Flathead Catfish
Pylodictis olivaris
For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag and possession limit = 50 in any combination, of which no more than 5 may be 30 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.
Identify your catch
Broad flattened head, projecting lower jaw and a tail that is not deeply forked.
Habitat on Caddo
Cypress trees, extensive aquatic plants, piers and duck blinds provide cover in a shallow reservoir.
Fishing approach
Lake guide guidance: TPWD describes spring bass fishing and winter to early-spring crappie, white bass and pickerel opportunities.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
This lake has an active advisory, but this fish is not named in its species rows. That does not establish that it is safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Prefers cover such as submerged wood and feeds mainly on live fish as an adult.
General Flathead Catfish profile →Sources & lake evidence
TPWD lake guide and reviewed fisheries evidence establish the listed species or group. Historical survey records do not establish current abundance.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Fisheries survey · species evidence ↗Species identification ↗