This book is important because it marks history that catfish anglers have long hoped for. While other books about catfishing have been written, none are so comprehensive in their coverage and so impressive in their illustration of this topic of concern to almost 10 million catfish anglers. This marks history because even ten years ago the production of a book such as this would have been unthinkable, for until recently, most of the fishing world still considered catfish and catfish anglers a nonentity in fishing. Cat fishing has come of age for the first time in the long history of fishing.

So long overdue, when one realized that catfish are, as much as any group of fish, the fish of the present and the future. Channel catfish, in particular, are as adaptable and therefore widespread as almost any other fish in fresh water. And they grow large and fight hard, besides being superb table fare. Flathead catfish and blue catfish also are widely available, but it is their availability in combination with their awesome size potential that compels anglers today. Catfish are readily available and not heavily overfished, as is the case with so many other popular sportfish in North America.