Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Photos

Click a photo to expand it for a closer look.

Photo of a Channel Catfish for identification — USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Identification

Deeply forked tail, unlike the rounded or square tails of bullhead catfish.
Juveniles are light blue to gray with prominent dark spots along the sides; spots fade and color darkens with age.
Typically 16 to 24 inches within 2 to 5 years of stocking; fish beyond 30 inches and 30 pounds are documented.
Rare albino (all-white) individuals turn up in some stocked populations.

Depth by season

Season	Depth	Note
Spring	–	One of the best windows of the year; fish feed heavily on or near bottom ahead of the spawn.
Summer	–	Early summer continues the spring bite before spawning; fish stay on or near the bottom.
Fall	–	Can bring a secondary bite as water cools, though generally slower than spring.
Winter	–	Difficult season to target; catfish activity drops sharply in cold water.

Active times

dusk
night

Top lures

Diving crankbait (crankbait , chartreuse/black/silver): Slow-trolled or cast near bottom structure in warm months.
Inline spinner (spinner , gold/chartreuse): Worked slowly along bottom contours in lake channels and rivers.
Soft plastic crawfish (soft plastic , brown/orange/black): Dragged slowly on bottom to imitate crawfish, a favorite catfish prey item.

Top baits

Chicken liver: Threaded onto a treble hook or held with bait thread, fished on bottom with a slip-sinker rig.
Nightcrawler: Bunched on a bait hook and fished on bottom below a sliding sinker.
Cut bait (herring): Chunked onto a circle hook and fished on bottom; scent draws catfish from a distance.
Stinkbait/dough bait: Molded onto a treble or specialty catfish hook, fished stationary on bottom.

Line & tackle

Line: 10–20 lb
Rod power: Sturdy rod and reel fished with a slip-sinker rig on the bottom
Hook sizes: Size 4 to 2/0 for smaller fish, 4/0 to 6/0 for large channel cats; circle hooks reduce deep hooking

Stocked behavior

Channel catfish are not known to spawn in most lowland lakes, so those fisheries depend on repeat stocking, and WDFW plants both dinner-size and trophy fish to keep them going. Stocked fish find food on the bottom by taste and smell rather than sight, which is why strong-scented baits fished on or near the bottom out-produce lures.

Common mistakes

Fishing lures or bait off the bottom; catfish feed primarily by scent near bottom structure.
Using bait that's too fresh or mild-smelling; strong-scented liver, shrimp, or cut bait outperforms clean bait.
Only fishing during the day; catfish feed most heavily after dark, especially in summer.

State records

State	Weight	Angler	Water	Year
Washington	37.70 lbs	Cole Abshere	Lake Terrell, Whatcom County	2019
Utah	32 lbs. 8 oz.	LeRoy Mortensen	Utah Lake	1978

Sources: Washington's official record page , Utah's official record page , accessed 2026-09-19.

Best time to fish Channel Catfish

Computed from every real stocking date on record, not a general seasonal guess.

Utah

Most commonly stocked in September in Utah, based on 149 stocking events on record.

Where it's stocked

13 locations shown. Click a pin for details.

Utah

Sources

identification (accessed 2026-09-18)
depth_by_season (accessed 2026-09-18)
identification (accessed 2026-09-19)
active_times (accessed 2026-09-19)
active_times (accessed 2026-09-19)
top_lures (accessed 2026-09-18)
top_lures (accessed 2026-09-19)
top_baits (accessed 2026-09-18)
top_baits (accessed 2026-09-19)
line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-18)
stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-19)