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Best channel catfish lakes in Iowa

192 Iowa waters list channel catfish (official records or labelled estimates), 182 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Scent-driven bottom feeder. Holes, channels and inflows — best after dark.

1. Iowa River — 8 ft max · Walleye, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater DrumWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 25 public access sites
2. Des Moines River — 11 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 18 public access sites
3. Cedar River — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel CatfishWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 23 public access sites
4. West Okoboji Lake — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Mississippi River Pool 19 (Keokuk) — 43 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
6. Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) — 53 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
7. Spirit Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
8. East Okoboji Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
9. Wapsipinicon River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Common CarpWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 11 public access sites
10. Clear Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
11. DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge — 18 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
12. Desoto Bend — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Big Creek Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
14. Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake) — 17 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
15. Five Island Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
16. Three Mile Lake — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
17. Twelve Mile Creek Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
18. Lake Macbride — 45 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites
19. Brushy Creek Lake — 72 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
20. Rice Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
21. Lake Icaria — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
22. Lake Sugema — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
23. Black Hawk Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
24. Upper Iowa River — 6 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Rainbow TroutWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
25. Trumbull Lake — 4 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites

…plus 167 more Iowa waters holding channel catfish.

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When to fish channel catfish in Iowa

• Spring 3–12 ft — Warm inflows and shallow mud flats after rain.
• Summer 8–25 ft — Deep holes by day; cats roam shallow flats to feed at night.
• Fall 10–30 ft — Fish concentrate in river/creek channels and deeper holes.
• Winter 20–40 ft — Stacked in the deepest holes; slow natural baits.

Also in Iowa: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes

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