Fish guide

Sea Catfish (hazard)

Hardhead and gafftopsail catfish.

A hardhead sea catfish with long whisker barbels near the sandy bottom

Not prohibited in Alabama; listed for identification.

Showing the fish for Alabama coast, AL.

Season in Alabama

Peak months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

JFMAMJJASOND

Same as hardhead-catfish. (Our inference)

Season by region

Southwest Florida
JFMAMJJASOND
Tampa Bay
JFMAMJJASOND
Big Bend
JFMAMJJASOND
Panhandle
JFMAMJJASOND
Alabama
JFMAMJJASOND
Mississippi
JFMAMJJASOND
Louisiana
JFMAMJJASOND
Upper Texas
JFMAMJJASOND
Middle Texas
JFMAMJJASOND
Lower Texas
JFMAMJJASOND

Handling

  • Venomous, serrated dorsal and pectoral spines

Do not grab it. Pin it with a towel or your foot, unhook with long pliers, or cut the line.

Keep or release

Legal to keep; seldom eaten (LSU).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the AL limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Alabama Marine Resources Division before you keep a fish.

Sources

All the fish of Alabama

Sea Catfish (hazard): season, lures and limits | FishOS