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Best channel catfish lakes in Mississippi

46 Mississippi waters hold channel catfish. 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. Lake Washington — 21 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
2. Eagle Lake — 27 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Moon Lake — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Lake Ferguson — 44 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Pearl River — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
6. Okatibbee Reservoir — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
7. Lake Beulah — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Lake Okhissa — 82 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Lake Bogue Homa — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
10. Trace State Park Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
11. Elvis Presley Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
12. Turkey Fork Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
13. Geiger Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
14. Davis Lake — 27 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
15. Chewalla Lake — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
16. Lake Lowndes — 33 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
17. Lake Bill Waller — 27 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
18. Tippah County Lake — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
19. Lake Perry — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
20. Lake Monroe — 22 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
21. Lake Mary Crawford — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
22. Lake Columbia — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
23. Neshoba County Lake — 14 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
24. Choctaw Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
25. Simpson County Lake — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

…plus 21 more Mississippi waters holding channel catfish.

When to fish channel catfish in Mississippi

• 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 Mississippi: best largemouth bass lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best striped bass lakes · best flathead catfish lakes

Channel Catfish elsewhere: Minnesota · Michigan · Montana · Wyoming · Washington · North Dakota · Iowa · Indiana · Nebraska · Ohio · Utah · Colorado · South Dakota · New York · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Arizona · Texas · Nevada · Florida · Illinois · Kansas · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Missouri · Delaware · Alabama · Georgia · West Virginia · New Jersey · California · Virginia · Hawaii · Pennsylvania · South Carolina