Anarhichas lupus
Other Names
Wolf Fish
Distinguishing features
The catfish or wolf fish is a long bodied species with no pelvic fins. The dorsal and anal fins are long with the dorsal starting above the gill plate. At the tail end the dorsal fin is convex at the junction with the body. The large head contains a mouth with canine like teeth and crushing teeth inside. The body colour varies from reddish brown to bluey grey with darker vertical bands which also feature on the dorsal.
Size
The catfish can reach a length of 1.5 metres and weights of 18 kg.
British Record Fish List
UK Shore Record: 12lb 12oz 8dms / 5.797kgs
UK Boat Record: 26lb 4oz 0dms / 11.906kgs
European Line Class Record for this species
Habitat
Found in numbers around Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland in depths from 10 metres to 300 metres. Further south it is rarely found in depths of less than 60 metres. It prefers hard seabed but will be found on mud or sand.
Food
Catfish feed on crustaceans and molluscs as well as sea urchins.
Bait
Squid is an effective bait for catfish as are mussels and fish such as blueys.
Lures
Catfish will take pirks either with or without bait.
