While species like largemouth bass and stripers might be more glamorous, Tennessee anglers catch few fish more often than catfish.
Abundant in lakes and rivers across the state, catfish are prized as table fare and for their trophy potential.
Channel catfish, flathead catfish and blue catfish are all available in Tennessee waters.
Channel cats are the smallest of the three but most abundant, usually weighing less than 10 pounds and biting readily on a wide range of smelly, natural baits.
Flatheads, larger and more active hunters, usually bite on live baitfish, especially after dark. They often grow to 50 pounds or more, and 25-pounders are common in many Tennessee waters.
Blue cats are the real giants of the catfish family.
Blue catfish are capable of exceeding 100 pounds. They inhabit deep holes and pools, where anglers usually catch them using cut bait made from shad, herring, or other fish.
Most of Tennessee’s best catfishing spots are within the state’s “big three” river systems: the Mississippi, the Tennessee, and the Cumberland.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River forms the western border of Tennessee and provides some of its best catfish fishing.
Anglers can catch catfish virtually anywhere along Tennessee’s 167-mile stretch of the mighty Mississippi.
But the river can also be challenging and dangerous. With water levels varying by as much as 50 feet throughout the year, unseen hazards are abundant, and currents can be unforgiving.
The Mississippi River can also be tricky because its underwater topography constantly changes. A hole that produced a mess of catfish one year may look completely different or be gone entirely by the next.
Overall, summer is the best and most angler-friendly season to fish the river. Catfish are spread out throughout the Mississippi this time of year, often within easy reach of bank anglers, and the water is usually at its lowest annual level, making the fishing less challenging.
Summer is an especially good time to target trophy blue catfish. Blues over 100 pounds are a real possibility here, and a former world record weighing 116 pounds and 12 ounces was caught on the Mississippi within sight of Memphis in 2001.
The go-to tactic for big blue cats is drifting cut bait near the bottom, with gizzard shad and skipjack herring being the cut bait of choice. Slip rigs and three-way rigs are typically used, often with sinkers weighing as much as 8 oonces.
Key areas include the inside of deep bends, downstream of large islands, and any place where the river widens above or below a narrow point. Current breaks and irregular bottom contours consistently attract blue catfish.
The Mississippi River also offers what might be Tennessee’s best flathead catfish population. Flatheads that occasionally surpass 75 pounds are widespread throughout Tennessee’s portion of the Mississippi.
Early summer is prime time for flatheads, and live gizzard shad are the preferred bait on the Mississippi. In addition to favoring livelier prey, flathead catfish are less likely to leave distinct pieces of cover than other catfish species.
Tangled masses of timber are ideal flathead habitat, and the banks of the Mississippi have a lot of it. Try casting live bait above woody cover and letting it drift downriver.
Other key areas are bridge pilings and wing dikes, which often create scour holes where flatheads hide. On the Mississippi River, many shorelines are lined with erosion-resistant revetment, and deeper revetment banks are great areas to find flatheads.
Channel catfish are the most abundant of all and the easiest to catch. Anglers also catch a lot of channel catfish along revetment banks using cut shad for bait.
Anglers also catch many channel cats in backwaters and oxbows off the main river.
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is a massive waterway stretching 652 miles, and its watershed spans parts of six states. It offers an exceptional catfish fishery, though the Tennessee River of today bears little resemblance to its historical course.
Beginning in East Tennessee, the Tennessee River flows southwest toward the Alabama state line, heads west, and then northward back into Tennessee. The river ultimately crosses the entire state and enters Kentucky. Along the way, the river is heavily impounded.
Today’s Tennessee River comprises nine large reservoirs within the state. Those reservoirs and the tailwaters below each dam provide great catfish opportunities. Let’s look at some of the best spots one by one.
Fort Loudoun Lake
Fort Loudoun Lake is fed by the French Broad and Holston Rivers and impounded by the Fort Loudoun Dam, the first dam on the main stem of the Tennessee River. This 14,600-acre reservoir offers classic “big river” habitat and supports all three major catfish species.
Some of the best fishing is at the upper end of Fort Loudoun Lake, where the reservoir’s major river channels meet. Big catfish typically spend their days in the main channels and then head up onto nearby flats and creeks to feed on summer nights.
The steep bluff banks above Knoxville are also excellent places to find big cats. Fort Loudoun Lake is known for massive, trophy-size blue catfish over 100 pounds, resulting from catch-and-release rules due to the lake’s history of pollution.
Watts Bar Lake
Watts Bar Lake stretches 72 miles from the Fort Loudoun Dam downriver to the Watts Bar Dam. It’s a tremendous catfish lake that supports outstanding populations of all three catfish species, including a lot of blue cats in the 30- to 40-pound range and occasional giants up to 90.
