Roger's Angling Pages
The Horned Pout Ictalurus nebulosus		North-American Catfish family Ictaluridae

At the end of the last century some American fishes were experimentally climatised in Europe. One of these was the Horned Pout and economic and sporting hopes were held out for this fish. It spread quickly down the Elbe, the Danube and into central Europe. It also entered the Seine, from where it penetrated other French rivers.

The Horned Pout has a naked body and 8 sensitive barbels on its head. The dorsal fin is larger than that of the Catfish and has a hard saw-edged ray. There is a small adipose fin to the rear of its back as in the Salmon family. The anal fin is considerably shorter than that of the Catfish. The body is a golden brown in colour with darker shades. It rarely reaches a weight of 1 lb, although in its homeland it can weigh over 2 lb, but does not live any longer. In European waters it usually lives up to 5 years. It breeds in June and the male looks after several thousand yellowish eggs. It looks for food on the soft bottom, especially in the evening and at night.

Anglers do not like this fish as it greedily swallows the bait with the hook deep down into its stomach before other fishes can get to it. Subsequent removal of the hook is very difficult. Anglers also complain about the sharp rays in the pectoral and dorsal fins, which have poisonous glands at their base. They can cause injuries which heal very slowly. Beginners like to fish for the Horned Pout as it is a very encouraging fish, which always rises to the bait, even though other fishes may have lost their appetites. Fishing for it in the undergrowth is usually done by float fishing or ledgering on the bottom with worms or pieces of fish.