Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
For blue and channel catfish, minimum length = 14 inches and combined daily bag limit = 15 fish. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag = 5.
Gear restriction: Use of trotlines is prohibited.
Identify your catch
Forked tail; younger fish commonly show dark body spots. The anal-fin edge is more rounded than in blue catfish.
Habitat on Fayette County
Standing timber, limited submerged plants, old tank dams, dropoffs, roadbeds and channels provide structure in a cooling reservoir.
Fishing approach
Lake guide guidance: TPWD lists spring bass crankbaits and plastics, low-light topwaters, natural catfish baits and worms or crickets for redear.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
No active lake-specific advisory or possession ban was named in the reviewed DSHS directory. This does not guarantee that fish are safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Occurs in rivers, lakes and reservoirs; feeds on a wide range of aquatic food.
General Channel 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 ↗