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The Best Catfish Waters in America

Every water on this list is covered by a daily report on this site and is here because a state agency singles out its catfish: a state or world record, a special regulation that protects big fish, a top rating in the agency’s forecast, or the agency’s own description of a trophy fishery. The order follows the strength of that evidence. Four of these lakes hold their state’s current record blue catfish.

The 10 ranked waters: tap any dot for its live report
1Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) VirginiaVirginia’s state record blue catfish, 143 pounds, was caught at Buggs Island Lake on June 18, 2011.peak MarToday's report →2Lake Moultrie South CarolinaSCDNR’s record list credits Lake Moultrie with the state record blue catfish (113.8 pounds, 2017) and the 58-pound channel catfish of 1964, which it lists as a current world record.peak MarToday's report →3Lake Barkley KentuckyTennessee’s state record blue catfish, 122 pounds 3 ounces, came from Barkley Reservoir in June 2023.peak MarToday's report →4Lake Texoma OklahomaTPWD describes a trophy blue catfish fishery at Texoma, where the current Texas state record blue catfish, 121.5 pounds, was caught in 2004.peak MarToday's report →5James River VirginiaVirginia DWR says the tidal James has the best blue catfish fishing in the state and a nationally recognized trophy fishery; the former state record, 102.25 pounds, came from it in 2009.peak MayToday's report →6Milford Lake KansasKansas’s 2026 blue catfish forecast rates Milford the only reservoir in the state with excellent fishing; the biggest blue in its sample weighed 59.47 pounds.peak AprToday's report →7Lake Marion South CarolinaSCDNR says blue and flathead catfish in the Santee Cooper lakes offer many anglers the largest freshwater fish they will ever encounter, and it limits the harvest of big blue catfish on Marion and Moultrie.peak MarToday's report →8Lake Tawakoni TexasTPWD calls catfishing one of Tawakoni’s sure bets, says trophy blue catfish are fairly common in winter, and applies special catfish limits on the lake.peak MarToday's report →9Truman Lake MissouriMissouri’s MDC expects catfishing at Truman to stay excellent for blue, channel and flathead catfish in 2026, and protects mid-size blue catfish with a slot limit.peak MarToday's report →10Lake Livingston TexasTPWD calls Livingston a notable catfish fishery dominated by blue catfish, alongside its well-known white bass.peak MarToday's report →

The 10 at a glance

#WaterStateTypePeak monthLive data
1Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)VirginiaReservoirMarUSGS
2Lake MoultrieSouth CarolinaReservoirMarUSGS
3Lake BarkleyKentuckyReservoirMarmodeled
4Lake TexomaOklahomaReservoirMarUSGS
5James RiverVirginiaRiverMayUSGS
6Milford LakeKansasReservoirAprUSGS
7Lake MarionSouth CarolinaLakeMarUSGS
8Lake TawakoniTexasReservoirMarUSGS
9Truman LakeMissouriReservoirMarUSGS
10Lake LivingstonTexasReservoirMarUSGS

Records first

State records are the hardest evidence a catfish water can have. Virginia’s record blue catfish (143 pounds) came from Buggs Island Lake, South Carolina’s (113.8 pounds) from Lake Moultrie, Tennessee’s (122 pounds 3 ounces) from Barkley and the Texas record (121.5 pounds) from Texoma. Lake Moultrie also holds South Carolina’s record channel catfish, which SCDNR lists as a current world record.

Rules that protect big fish

Agencies increasingly limit the harvest of large blue catfish. South Carolina caps the number of big blues on the Santee Cooper lakes, Missouri has a protected slot on Truman, Texas sets special catfish limits on Tawakoni and Virginia limits big blues on its tidal rivers. Check the current rules for the water you fish before keeping a big cat.

Common questions

Where was the biggest blue catfish on this list caught?

At Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir) on the Virginia–North Carolina line: Virginia DWR lists a 143-pound blue catfish caught there on June 18, 2011, as the state record.

Are these good waters for eating-size catfish?

Several agencies say so. Missouri expects excellent catfishing for blue, channel and flathead catfish at Truman and asks anglers to keep blue catfish under 20 inches, and TPWD says channel and blue catfish are abundant at Tawakoni.

Pages checked

The facts on this page were checked against these pages, from the agencies that manage these fisheries on October 6, 2026; anything we could not verify was taken out.

How this page was made. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.