Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length; combined daily bag limit = 15 fish. Only 1 blue catfish 30 inches or greater in length may be retained each day. For flathead catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag = 5.
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 Texoma
Rocky bluffs, riprap, standing timber, stump beds, channels and sandy flats provide cover; aquatic vegetation is limited.
Fishing approach
Lake guide guidance: TPWD describes crappie near docks, trees and brush, striped bass around river channels and shad schools, and black bass around shoreline structure. Blue and channel catfish take cut or natural baits; flatheads are commonly targeted with live bait.
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 ↗