Channel catfish is my new favorite freshwater fish!
The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are found in heavy current and most divers and spearfishermen have rarely even seen this type of catfish. It’s called “barbu” in Québec and here is the government chart for the fish : https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/faune/peche/poissons/barbue.jsp
To be honest, it’s barely “spearfishable”. You may shoot one by chance once in a while if you hunt deep close to channels swept by heavy currents, but to actually target them is on the insane endeavor level for most people. That said, with the new provincial regulations banning walleye, we’ve been reduced to hunt for fish far too easy to shoot (bass), so this is quite a find for us. It took us three years to find this new challenge in the St-Laurent, but here it is! This renews my love for the seaway spearfishing. This is a game changer and may be the single good thing about 2020.
Fun fact: It looks like a killshot, but it wasn’t a killshot… the fish spouted shit high in the air once in the boat… and JJ got some in his mouth! You can see him gagging at the end mouahahaha.
Do subscribe to my chanel! I need to buy new cameras!