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Best flathead catfish lakes in Tennessee

9 Tennessee 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. Kentucky Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
2. Chickamauga Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
3. Watts Bar Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Cordell Hull Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
5. Douglas Lake — 140 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
6. Old Hickory Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Bluegill
7. Fort Loudoun Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Reelfoot Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. Nickajack Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill

When to fish flathead catfish in Tennessee

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

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