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Best flathead catfish lakes in Wisconsin

13 Wisconsin 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. Petenwell Flowage — 44 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Lake Wisconsin — 24 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
3. Castle Rock Flowage — 35 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Lake Koshkonong — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Chippewa River — 12 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge
6. Wolf River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
7. Lower Wisconsin River — 12 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Channel Catfish
8. Wisconsin River (Dells) — 12 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Crappie
9. Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse) — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
10. Black River — 9 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
11. Mississippi River Pool 4 (Red Wing) — 30 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Sauger
12. St. Croix River — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge
13. Fox River (Lower) — 14 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Muskellunge

When to fish flathead catfish in Wisconsin

• 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 Wisconsin: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes

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