Description: The Gafftopsail Catfish is bluish-gray overall with silvery sides and a white belly. It has a robust body with a depressed broad head featuring a few flattened barbels. The dorsal and pectoral fins have greatly elongated spines. Gafftopsails prefer deeper channels, particularly brackish water in bays and estuaries with sandy bottoms of high organic content. They prefer water temperatures between 68° to 95°F. The average size of the Gafftopsails is usually less than 1 pound to 1½ pounds and up to 17 inches in length, but they can reach up to 10 pounds and 36 inches.
