Kentucky might be one of the most underrated states in America for catfishing. From major rivers like the Ohio and the Mississippi to sprawling reservoirs like Lake Barkley and Lake Cumberland, catfish are widespread and abundant.
Oh, and they’re big, too. Flathead catfish in the 50-pound class and blue cats approaching 100 pounds are possible any time you wet a line in one of Kentucky’s best catfish lakes and rivers.
The period from late spring through summer is prime time to catch catfish in Kentucky, but there’s no off-season for these fish.
Whether you’re dunking nightcrawlers for feisty channel cats or drifting large cut bait for trophy blues, these are the best spots for catfish in Kentucky.
Lake Barkley
Spanning 57,820 acres and stretching 34 miles end-to-end, Lake Barkley is an enormous lake on the Cumberland River that extends across the Tennessee state line. The lower two-thirds of the lake lies within Kentucky, and catfish are tremendously abundant.
Channel cats are the most common, while blues are the most sought-after. Anglers routinely catch blue catfish between 10 and 20 pounds, and triple-digit fish are available. A monstrous 122-pound, 3-ounce blue catfish was caught on the Tennessee end of the lake in 2023.
Summer is arguably the best season for big blue catfish, though there are also anglers who favor the winter months. The go-to tactic is tight-lining, a vertical fishing technique in which a three-way rig is baited with cut shad or skipjack and dragged slowly with the bait just off bottom.
This technique works best when the dam is pulling water, which creates a current in the lake and concentrates fish. Focus on humps, points and edges of the main river channel, especially where it swings close to the bank and creates steep bluffs.
Channel catfish and smaller blues are more abundant in Lake Barkley’s creeks and coves, which have no shortage of woody cover. There’s great fishing after dark in spring and summer when these fish move shallow.
Don’t neglect to try fishing in the Lake Barkley tailwater as well. There is consistently good fishing in the area immediately downriver from the dam for catfish as well as for walleye.
Ohio River
Forming Kentucky’s entire 664-mile northern border, the Ohio River is a catfish powerhouse. Kentucky’s current state record channel catfish (32 pounds) and blue catfish (106.9 pounds) were caught here. Flathead catfish are abundant as well.
A series of 21 locks and dams divide the Ohio into pools, and every pool supports ample numbers of catfish. Blue catfish, which have been expanding their territory since the 1990s, are most common in the lower river, including the Smithland, Newburgh and Cannelton pools.
The Markland Pool, which includes the area between Newport, KY and Cincinnati, OH, has long been a catfish favorite. Focus on areas where grain is loaded onto barges. Spilled grain inevitably attracts hungry catfish.
While blue catfish are most often caught on deep structure out in the slow, sluggish open water of the Ohio River’s pools, the best fishing for channels and flatheads is in tailwaters.
The Markland, Cannelton and Smithland tailwaters are especially good, but all are productive. Catfish are drawn by the baitfish that often become disoriented in the current below the dams, and fishing with live or cut shad around current breaks and seams is highly effective.
Catfish also spawn along the riprap banks below each dam in summer. If you’re after flatheads, try the Markland tailwater, where the rubble of an older dam structure lies submerged below the dam and provides excellent flathead habitat.
Barren River Lake
Offering 10,100 acres of picture-perfect water in south-central Kentucky, Barren River Lake is a phenomenal catfish lake. Channel catfish are prolific and abundant in this reservoir, and although average fish weigh just a pound or two, much bigger fish are available.
Barren River Lake is also one of Kentucky’s best for flathead catfish. Average flatheads weigh 5 or 6 pounds here, and anglers tangle with plenty of fish over 25 pounds.
That being said, relatively few people target flatheads with hook-and-line methods in Barren River Lake. Jug lines and limb lines are widely employed, and noodling—reaching into flathead dens and grabbing them by hand—is popular during the summer spawning season.
Flathead catfish are primarily nocturnal, and the best way to catch them with hook and line is to anchor or slowly drift with live bluegill or sunfish on shallow flats adjacent to deeper channels.
Areas with lots of rock, wood and other thick, snaggy cover are ideal. The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources has placed over 100 fish attractors in the lake, including brush piles, stake beds and plastic trees in the cove near Barren River Lake State Park.
Blue catfish were first stocked in barren River Lake in 2010, and there are plenty of them available, even though they aren’t the main focus. That could change, though, as the older fish age into the 20-pound class.
Green River
It’s been decades since an angler pulled Kentucky’s state record flathead from the Green River back in 1956. That 97-pound monster has yet to be bested, but the Green River remains a catfish hotspot, with opportunities to catch blue and channel catfish in addition to huge flatheads.
Great fishing and ample access can be found from the base of the Green River Lake Dam all the way down to the Green River’s confluence with the Ohio. This 305.7-mile stretch is typically broken into two segments, with the Rochester Dam serving as a halfway point.
The upper section is flathead central. This stretch meanders widely, and deep holes at each river bend hold catfish. Any spot with some wood or rock is likely to produce at least a few.
Mouths of tributaries are key areas, and the immediate tailwater below the Green River Lake Dam also produces both channel cats and flatheads. Live bait is best for the latter, including any of the various shiners, minnows, suckers and shad that are native to the river.
There’s a lot of excellent access in and around Mammoth Cave National Park, including riverside hiking trails and campgrounds. This section is great for float trips.
