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White Catfish Are Showing Up More Often in Tennessee Waters
Something strange is happening in the Tennessee River near Chattanooga. White catfish that used to be almost impossible to find are now turning up more and more each year.
These unusual fish are called piebald or leucistic catfish. The white color comes from their skin lacking pigment in certain spots or sometimes all over their body. They look different from albino fish because piebalds don’t have the pink or red eyes that true albinos have.
An aerial view of the Tennessee River where rare white catfish are turning up in increasing numbers each year
Local fishing guides who have worked these waters for decades say the change is real. One guide who has been targeting catfish for 30 years caught tens of thousands of cats over the years without seeing a single piebald fish for the first 25 years. The first one he knew about personally was caught by Captain Sam Simons in 2019.
Since then, the numbers keep going up. In just the last three years, guides and serious catfish anglers in the area have caught more than 15 piebald catfish. That might not sound like much, but for fish this rare, it’s a big deal.
Captain Aaron Massey, a professional guide, explains why these catches get everyone excited: “When your client is reeling in what you think is just a regular 15-pound catfish, then it comes close to the boat and you realize it’s a piebald, a routine catch suddenly becomes a lot more exciting.”
These white catfish have become the “Holy Grail” for serious catfish anglers. When photos hit social media, they often go viral. Three years ago, a 15-year-old named Edwards Tarumianz caught one that made news around the world, appearing in major magazines and newspapers. Tennessee isn’t the only place seeing more piebald catfish. Milford Lake in Kansas is famous for them now. Biologists there found that over 13 percent of blue catfish in that lake show piebald coloring. The Tennessee River numbers aren’t nearly that high, but they’re definitely increasing.
Piebald catfish lack pigmentation in patches, creating this striking white appearance that differs from true albino fish
Wildlife biologists think the piebald gene can be passed down from parent fish to their offspring. Since most anglers release these rare catches, those genes stay in the water and get passed along to the next generation.
The catch-and-release approach seems to be working. As Captain Massey puts it, “The increasing numbers of leucistic blue cats in our area is proof that catch and release works to keep favorable genes in our waters.”
Before you start planning your next fishing trip around catching a white catfish, remember that they’re still extremely rare. The odds of catching one are probably worse than winning money on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
The white coloring also makes these fish easy targets for predators when they’re young, so many don’t make it to adult size.
Still, the fact that more anglers are seeing them gives hope that responsible fishing practices can help keep unique fish like these in our waters for future generations to enjoy.
The post White Catfish Are Showing Up More Often in Tennessee Waters appeared first on OutdoorHub.
Continue reading...
White Catfish Are Showing Up More Often in Tennessee Waters
Something strange is happening in the Tennessee River near Chattanooga. White catfish that used to be almost impossible to find are now turning up more and more each year.
These unusual fish are called piebald or leucistic catfish. The white color comes from their skin lacking pigment in certain spots or sometimes all over their body. They look different from albino fish because piebalds don’t have the pink or red eyes that true albinos have.
An aerial view of the Tennessee River where rare white catfish are turning up in increasing numbers each year
Local fishing guides who have worked these waters for decades say the change is real. One guide who has been targeting catfish for 30 years caught tens of thousands of cats over the years without seeing a single piebald fish for the first 25 years. The first one he knew about personally was caught by Captain Sam Simons in 2019.
Since then, the numbers keep going up. In just the last three years, guides and serious catfish anglers in the area have caught more than 15 piebald catfish. That might not sound like much, but for fish this rare, it’s a big deal.
Captain Aaron Massey, a professional guide, explains why these catches get everyone excited: “When your client is reeling in what you think is just a regular 15-pound catfish, then it comes close to the boat and you realize it’s a piebald, a routine catch suddenly becomes a lot more exciting.”
These white catfish have become the “Holy Grail” for serious catfish anglers. When photos hit social media, they often go viral. Three years ago, a 15-year-old named Edwards Tarumianz caught one that made news around the world, appearing in major magazines and newspapers. Tennessee isn’t the only place seeing more piebald catfish. Milford Lake in Kansas is famous for them now. Biologists there found that over 13 percent of blue catfish in that lake show piebald coloring. The Tennessee River numbers aren’t nearly that high, but they’re definitely increasing.
Piebald catfish lack pigmentation in patches, creating this striking white appearance that differs from true albino fish
Wildlife biologists think the piebald gene can be passed down from parent fish to their offspring. Since most anglers release these rare catches, those genes stay in the water and get passed along to the next generation.
The catch-and-release approach seems to be working. As Captain Massey puts it, “The increasing numbers of leucistic blue cats in our area is proof that catch and release works to keep favorable genes in our waters.”
Before you start planning your next fishing trip around catching a white catfish, remember that they’re still extremely rare. The odds of catching one are probably worse than winning money on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
The white coloring also makes these fish easy targets for predators when they’re young, so many don’t make it to adult size.
Still, the fact that more anglers are seeing them gives hope that responsible fishing practices can help keep unique fish like these in our waters for future generations to enjoy.
The post White Catfish Are Showing Up More Often in Tennessee Waters appeared first on OutdoorHub.
Continue reading...