Dave -- I've supposedly learned NEVER to say never. However, I have never seen a pod or ball of small channel catfish like we commonly see for the bullheads. I worked with a lot of channel cat populations when I was a state biologist in KS. Maybe we've got some people with more expertise than me who can correct me, but I've sure never seen it. With the bullies, you can't miss it. Similarly, I've never known flatheads to do that, either. Again, maybe they do, but it sure wasn't visible to me. I've never worked where there were blue or white catfish, so can't comment on that.
You certainly are right about the vulnerability of catfish, though. When I was in school, I was taught how channel catfish won't recruit in a pond or small public impoundment if there is much of a largemouth bass population. I really wasn't sure that I completely bought the idea that 100% of the small channel cats would be eaten (maybe a high percentage, but not all). Man, I learned it was true when I worked in KS. If we skipped a stocking (such as 10-in fish) of channel cats, there was no year class of cats produced that year if that small public impoundment had a reasonable largemouth bass population.
So, perhaps one of the wiser catfish meisters can tell us why they are so vulnerable??