Drifting hefty chunks of skipjack herring along the river channel and bluff holes is great for heavyweight cats in spring.
Around June, target rocky areas as catfish spawn.
For flatheads, mouths of creeks are key areas after dark, and there are several productive creeks in the Paint Rock area.
For shore-bound anglers, the tailwater formed by the Fort Loudoun Dam at the upper end of the lake provides unbeatable bank fishing access.
From summer into fall, fishing cut bait in holes and along current seams produces a lot of catfish.
Chickamauga Lake
Much like its two neighbors upriver, Chickamauga Lake—which spans 36,200 acres starting at the base of the Watts Bar Dam—is also an excellent catfish lake.
A lot of big blue cats are caught here in winter along the main river channel.
But the best fishing takes place in summer after catfish have spawned. From June through August, anglers using cut baits can catch all three species along river bends, rocky riverbanks, and creek mouths.
Abundant channel cats will also gobble up chicken livers, stink baits, catalpa worms, and hot dog pieces, while flatheads favor live bluegill.
Bank anglers can fish catfish virtually year-round in the tailwater below the Watts Bar Dam.
Chickamauga is a renowned bass lake and also among Tennessee’s better walleye and sauger fishing spots.
More: Complete Fishing Guide to Chickamauga Lake
Nickajack Lake
Beginning at Chickamauga Dam and flowing through Chattanooga almost to the Alabama state line, Nickajack Lake is one of the more riverine impoundments on the Tennessee River. This 10,370-acre reservoir also boasts some impressive catfish.
There is usually a distinct current along the main river channel, which provides great opportunities to drift bait for big cats. Any structure that provides a current break is a potential target.
The catfish spawn from late May into June here, and any area of rock or riprap can be productive.
The Chickamauga Dam tailwater is the best place to fish in summer, and several miles below the dam provide prime catfish habitat. There is excellent bank access and ample stretches of shoreline riprap below the dam.
Pickwick Lake
Although the bulk of the 43,100-acre Pickwick Lake lies within Alabama, the Pickwick Dam and a small portion at the lower end of the lake are in Tennessee’s Hardin County. A reciprocal agreement allows Tennessee anglers to fish the entire lake by boat.
The lower end of Pickwick Lake is deep and steep-sided. Fishing deep holes for blue and channel catfish can be excellent year-round.
In late spring and early summer, look for fish in embayments formed by Yellow Creek, Winn Springs and Dry Creek.
Flatheads more often hole up along stretches of riprap, which in many areas extend from the bank into several feet of water. Flatheads will strike live baitfish or even crankbaits trolled along the riprap.
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake technically begins at the Pickwick Dam, stretching northward across the entire state of Tennessee and across the Kentucky state line, ultimately encompassing 108,217 acres. It’s Tennessee’s largest lake and a catfish powerhouse where blue cats are the most-targeted of the three major species.
Fishing in the Pickwick Dam tailwater can be excellent, and the upper portion of Kentucky Lake fishes more like a river than a reservoir, with current playing a major role. Only after passing beneath I-40 does Kentucky Lake widen and feel more like a true lake.
Phenomenal blue cat fishing is available on humps and points near the river channel. The main body of the lake also has dozens of backwaters, creeks and embayments that produce tremendous numbers of catfish.
Try anchoring at the mouths of creeks on summer nights.
Cumberland River
Much like the Tennessee River, the Cumberland offers excellent catfish angling along a series of reservoirs. Unlike the Tennessee, the Cumberland River’s impoundments are mostly long, meandering run-of-the-river reservoirs.
A Tennessee state record blue catfish weighing 122 pounds, 3 ounces, was caught from the Stewart County portion of the river—technically Lake Barkley—in 2023.
In most cases, fishing the Cumberland River feels like fishing in a river, unlike the broad, open reservoirs typical of the Tennessee River. Some of the best sections of the Cumberland River for catfish include:
Old Hickory Lake
Over 97 miles long, Old Hickory Lake is a narrow, snakelike reservoir that follows the Cumberland River channel from the Cordell Hull Dam at its upper end to the Old Hickory Dam at its lower end. Channel catfish are abundant, while blues and flatheads offer trophy potential.
Unsurprisingly, the Cordell Hull tailwater at the upper end is a perennial hotspot, with excellent bank access right below the dam and quality riverine habitat for miles downstream.
Another good spot, especially in winter, is the area below the Gallatin Steam Plant farther downlake.
