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Best channel catfish lakes in West Virginia

21 West Virginia waters hold channel catfish, 16 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. Summersville Lake — 263 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Tygart Lake — 125 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Burnsville Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Greenbrier River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge, Rock Bass
5. Beech Fork Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Sutton Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
7. Cheat Lake — 81 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
8. Ohio River — Greenup Pool — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
9. Stonecoal Lake — 84 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
10. Mount Storm Lake — 127 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill
11. South Branch Potomac — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rock Bass
12. Hawks Nest Lake — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
13. Lake Stephens — 68 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
14. North Bend Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
15. Upper Mud River Lake — 37 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
16. New River (Gorge) — 20 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge
17. Plum Orchard Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
18. Elk Fork Lake — 26 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
19. O'Brien Lake — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
20. Potomac River (Upper) — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge
21. Moncove Lake — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish channel catfish in West 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 West Virginia: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best spotted bass lakes

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