Catfish basics: channel, blue and flathead
When TPWD asks Texans which freshwater fish they like to catch, catfish rank second, just behind largemouth bass. They live in streams, reservoirs and small urban lakes across the state, and they take plain bait. Ten kinds of freshwater catfish live in Texas, but three matter to most anglers: the channel, the blue and the flathead. This guide follows TPWD's catfish brochure and its flathead page, and uses TPWD's 2026-2027 limits page for the rules.
Which catfish is it?
TPWD says the quick test is the tail. If it is forked, the fish is a channel or a blue; if it is square or round, it is a flathead or a bullhead. To tell a channel from a blue, TPWD says to look at the anal fin, the fin on the belly near the tail: round-edged with 23 to 29 rays on a channel, straight-edged with 30 to 36 rays on a blue. Color is not reliable, because young channels are usually spotted but lose their spots as they grow, and there is a spotted strain of blue in the Rio Grande. To tell a flathead from a bullhead, look at the head: a flathead's is broad and flat, with a lower jaw that sticks out. Try the tests.
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What each one eats, and where it lives
- Channel catfish are the ones Texas anglers catch most. TPWD says they live in reservoirs and large streams, eat a varied diet as they grow, and will eat living and dead material and take prepared food.
- Blue catfish look similar but grow larger and tend toward open water. TPWD says blues eat mostly fish once they reach legal size, and large ones often rely on schools of shad. The blue is Texas's largest freshwater game fish; the state record, from Lake Texoma, was 121 1/2 pounds.
- Flathead catfish eat only living food, even when small. TPWD says they are solitary, forage at night near woody cover and rocky areas, and prefer deep pools in streams, rivers and reservoirs with cloudy water and slow current. Adults stake out a favorite spot under a tree or in a cove, and move into shallow areas at night to feed.
- TPWD says catfish spawn in late spring or summer when the water reaches about 75°F. Flatheads spawn from late May through August in 75 to 80°F water, and the male guards the nest in a hollow log, cave or under a bank.
Bait, line and when
TPWD says to use a stout pole and a reel that can handle at least 10 pound line for channel cats, and 30 to 50 pound line for large blues or flatheads. It lists natural channel catfish baits as liver, worms, grasshoppers, shrimp, chicken, corn, hotdogs and cheese, and adds that hundreds of prepared dough, dip and punch baits are on the market. For blues, live or dead minnows or shad; for flatheads, living food. Pick a catfish and a season to see what TPWD says.
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At night, TPW Magazine says a green fishing light is popular with coastal anglers and is spreading among crappie anglers, and suggests it for nighttime flatheads, because lights draw baitfish and the green light penetrates deeper than white. Related rigs in Tackle & Lures include the Kentucky rig for catfish and the sliding sinker rig. See sinkers and split shot for the parts.
Rules (TPWD, 2026-2027)
You need a Texas fishing license with a freshwater endorsement unless an exception applies. TPWD's statewide limits, valid September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027, are: channel and blue catfish, their hybrids and subspecies, a daily bag of 25 in any combination, with only 10 of them 20 inches or longer, and no minimum length; flathead catfish, a daily bag of 5 with an 18-inch minimum. TPWD says special regulations may apply to certain waterbodies, so check the lake or river you fish. TPWD's catfish brochure also says catfish may be taken with pole and line, hand fishing, trotline, jugline or throwline and to check the Outdoor Annual for rules about lines.
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This is a summary of what TPWD says, not legal advice. TPWD and the Texas statutes and rules decide what applies to you. The brochure is from 2015, and the numbers above are from TPWD's 2026-2027 page, which differs from the brochure on channel and blue catfish.
Related
For more reading, we suggest these articles
- TPWD: Freshwater Catfish in Texas (brochure) (checked 2026-10-09)
- TPWD: Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) (checked 2026-10-09)
- TPWD: Freshwater Bag and Length Limits (2026-2027) (checked 2026-10-09)
- Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine (April 2005): night fishing for flathead catfish, which mentions green lights (checked 2026-10-09)
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