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Best channel catfish lakes in Minnesota

198 Minnesota waters hold channel catfish, 189 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — 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. Big Stone Lake — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
2. Lake Pepin — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
3. Traverse — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Lac qui Parle Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie, Channel Catfish
5. Lake Minnewaska — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
6. Lake Shetek — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
7. Whiteface Reservoir — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
8. Big Sandy Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
9. Albert Lea — 4 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. Benton — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
11. Elysian — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
12. Lake Koronis — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
13. Green Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
14. Artichoke — 11 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
15. Zumbro — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
16. Minnesota River — 11 ft max · Walleye, White Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
17. Cannon River — 6 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish
18. Cross — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
19. Cannon — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
20. Otter — 5 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
21. Emily — 3 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
22. Lura — 5 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
23. Knife — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
24. Rice — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
25. Big Kandiyohi Lake — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike

…plus 173 more Minnesota waters holding channel catfish.

When to fish channel catfish in Minnesota

• 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 Minnesota: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best rock bass lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

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