Silver Catfish (Makriel, Butter Barbel) Schilbe intermedius

Pictures And Information On The Silver Catfish (Makriel)

The Silver Catfish is a very strange looking South African freshwater fish and and looks nothing like the Sharptooth Catfish. The Silver Catfish is more well known in South Africa by its Afrikaans name, Makriel. It is also referred to as the Butter Barbel or the Silver Barbel. As it's name suggests this Catfish is generally a silvery colour but the colour of the Makriel all depends on the colour of the water. The Makriel has been known to be olive green and even chocolate brown in colour. The Silver Catfish is said to attain about 30 centimeters. However I have caught a 30 centimeter Silver Catfish (See records) and a friend of mine has caught a Silver Catfish that weighed almost 3 kilograms. This was probably just unusual as they do not normally attain a weight of more than 1.5 kilograms.

The Silver Catfish (Makriel) is found in the northern region of South Africa, in the Highveld and Lowveld areas. The Silver Catfish (Makriel) is more active during the night and in overcast conditions and they form shoals in large bodies of slow moving or stagnant water. Silver Catfish (Makriel) have a diet which includes small fish such as the Papermouth, Threespot Barb and Red Breast Tilapia, insects, shrimp, snails, seeds and fruit. The Silver Catfish (Makriel) breed during the rainy season and they live for about 7 years. These Butter Barbel are an angling species but can prove to be a nuisance. They are a very aggressive fish and should not be kept in aquariums. The Silver Catfish (Makriel) is an important subsistence fisheries target.

How To Catch The South African Silver Catfish (Makriel)

The Silver Catfish (Makriel) is not a greedy fish and will readily take almost any bait presented to it. They often pick up small Barbel baits and Carp baits. They can be caught on lures and soft plastics when retrieved very slowly. Boilies, Mealies, Pellets and small fish are the best baits to catch the Silver Catfish (Makriel) on. They often feed around the perimeters of light on the water at night.

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