Catfish on Lake Mead: Channel & Blue Cat Tactics

Lake Mead has two catfish species worth your attention: channel catfish (abundant and easy) and blue catfish (rarer, bigger, and legitimately trophy-class). The channel cat fishery runs year- round; the blue cat fishery is a deep-water specialty.

Channel catfish — the everyday fishery

Channel cats live everywhere on Mead. The classic program is bank fishing at night with cut shad, chicken liver, or commercial stink baits, on a Carolina-rigged 1-oz egg sinker. Hemenway shoreline, the boulders along the Hoover Dam side, and the mouths of side canyons all hold channel cats.

Blue catfish — the trophy program

Blue cats grow to 30+ pounds on Mead. The fishery is concentrated in the deep Lower Basin near Hoover Dam — 60–120 ft of water, with cut shad or whole anchovy on a Santee-Cooper rig drifted along the channel ledges. The bite is concentrated at night and in the cooler months (October through April).

Bait and tackle

• Cut shad — the universal Mead catfish bait. Threadfin shad cut into 1.5-inch chunks.
• Whole or cut anchovy — works particularly well for blue cats.
• Chicken liver, hot dogs, commercial stink bait — all work for channel cats from shore.
• Tackle — 7'6" medium-heavy rod, 30 lb braid main line, 25 lb fluoro leader, 5/0 to 8/0 circle hook.