August is More Than Hot, It's National Catfish Month!

Do you enjoy getting away from it all? Has the daily grind in the hot weather been a real bummer? Does a weekend or even an afternoon of kicking back and casting the reel with the cooler at your feet strike you as the best of times? Then maybe August is your month. That is if you like catfish.

"The catfish, is a plenty good enough fish for anyone," said the master of river stories, Mark Twain. From Maine to California, there seems to be no state in the union that can't accommodate that very notion with a river or lake that has plenty of catfish for the catching. In fact the catfish is the largest family of freshwater fish found in North America. With August being National Catfish Month maybe a well thought out fishing trip would be the perfect thing to end your summer right, and possibly land that trophy fish.

Though the plate sized catfish may be best for eating, the catfish can grow to extraordinary sizes. National Geographic sports a picture of a catfish caught in Thailand that may have broke the scales weighing in at 646 lbs. That's scary! Luckily, here in the U.S. the average size of a trophy fish is 30 lbs. The International Game and Fish Association says that the biggest catfish caught in the U.S. was a 124 lb. blue catfish pulled out of the Mississippi river. The Department of Natural Resources in your state will probably have a fishing report on their website, along with lots of useful information on what type of catfish are native or stocked in your area, and what waterways are having the best fishing results. If you are planning on a little noodling, the art of hand catching catfish from their nesting holes, check out the laws in your state. Most states in the U.S. have a ban on noodling. Don't forget your fishing license!

If there's no real time to get away from that more than hectic schedule, just being able to unwind with a wonderful catfish meal could satisfy the mood just as well. That is what the Department of Agriculture had in mind when they declared that August is National Catfish month. No longer do you have to get your hands dirty baiting the hook or smell the stink bait, never again do you have to slip and fall out of the boat and into the lake. In restaurants around the country or delivered right to your door, the farm-raised catfish is ready to land easily on your plate.

August has been known as National Catfish Month since 1995, perhaps helping the marketability of catfish to where by 2005, farm-raised catfish had became America's 4^th most popular fish. The Catfish Institute, headquartered in Jackson Mississippi, has played a huge part in creating the awareness of farm-raised catfish. They are a not for profit organization formed in 1986 and funded by the dues of their farmer, processor, feed producer, members. The Catfish Institute implemented it's own stringent quality control with it's members and in 1987 contracted the Department of Commerce to conduct weekly inspections. The Food and Drug Administration introduced it's Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points for the entire seafood industry which includes fresh water farm-raised fish, in 1994.

Don't be concerned about what to do with that catfish to get it to your plate, The Catfish Institute has over a hundred catfish recipes, from simple to those that would flatter any gourmet. They also have free video tutorials for those of us who lack those gourmet culinary skills. Grilled lemon grass catfish with hoisin-ginger sauce, Cajun catfish dip, catfish smothered with spring onions and morels! They will have you hooked! Catfish is low in sodium and a good source of thiamin, niacin, potassium and selenium, also protein, vitamin B12 and phosphorus.

"The catfish is a plenty good enough fish for anyone," and no one will have any trouble getting all the catfish they can eat. According to the Department of Agriculture, in January of 2007 there were over 1000 farming operations in 11 states. Over 162,000 acres of water are devoted specifically to raising catfish. Mississippi leads the way with 370 farming operations using 94,000 acres of water.

Whether you are planning that August fishing trip, or beating the elements and eating in or dining out consider the catfish, as American as apple pie, with the added bonus of supporting U.S. agriculture.

Sources:

The Catfish Institute

5420 I-55 North, Suite F

Jackson, Mississippi 39211

The United States Department of Agriculture website.

Planet Catfish

The International Game and Fish Association

ABC News.Com, John Berman Correspondent, July 29, 2007.