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Best flathead catfish lakes in Mississippi

17 Mississippi waters hold flathead 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. Solitary giant that lairs in log jams and deep holes by day and prowls at night — live bait only.

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

When to fish flathead catfish in Mississippi

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

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