Catfish in Rideau River (rather vague question)

[bassetluv]

A couple of weeks ago I took my dog to the park - along the Rideau River - and she was just going to go into the water for a wade when I noticed a rather peculiar fish. Right at the edge of the river, hanging around one of the rocks, was a small catfish. This guy was probably about 1" to 1-1/2" long, and was pure black. But he definitely looked like a cat, had the barbs around his mouth and the longish body.

So I'm just curious...of the species of cats that live in the Rideau River, are their babies black? Or could this have been a fish that someone 'dumped' into the river? I watched him for several minutes - before my dog got impatient and plunged in, sending the fish running for cover. He appeared briefly a few moments later, and then was gone.

Someone satisfy my curiosity and let me know what I saw, if you can! 

[plecoL83]

Yes, you saw a catfish from your discription and chances are it was a small channel cat or bullhead (also catfish) only difference one has a skare tail (bullhead) and the channel cat has a forked tail, there backs are dark dark brown when they mature andthey are almost solide black when they are young and yes that would make sense of him hanging near the egde of the water where he has less of a chance of being eaten.

[bassetluv]

Oh, that does answer my question...thank you! I didn't know that in the wild, baby cats could be black. In past years I've seen/heard the adults in the spring, thrashing about in the reeds along the shore (LOL...they're so rambunctious that they scared my 53-lb dog), but this is the first time I've seen a young one.

Curiosity satisfied...thank you...! 

[featherfin]

sounds like a barbot

[PoisonJello]

barbut, mudpout, bullhead are all the same fish it is blackish in color and yes the tail is strait or square, average size under 12" (catfish family). a catfish looks almost the same but is more grey in colour and has forked tail also gets much larger over 12"

either one is good eating

[featherfin]

don't know if i'd eat anything from the rideau river seems a little polluted

[rXcanadensis]

A catfish from the Rideau river or a salmon from the Pacific ocean... There's probably not a huge difference in the safety of eating them...