Habitat Use of Yearling Blue Catfish Stocked into Hoover Reservoir, Ohio

Blue catfish are often stocked into reservoirs to diversify angling opportunities, but little is know about their habitat requirements.  Fifty hatchery-raised yearling blue catfish (25-30 cm) were surgically implanted with coded acoustic pingers prior to being stocked into Hoover Reservoir in October 2011.  Blue catfish locations were determined approximately every two weeks from stocking through November 2012, by navigating a fixed cruise path that covered the entire reservoir with an omni-directional hydrophone deployed off the side of the boat.   During each tracking trip we determined locations for 40-92% of the remaining study fish.  For each blue catfish location, we determined the distance from shore, distance from other study fish, abundance of preyfish in the area (from hydroacoustics), and depth of the water column.  Distance from shore and from the other telemetry fish did not vary by season, as blue catfish were typically clustered together in offshore areas.  Blue catfish were found in areas with preyfish abundances significantly higher than average only during summer.  Blue catfish occupied areas 4-10m deep, and depth of areas occupied by blue catfish varied significantly among seasons.  Fish were in the deepest areas during winter and spring, shallowest in summer, and at intermediate depths during fall.