Farther downriver, flatheads become less abundant as blue cats become more common. Some of the best places to fish the lower Green River include the tailwater below the Rochester Dam, as well as tailwaters at Lock & Dam #2 in Calhoun and Lock & Dam #1 in Reed.
The Green River also is one of Kentucky’s best bass fishing rivers, especially when it comes to smallmouths.
Honorable Mentions
Kentucky Lake
A 160,300-acre impoundment on the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lake lies astraddle the Tennessee state line and offers 2,064 miles of shoreline and some truly excellent catfish fishing. It has a lot in common with Lake Barkley, its neighbor to the east.
Some gigantic blue cats are caught here, usually by anglers drifting or tight-lining cut shad and skipjack along channels. Places where creek channels meet the main river channel are particularly good.
Catfish spawn along the riprap face of the dam and other rocky banks in late spring and early summer, providing great opportunities for shore fishing. The brief tailwater section between the dam and the Tennessee River’s confluence with the Ohio River is also excellent.
Kentucky Lake is also a giant when it comes to offering some of the best crappie fishing in the state.
Green River Lake
While the Green River itself is justly regarded as a great catfish fishery, Green River Lake deserves its due. This 8,210-acre impoundment offers excellent fishing for channel cats. Some impressive flatheads prowl the lake, too.
Fishing here is exceptional when rain muddies the water and raises the water level, triggering a feeding frenzy. Green River Lake is steep-sided but not especially deep, and it doesn’t have a ton of natural cover.
Luckily, the Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources has placed numerous fish attractors throughout the lake. Brush piles are widespread, and the group of pallet stacks west of the Green River State Park campground and boat launch are definitely worth probing.
Green River Lake is a great multi-species fishing lake. Among its attractions is being among Kentucky’s top places to catch a giant muskie.
Mississippi River
Kentucky offers 60 miles of Mississippi River frontage—less than any other state the river touches—but the Big Muddy offers excellent and often-overlooked catfish opportunities at the far western end of Kentucky. All three major species are tremendously abundant.
There’s plenty of access along Kentucky’s stretch of the river. Columbus-Belmont State Park is one of the best, with bank fishing and boat ramps. The area around the islands just downriver from the park is known for catfish.
In general, prime areas are river bends, riprap banks, wing dikes, and secondary channels on the back sides of islands. The Wickliffe area, right below the Mississippi/Ohio River confluence, also offers good access.
Taylorsville Lake
Encompassing 3,050 acres on the Salt River in central Kentucky, Taylorsville Lake has long been known for its prolific channel catfish. Blue cats have also been stocked since 2002, with increasing numbers of fish over 20 pounds. Flatheads are rare but can be massive.
Taylorsville Lake has an abundance of shad, and anglers typically keep at least one line baited with cut shad at any given time. Blue catfish have a habit of suspending in Taylorsville Lake, making jug fishing popular, especially at night.
A lot of channel cats are caught along the riprap-lined dam, especially when they spawn in June. Parking and restrooms are south of the dam. You’ll also have bank access, as long as you’re willing to make the steep climb down and back.
Yatesville Lake
East Kentucky has fewer big cat options than the west and central parts of the state, but 2,300-acre Yatesville Lake is an exception. Channel cats in the 14- to 20-inch range are very common, and giant flatheads pushing 40 pounds have been caught using live bait on limb lines.
Built in 1988 and filled in 1992, Yatesville Lake is a relatively young reservoir on Blaine Creek, a tributary of the Big Sandy River. But the lake is highly fertile and less clear than typical mountain lakes in East Kentucky, which is great news for catfish anglers.
The lake has abundant bank access, including Yatesville Lake State Park. Fish attractors, including brush piles and Christmas trees, have been placed on flats adjacent to the river channel throughout the lake, providing excellent catfish habitat.
Kentucky River
Flowing 263 miles across east and central Kentucky before emptying into the Ohio River, the Kentucky River offers a highly underutilized catfish fishery. Channel cats are abundant throughout the entire river, and flatheads inhibit some deeper holes.
Much of the Kentucky River is divided into pools by a series of locks and dams. Pool 4, which extends about 17 miles from Lock and Dam #5 in Lawrenceburg to Lock and Dam #4 in Frankfort, offers excellent catfishing and is also ideal for float trips.
Key areas to target include tailwaters below dams, tributary mouths, rocky banks and deep pools, especially those with laydowns and woody cover. The mouths of Little Benson Creek and Glenns Creek are worth exploring for catfish in Pool 4.
Lake Cumberland
A huge lake with a highly undervalued catfish population, Lake Cumberland is a sprawling impoundment on its namesake river. In addition to the main Cumberland River arm of the lake, the reservoir also has more than a dozen other major creek arms that harbor catfish.
Channel cats are available in good numbers, with fish in the 2- to 5-pound range being especially abundant. Bigger fish are available, too, and they readily fall for nightcrawlers still-fished or slowly trolled on flats and in creeks.
The upper end of Lake Cumberland, which is more riverine in character, also produces some great catfish action. Flatheads are less common, but there are some huge ones here. They usually relate to woody cover, particularly near the rim of a channel.
Catch More Catfish
Check out our basic catfishing techniques and other tips to improve your catches.