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Best channel catfish lakes in Virginia

15 Virginia waters hold channel catfish, 12 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. James River — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge, Flathead Catfish
2. Briery Creek Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
3. Rappahannock River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Rock Bass
4. Shenandoah River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge, Common Carp
5. Lake Orange — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Lake Nottoway — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
7. Lake Gordon — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Chain Pickerel
8. Lake Frederick — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Rural Retreat Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
10. Fluvanna Ruritan Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
11. Hidden Valley Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Lake Brittle — 26 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
13. Lake Shenandoah — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
14. Lake A. Willis Robertson — 45 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
15. Horsepen Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish channel catfish in Virginia

• 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 Virginia: best largemouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best common carp lakes

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