TEXAS FISH & WATER
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← Whitney
Whitney · Lake fish profile

Catfish

Whitney harvest rules
Daily bag
Species-specific
Length rule
Species-specific

For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag limit = 25 in any combination, of which only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.

Official lake regulations ↗
Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish · Identification features below.

Habitat on Whitney

Rocky banks, bluffs, gravel flats, timber, docks and installed freshwater reefs provide structure.

Fishing approach

Lake guide guidance: TPWD describes striped bass around channels and shad schools, spring white bass moving into rivers, bass around rocky or flooded cover, and crappie near brush. Natural catfish baits include cut shad and live fish.

Lake fishing guide ↗
Eating guidance

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.

Official consumption guidance ↗

Species within this group

Blue Catfish

Harvest: For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag limit = 25 in any combination, of which only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.

Eating guidance: 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.

Forked tail and a relatively straight-edged anal fin. Count anal-fin rays using an identification reference.

Channel Catfish

Harvest: For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag limit = 25 in any combination, of which only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.

Eating guidance: 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.

Forked tail; younger fish commonly show dark body spots. The anal-fin edge is more rounded than in blue catfish.

Flathead Catfish

Harvest: For blue and channel catfish, no minimum length limit; daily bag limit = 25 in any combination, of which only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.

Eating guidance: 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.

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

TPWD lake guide and reviewed fisheries evidence establish the listed species or group. Historical survey records do not establish current abundance.