The tadpole madtom is a stout, small catfish, usually black or dark brown in color. This is the most widely distributed madtom species, being found from Saskatchewan to the Everglades and from south Texas to upstate New York. Unlike most of the other madtoms, this one prefers slower water. In urban areas, it often hides inside of discarded aluminum beverage cans during the day.

Madtom Swarms!

Tadpole madtoms seem more gregarious than other species of madtom. A few times in my life, I have run across huge concentrations of these tiny catfishes. In both cases, they showed up in a swampy section of a warm river. These were adult madtoms, not babies, so I'm not sure if it was a mating ritual or simply a population explosion. They would engulf any bait that would fit into their mouths, and a single sweep of the net brought in a hundred or more at a time. Keep an eye out for these "madtom swarms" and you might be able to harvest some excellent bait.