Why Do Catfish Come To The Surface?

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What is true is that seeing a catfish during the daytime is fairly rare, and even rarer is seeing a catfish on the surface during the daytime. Now, catfish are known for liking deep water as they do like to hide and feed off the bottom, but with that being said, they do sometimes come to the surface. So, why do catfish come to the surface?

Catfish come to the surface to feed if there isn’t enough food on the bottom, they will also surface to breathe because there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water. The other common reason is for mating purposes, which always takes place in shallower waters. 

Why Do Catfish Come To The Surface?

As mentioned above, there are three main reasons why catfish may come to the surface. So let’s take a quick look at all three of them right now.

To Eat

What is important to note here is that catfish do tend to be bottom feeders and scavengers, so they will spend most of their time feeding on the bottom.

However, with that being said, if they’re hungry and there just isn’t enough food around, then they may very well come to the surface in search of food, particularly during the night time when they are the most active and the chances of eaten by a predator are the lowest.

Moreover, if they happen to spot or smell at hasty meal near or on the surface, they may very well be lured in.

Yes, whether we are talking about fish, humans, or any other animal in between, food is always a huge motivator for many actions.

To Breathe

Another reason why you might see a catfish coming to the surface is in order to breathe.

If the water that they are living in does not contain enough dissolved oxygen that they can pull out of the water with their gills, in order to prevent suffocation, they will come to the surface to breathe fresh air.

This is why you may see catfish looking like they are gulping down a slushie, when they are in fact gulping down air.

Now, some catfish even have what is known as a labyrinth organ, which is a specialized organ that allows fish to breathe air out of the water, so more or less a pair of lungs.

What is important to note here is that not all catfish have this ability, this labyrinth organ, and those that do have it may be able to survive for several days out of water, whereas catfish without this organ will generally only last for a few hours out of the water.

To Mate

The other reason why catfish come to the surface is due to another one of the animal kingdom’s big time driving forces, reproduction.

Catfish are bigtime fighters when it comes to choosing their mates and more often than not, you’ll see groups of males brawling with each other for the right to mate.

These catfish mating rituals generally happen in shallower water, particularly at the surface.

So if it is mating season and you see catfish at the surface, then you know exactly what they’re doing.

Do Catfish Feed On The Surface?

Catfish are well known for being scavengers and bottom feeders, which means that the vast majority of their diet is found on the bottom, not on the surface.

In fact, catfish are quite skittish creatures, and they’re well known for being very fearful of being eaten by other predators, which is one of the main reasons why they tend to stick to the bottom of the water column.

Seeing catfish feeding on the surface of the water is very rare, but they will do it on occasion, particularly if there is not enough food at the bottom of the water column.

Moreover, catfish will also feed on the surface during the later night and, or, in other words, at the times of day, when they are the hungriest, and when they’re least likely to be eaten by predators (when it is darkest and right at dawn).

Yes, a catfish may also feed on the surface if it happens to catch a glimpse of a very tasty morsel that it just can’t resist.

However, in the grand scheme of things, catfish are bottom feeders, and seeing them feed at the surface is quite rare.

When Do Catfish Swim To The Surface?

The answer here is that catfish very rarely swim to the surface. We already concluded that a likely reason for catfish coming to the surface is to spawn.

For catfish, spawning generally happens in the later part of spring and the early part of summer. So, if it is early summer, this is when you are the most likely to see catfish at the surface, and in quite large numbers too.

Moreover, in terms of the time of day, you are most likely to see a catfish at the surface very late at night or during early morning, so at dawn, which is generally when they feel the safest to feed on insects at the surface.

Yes, catfish will also surface to breathe if there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water, but of course, in terms of timing, there is no way to predict this.

Who Do Catfish Roll On Top Of The Water?

Exactly why catfish roll on top of the water is not known, but there are a few good guesses as to why this might happen.

For one, it could be due to the fact that there is not enough dissolved oxygen in the water, so catfish come to the surface and roll in order to breathe in as much oxygen as possible.

Another reason why catfish might roll on top of the water is in order to make it easier to catch insects and other creatures floating on the water’s surface.

Catfish have their mouths more or less on the bottom of their heads, so rolling makes it easier to catch surface insects. Now, it is also thought that rolling on the surface of the water may also be a part of the catfish’s mating ritual.

Besides those reasons, perhaps the most common cause of a catfish rolling on the water is a swim bladder issue. The swim bladder is a special organ in the fish that controls buoyancy.

All fish have this. If a fish is sick or has an issue with the swim bladder, it can cause the fish to list to one side, to swim upside down, or even to roll.

Do Catfish Jump?

Yes, catfish do jump out of the water, and they actually do so quite often. A jumping catfish is not an uncommon sight by any means.

There are two main reasons why catfish jump out of the water. The first reason why catfish jump is to evade a predator or just if they get spooked and perceive a threat.

It’s simply a defense mechanism. The other reason why a catfish may jump out of the water is in order to catch an insect (or any other food, like another smaller fish or a frog) that is on or just above the surface of the water.

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Conclusion

As you can probably tell, although catfish are bottom feeders, it is quite common for catfish to come to the surface, particularly if they are hungry and need to eat, or need to breathe, or are spawning.