The blue catfish is one of the largest North American catfish. They have dark bodies and a white chin with whiskers for smelling. Like most catfish they have very smooth skin and prominent spines in their pectoral and dorsal fins.
Blue cats live in the entire Mississippi River drainage basin where they prefer deep pools with structure, such as ledges and fallen timber.
They are often caught on live and dead bait fished on the bottom. Large specimens are often caught in deep pools around dams.