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Best blue catfish lakes in Mississippi

9 Mississippi waters hold blue catfish, 2 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. Open-water giant of big rivers and reservoirs; follows shad schools and feeds in current year-round.

1. Mississippi River — Memphis — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Sauger, Crappie
2. Mississippi River — Vicksburg — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
3. Sardis Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Ross Barnett Reservoir — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Grenada Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Arkabutla Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Sauger, Crappie
7. Enid Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Bay Springs Lake — 110 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Pearl River — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish

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When to fish blue catfish in Mississippi

• Spring 5–25 ft — High water is your friend — fish current seams and flooded flats.
• Summer 10–40 ft — Drift cut bait across channel edges and deep flats.
• Fall 15–45 ft — Blues shadow massive shad schools — find bait on the graph first.
• Winter 20–50 ft — The trophy season: anchor on deep holes packed with wintering shad.

Also in Mississippi: best largemouth bass lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best striped bass lakes · best flathead catfish lakes

Blue Catfish elsewhere: Indiana · Texas · Ohio · Missouri · Oklahoma · Illinois · Kentucky · Tennessee · Georgia · Kansas · Virginia · North Carolina · South Carolina