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Best channel catfish lakes in Missouri

26 Missouri waters hold channel catfish, 4 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. Table Rock Lake — 218 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
2. Lake of the Ozarks — 130 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Norfork Lake — 176 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Bull Shoals Lake — 210 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
5. Harry S. Truman Reservoir — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
6. Gasconade River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish
7. Stockton Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
8. Mark Twain Lake — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Meramec River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
10. Missouri River — 40 ft max · Sauger, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Blue Catfish
11. Pomme de Terre Lake — 80 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Crappie
12. Smithville Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
13. Osage River — 30 ft max · Walleye, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
14. Wappapello Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
15. Big River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Longnose Gar
16. Mozingo Lake — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
17. Thomas Hill Reservoir — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
18. Fellows Lake — 81 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
19. Big Piney River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish
20. Clearwater Lake — 42 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
21. James River — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Longnose Gar
22. Lake Jacomo — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
23. Longview Lake — 66 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Crappie
24. Blue Springs Lake — 34 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
25. Council Bluff Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

…plus 1 more Missouri waters holding channel catfish.

When to fish channel catfish in Missouri

• 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 Missouri: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best brown trout lakes

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