Catfish
Blue Catfish · Channel Catfish · Flathead Catfish
Blue and channel catfish: 25 combined daily, no minimum; no more than 10 may be 20 inches or longer. 5 flathead catfish daily; minimum length 18 inches.
Official lake regulations ↗
Habitat on B. A. Steinhagen
Flooded timber, cypress and vegetation in turbid water.
Fishing approach
Bass: work vegetation with crankbaits, spinnerbaits or low-light topwater. Crappie: spring jigs and minnows. Catfish: cut bait for blue/channel; live bait for flathead. Sunfish: small jigs or crickets.
Lake fishing guide ↗Blue Catfish: Over 30 inches: women of childbearing age and children under 12 — DO NOT EAT; adult men and women past childbearing age — at most 2 eight-ounce meals/month. Channel Catfish: This species is not named in the active lake advisory. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat. Flathead Catfish: All sizes: women of childbearing age and children under 12 — DO NOT EAT; adult men and women past childbearing age — at most 1 eight-ounce meal/month.
Official consumption guidance ↗Species within this group
Blue Catfish
Harvest: Blue and channel catfish: 25 combined daily, no minimum; no more than 10 may be 20 inches or longer.
Eating guidance: Over 30 inches: women of childbearing age and children under 12 — DO NOT EAT; adult men and women past childbearing age — at most 2 eight-ounce meals/month.
Forked tail and a relatively straight-edged anal fin. Count anal-fin rays using an identification reference.
Channel Catfish
Harvest: Blue and channel catfish: 25 combined daily, no minimum; no more than 10 may be 20 inches or longer.
Eating guidance: This species is not named in the active lake advisory. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat.
Forked tail; younger fish commonly show dark body spots. The anal-fin edge is more rounded than in blue catfish.
Flathead Catfish
Harvest: 5 flathead catfish daily; minimum length 18 inches.
Eating guidance: All sizes: women of childbearing age and children under 12 — DO NOT EAT; adult men and women past childbearing age — at most 1 eight-ounce meal/month.
Broad flattened head, projecting lower jaw and a tail that is not deeply forked.
Individual lake profiles
Choose the species for its own identification, harvest rules and eating guidance on this lake.
Source & occurrence note
Occurrence documented in the TPWD lake guide, fisheries survey or historical records. Historical evidence does not establish present abundance. Current harvest rules were checked separately from older survey regulations.