How big do whiptail catfish get?

How does a catfish identify a conspecific?

Through these pheromones, a catfish can identify not only the species and sex of a conspecific, but also its age, size, reproductive state, or hierarchical social status. Territoriality in channel catfish is identifiable by a change in body odor, which is recognizable by other members of the same species.

How big is a wels catfish?

Mythology and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions, yet to be proven scientifically. The average size of the species is about 1.2-1.6 m (3.9-5.2 ft), and fish more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) are rare. However, they are known to exceed 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length and 100 kilograms (220 lb) in weight.

Can a wels catfish swim backwards?

Wels swim in a fashion similar to eels, and so can swim backwards. With a total length possibly exceeding 3 m (9.8 ft) and a maximum weight of over 200 kg (440 lb), the wels catfish is the second-largest freshwater fish in Europe and Western Asia after the beluga sturgeon.

How much does a giant wels catfish weigh?

The average weight of this fish species is 5100-300 lb, but there have been frequent cases where they weigh up to 800 lb. In fact, the giant wels catfish world record was set by this fish. There have been stories of these creatures weighing up to 800 lb, although there is no proof for such claims.

What is the biggest wels catfish ever caught?

On 21 June 2018, a 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) long and 117 kg (258 lb) heavy wels catfish was caught in the Gruža Lake in Serbia. It took 4 fishermen and 3 hours to get it out of the water. The largest accurate weight was 144 kg (317 lb) for a 2.78 m (9 ft 1 in) long specimen from the Po Delta in Italy.

How big do catfishes get?

Catfishes range in size from a few inches to a few feet. The one Ferrari caught is reportedly a wels catfish, which can get up to 15 feet long, making this 8.75-foot long catfish barely above average.

Where do wels catfish live?

The wels catfish lives in large, warm lakes and deep, slow-flowing rivers. It prefers to remain in sheltered locations such as holes in the riverbed, sunken trees, etc. It consumes its food in the open water or in the deep, where it can be recognized by its large mouth. Wels catfish are kept in fish ponds as food fish .

What does a wels catfish look like?

Like many other catfish species, the Wels Catfish can be characterized by: A long, mucus-coated, scale-less body and a sideways flattened tail. Triangular-shaped head, accounting for about 20% of its body length.

Is the wels catfish the perfect fish for You?

Then the wels catfish is the perfect fish for you. Also called the European wels catfish, this European native fish has caught the attention of anglers and fishers worldwide. The wels catfish record exists for being one of the biggest, most dangerous freshwater fish you could have ever run into.

How long did it take Ferrari to catch the wels catfish?

It took Ferrari 40 minutes to catch the Wels catfish and he decided to release the fish back into the water so he could be caught again in the future. Record Lau-Lau (Piraiba)

Do wels catfish attack humans?

There are various reports of wels catfish attacking humans although these are unconfirmed. Due to the large size of some of the bigger sheatfish there is little doubt that they could attack humans successfully although it is not known whether the fish will knowingly attack such large prey.

How many babies do wels catfish have?

The female Wels catfish can lay up to 500,000 eggs at a time. Most of these babies will be eaten by other predators including other wels catfish. Catfish spawning season is during spring and early summer when the waters are warmer. Male catfish will make a nest out of tree roots and underwater vegetation.

What is the ecological impact of the wels catfish?

There are concerns about the ecological impact of introducing the wels catfish to regions where it is not native. Following the introduction of wels catfish, populations of other fish species have undergone steep declines.

How big was the giant wels catfish caught by Dino Ferrari?

Dino Ferrari hooked the huge wels catfish, which was 2.67m in length, last week in the Po Delta in Italy. The cannibalistic wels catfish, also known as the sheatfish, is native to Europe and can grow as long as 13ft and up to 62st – but it is exceedingly rare to catch one that is over two metres long.

What is the world record for a wels catfish?

‘Longer than me’. “Normally I don’t catch anything, so this was quite nice,” said Mr Jones, who has been fishing for more than 20 years. The current world record for a wels catfish is 250lb 3oz (113.5kg). A Mekong giant catfish, caught in Thailand in 2005, is the biggest catfish ever caught in the world and weighed 646lb (293kg).

What type of fish is a WELS?

The wels (/ ˈwɛls / or / ˈvɛls /; Silurus glanis), also called sheatfish, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas.

Where do catfish live in Europe?

Wels Catfish is native to Eurasia, including the waters of the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian, Aral, and Aegean Sea drainages; an area spanning central and Eastern Europe from Germany and Poland to western and central Asia. The native distribution of this species extends as far north as southern Sweden and as far south as Greece, Turkey, and Iran.

Is this the biggest wels catfish caught in the UK?

Chris Flook caught the 72lb 2oz (32.6kg) catfish, also called ‘sheatfish,’ from the Specimen Carp Lake at Anglers Paradise in Beaworthy near Exeter. Owner of fishing and holiday location Anglers Paradise, Zyg Gregorek told Plymouth Live he believes it is the biggest Wels Catfish born and bred in the UK, as opposed to being imported in.

Are Wels catfish in the Ebro River?

In Spain, wels catfish have become a dominant predatory fish in the Ebro river basins, where establishment is likely to have been aided by the relatively warm water temperatures experienced in the region.

What does the tapetum lucidum look like in Wels catfish?

Camera flash reflection from the tapetum lucidum in a Wels catfish. The wels catfish’s mouth contains lines of numerous small teeth, two long barbels on the upper jaw and four shorter barbels on the lower jaw. It has a long anal fin that extends to the caudal fin, and a small sharp dorsal fin relatively far forward.

What are the characteristics of the wels catfish?

The wels catfish’s mouth contains lines of numerous small teeth, two long barbels on the upper jaw and four shorter barbels on the lower jaw. It has a long anal fin that extends to the caudal fin, and a small sharp dorsal fin relatively far forward.

How big do wels catfish get in Hungary?

(According to the Hungarian naturalist Ottó Hermann [1835-1914], catfish of 300–400 kilograms were also caught in Hungary in the old centuries from the Tisza river.) Most adult wels catfish are about 1.3–1.6 m (4 ft 3 in–5 ft 3 in) long; fish longer than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) are a rarity.

How long do wels catfish live?

Wels catfish can live for at least fifty years. The wels catfish lives in large, warm lakes and deep, slow-flowing rivers. It prefers to remain in sheltered locations such as holes in the riverbed, sunken trees, etc.

Do wels catfish eat red worms?

They can also eat red worms in the fall, but only the river species. The wels catfish has also been observed taking advantage of large die-offs of Asian clams to feed on the dead clams at the surface of the water during the daytime.

Why do wels catfish grow bigger in the winter?

This is because the south benefits from ever so slightly warmer weather, with milder spring and autumn periods, meaning that the feeding year is extended, allowing the fish to grow to larger sizes. Wels catfish are principally summer feeders and as long as temperatures are reasonably high, will feed at pretty much any time of the day or night.

What is the biggest catfish caught with a rod and line?

Giant 8ft 9in catfish weighing 19 stone caught in Italy is thought to be the biggest ever reeled in with a rod and line. A fisherman has caught a giant 8ft 9in long catfish weighing 19 stone – and it could be the biggest ever caught with the humble rod and line.

What is the best bait for wels catfish?

As already been mentioned the most popular Catfish baits are coarse fish as live or deadbaits. Baits used to catch Wels Catfish Pre baiting or groundbaiting for cats in these areas can produce good results. Smelly fishmeal based mixes are a good attractor for Wels Catfish.