are low, in comparison to the larger populations in the Meldahl and Markland pools.

"The downlisting opens up future possibilities of rearing and stocking blue cats into Ohio’s lakes," added Scott Hale, Inland Fisheries Program administrator for the ODNR. West Virginia is currently the only state stocking blue catfish in the Ohio River.

According to Milton Trautman’s book Fishes of Ohio, blue catfish were common in the Ohio River before 1911, when the first dams were constructed. The largest blue catfish that Trautman observed was a 92-pounder caught in the Ohio River near Higginsport.

WHAT’S A BLUE CAT?
Blue catfish and channel catfish closely resemble each other.

"The real difference lies in the anal fin," said Doug Maloney, fisheries biologist for the ODNR.

"The length of the anal fin on a blue catfish is longer then that of a channel cat. Blue catfish have 30 to 36 rays on the lower anal fin, while a channel catfish has between 24 and 30 rays.

"The outside edge of the anal fin on a blue catfish is almost straight, while the anal fin on a channel catfish has a rounded edge." Also, Maloney said, any "channel" cat over 40 inches long is probably a blue catfish.

Dale Broughton, a veteran catfish guide on the Ohio River, has caught many blue catfish over the years, including one 50-pounder taken near Cincinnati. During summer and fall, Broughton said, "Current is critical when fishing for blue catfish. The cooler the water gets, the better the conditions for big fish. Fishing is the best from October through winter.

"Look for big deep-water pockets. In winter, fish around river bends, holes and ledges, from 40 to 65 feet deep."