Mouths of creeks and embayments like Spencer, Station Camp, Cedar, Bledsoe and Drakes creeks are reliable catfish haunts; look for areas where submerged humps and channels meet.
Recreation areas around the lake also offer excellent bank access, including multiple fishing piers.
Old Hickory Lake, especially below Cordell Hull Dam where catfishing is excellent, also is among the hotspots for striper fishing in Tennessee.
Cheatham Lake
Cheatham Lake begins where Old Hickory Lake ends, flowing from the Old Hickory Dam tailwater 67 miles downriver to the Cheatham Dam, passing through Nashville on the way. It’s a run-of-the-river reservoir that spans 7,450 acres and usually has consistent current.
Catfish are very abundant here, especially channel cats in the 2- to 5-pound range, but also plenty of larger flathead and blue catfish. The state advises against eating catfish caught in Cheatham Lake due to pollution.
Key areas include spots where the embayments like Johnson Creek, Dyce’s Ditch, Sycamore Creek, and the Harpeth River meet the main Cumberland River channel. Embayments are particularly good on spring and summer nights, and the Old Hickory tailwater is also excellent.
Lake Barkley
The last and largest reservoir on the Cumberland River, Lake Barkley begins at the Cheatham Lock and Dam and extends downriver across the Kentucky State Line. Although the lower lake does have a large main body, mostly in Kentucky, Tennessee’s portion is more riverine.
Blue catfish are the most harvested catfish species, and flatheads and channels are also abundant. In addition to the Cheatham tailwater, which produces current that attracts baitfish and catfish year-round, anglers commonly catch large catfish along the main river channel.
During the spawn in June, riprap banks and bridge crossings are key areas. And don’t neglect the summer catfish bite in creeks and embayments like Blue Creek, Lick Creek and Dyers Creek.
Other Tennessee Catfish Options
Looking for more great catfish spots? Tennessee offers an abundance of excellent options beyond the “big three.”
Reelfoot Lake
Created by a long-ago earthquake that cut off a section of the Mississippi River, Reelfoot Lake is the largest natural lake in Tennessee at 10,427 acres. Though it’s best known for its prolific crappie and bream, Reelfoot Lake also produces an abundance of channel cats.
Most weigh 2 to 4 pounds, though plenty of larger fish are available. The timber-filled Eagle Nest and Palestine areas harbor a lot of catfish in summer, and a safe bet is to look for any place where current enters the lake.
Nations Ditch and Walnut Log Ditch are great areas after a good rain, and catfish readily bite nightcrawlers and stink bait.
In fall and winter, look for catfish around any of the flooded cypress trees where cormorants roost. Catfish are attracted to the baitfish-eating birds’ droppings.
Dale Hollow
An acclaimed Tennessee bass lake that produced a world-record smallmouth, Dale Hollow Reservoir is often overlooked by catfish fanatics. But this 27,700-acre lake on the Obey River also yields abundant channel cats and plenty of nice flatheads, too.
Catfish spawning activity peaks in June and offers great opportunities to catch catfish around rocks and riprap. After spawning, catfish feed actively and readily snap up chicken livers, chunks of shad, and catalpa worms, often in surprisingly shallow water.
Catfish average 4 or 5 pounds in Dale Hollow, but don’t be surprised to catch a flathead in the 30- to 40-pound class. Tributaries like Hurricane and Pendergrass creeks off the main lake are good places to start.
Duck River
Flowing east to west through Middle Tennessee, the 284-mile Duck River is the longest river contained entirely within Tennessee. The lower-middle portion of the river offers the best catfish fishing.
Expect to catch abundant channel cats in the stretch from Henry Horton State Park to the dam in Columbia.
Then, fishing gets even better from Columbia to Centerville. The river widens in this section, with long pools and gravel bars that provide excellent catfish habitat.
Anglers often catch flatheads around log jams and other snaggy cover, and some chunky blue cats are also available in many of the long, sluggish pools.
Though the Duck River doesn’t produce a lot of trophies, the catch rate is excellent.
Woods Reservoir
Middle Tennessee’s Woods Reservoir, a 3,660-acre lake on the Elk Reservoir, offers one of the best channel cat fisheries in the state. The lake routinely produces channel cats weighing 10 to 15 pounds.
Woods Reservoir’s catfish are relatively underutilized because of a consumption advisory. But if you don’t mind releasing your catch, you might find some of the biggest channel cats in the state here, as well as limited numbers of blues and flatheads.
The upper end of the lake provides some of the best fishing, with a distinct river channel adjacent to expansive stump-filled flats. Catfish commonly move up from the channel to the flats around dusk.
Threadfin shad is the preferred cut bait.