The catfish gets its name from its whiskers around its mouth. Channel cats have a smooth skin and no scales. They have one sharp spine on each side near the gills as shown above.
They have spots along their body but the larger they get the spots tend to disappear. Sometimes mistaken for a blue catfish, you can tell the difference by looking at the anal fin on the bottom of the fish which is more rounded on the channels.
Channels can grow to be quite large the world record being 58 pounds but most average 2 to 4 pounds depending on the lake and food supply. The one shown here is the 6-8 inch size.
Although they normally feed on the bottom, channels also will feed at the surface such as when eating pellet feed. Contrary to popular belief the common food of catfish is not carrion. They use taste buds in their whiskers and body to locate prey.