← Minnesota fishing maps

Best flathead catfish lakes in Minnesota

16 Minnesota waters hold flathead catfish, 12 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. Solitary giant that lairs in log jams and deep holes by day and prowls at night — live bait only.

1. Lake Pepin — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
2. Minnesota River — 11 ft max · Walleye, White Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
3. Cannon River — 6 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish
4. Lake Byllesby — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
5. Clear — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
6. Ripley (west portion) — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
7. Emily — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
8. Harriet — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
9. Caroline — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. Volney — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
11. Dunns — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
12. East Twin — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
13. Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse) — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
14. Richardson — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
15. Dog — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
16. Mississippi River Pool 4 (Red Wing) — 30 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Sauger

When to fish flathead catfish in Minnesota

• Spring 5–20 ft — Pre-spawn fish feed hard near wood cover and hole edges.
• Summer 8–30 ft — Day = log-jam lairs and deep holes. Night = shallow flats and bar edges with big live bait.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fish concentrate near wintering holes — the year's best big-fish window.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Stacked and sluggish in the deepest holes.

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 channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch 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

Flathead Catfish elsewhere: Iowa · Indiana · Nebraska · Ohio · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Arizona · Mississippi · Texas · Illinois · Kansas · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Missouri · Georgia · West Virginia · South Carolina