Best blue catfish lakes in Texas
26 Texas waters hold blue catfish, 19 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.
- Lake Texoma — 96 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Lake Livingston — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Toledo Bend Reservoir — 110 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Amistad Reservoir — 217 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Lake Travis — 177 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Richland-Chambers Reservoir — 77 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Cedar Creek Reservoir — 64 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Lake Whitney — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Lake Tawakoni — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Lake Palestine — 53 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Possum Kingdom Lake — 108 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Ray Roberts Lake — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Lewisville Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Lake Conroe — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
- Belton Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Lake Buchanan — 107 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Choke Canyon Reservoir — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Lake Ray Hubbard — 47 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Lake LBJ — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Falcon International Reservoir — 110 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- O.H. Ivie Reservoir — 119 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Stillhouse Hollow Lake — 117 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie
- Lake Alan Henry — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Sabine River — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
- Brazos River (John Graves Reach) — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Channel Catfish, Striped Bass
…plus 1 more Texas waters holding blue catfish.
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 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 red drum (redfish) lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes · best southern flounder lakes
Blue Catfish elsewhere: Indiana · Ohio · Kentucky · Kansas · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Missouri · Georgia