# "Collected" last night...



## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Perhaps this should go under "What new fish did you get today ?"
But I don't have a clue as to which type it is. Sorry the picture is out of focus but he won't stop even for a second
as long as I have the light on and I am holding a camera over him.
I assume the color is because it is a juvenile. But the wide mouth, more forward than under as in Channel Cats
usually are indicate something to me which I'll keep to myself till I get a couple of replies.
The fish is transparent except for the spots and you can clearly see organs etc.
I've been looking for a predator to cut down on the number of least killifish young in this tank(the one I might put him in)
but knowing how hard it is to get him back out leads me to investigate further first.
Regular fish, I've found out, are easy to catch at night when they are sleeping. Cats, being nocturnal, could mess that up
if you see what I mean.
Even guesses are welcomed as I think, but am holding back on saying I know what it is.
Roughly about 2" long.


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## vicdad999999 (Aug 27, 2013)

ill take a guess to get it rolling. Brown bullhead?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I'll go with yellow bullhead.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Well actually I missed the part where it has a head a bit larger than most cats usually do. Bullheads do fit that description.
I found it odd that this one was alone. I was collecting on the edge of a lake at a place where the water is very shallow and
the smaller fish often sleep. I'm talking minnow size mostly. Usually on previous occasions that I've caught baby cats they have
had the full color of the adult, A and the ones that I identified as bullheads from the fin configuration(obvious difference as
bullheads have almost continuous long fins from anal opening to tail somewhat like the bowfin) had that full color also even
though they were a bit smaller than this one is. They also were all caught in multiples. and their behavior patterns were
just a bit different too. Any channel or blue cat babies were always in large schools of at least dozens but when I've caught
bullheads before (the babies) it has always been just a few of them hiding under some leaves on the bottom and scooping them
up has been a matter of random luck and usually two or three at a time.
This fish which I got last night was totally alone. Where I was is Lake Ouachita in Arkansaw and it's crystal clear water unless 
the bottom is disturbed. I watched him for a couple of minuits before getting him.
I hope your right about what kind it is much more so that I do about my guess. I didn't say what I thought it was before as
I didn't want to "lead-the-witness so to speak. A Bullhead will stay small for quite some time and is a true scavenger so It may
be suitable for a ten gallon tank for a while. I really hope your right about the Bullhead thing. The last thing in the world
one would want even less than a baby brim in a ten gallon tank would be to have a baby Flathead in a ten gallon tank.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I'm no expert on catfish (or natives), but maybe a Madtom catfish? They're generally less than 4" long, and can be light colored like that.

Edit:
And apparently there's a species exclusive to Arkansas, and especially the Ouachita River. Look up Ouachita Madtom, look similar?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Ok I did some homework and it seems as though it just might be one of those Ouachita Matdoms from the pictures especially if you
scroll down to where your slide bar is about one third the way down the side. There are four on two rows there which have the splotches
in the color fairly the same as this one. Now I will have to keep it. I saw a couple more of them there not far away like maybe 15' or
so and they were patrolling the bank line. I've found other catfish here that looked different though until Friday the ones I've seen have been dark in color. But they still have that body style of large head and thin elsewhere/w a tail different looking than Channel or Blue.
Very small but they were in small groups and I would often get a couple each time I scooped. I just thought and probably still think they
were Bullheads. But this has such different colors...I'll go to the Game & Fish Mon.


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