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Best blue catfish lakes in Texas

90 Texas waters hold blue catfish, 57 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. Lake Texoma — 96 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 32 public access sites
2. Toledo Bend Reservoir — 110 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 58 public access sites
3. Amistad Reservoir — 217 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, CrappieWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 15 public access sites
4. Lake Travis — 177 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 13 public access sites
5. Richland-Chambers Reservoir — 77 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 16 public access sites
6. Cedar Creek Reservoir — 64 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites
7. Lake Livingston — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 25 public access sites
8. Wright Patman Lake — 31 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
9. Lake Whitney — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 22 public access sites
10. Lake Tawakoni — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 23 public access sites
11. Ray Roberts Lake — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites
12. Lake Palestine — 53 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 16 public access sites
13. Possum Kingdom Lake — 108 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, CrappieWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 27 public access sites
14. Lake O' the Pines — 51 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 14 public access sites
15. Lake Corpus Christi — 56 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
16. Lewisville Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 21 public access sites
17. Lake Conroe — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 16 public access sites
18. Belton Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 19 public access sites
19. Lake Buchanan — 107 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
20. Lake Houston — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
21. Choke Canyon Reservoir — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
22. Hubbard Creek Reservoir — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Lake Ray Hubbard — 47 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
24. Lake Limestone — 41 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
25. Lavon Lake — 44 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 18 public access sites

…plus 65 more Texas waters holding blue catfish.

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When to fish blue catfish in Texas

• 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 Texas: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best spotted bass lakes · best red drum (redfish) lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes · best southern flounder lakes

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