Channel Catfish fishing in Southern Utah
8 waters in the DWR Southern region hold channel catfish — 8 with live data, 2 rated Prime or Good right now.
Quick tactics for channel catfish
Whisker-guided scent feeders that cruise soft bottoms after dark. Utah Lake and Willard Bay grow them past 20 pounds, and half the community ponds in the state hold them. Set up on a windblown shoreline, get bait on the bottom, and wait.
Cut bait (carp or white bass), nightcrawlers, shrimp, stink baits, chicken liver.
- Carolina-rigged cut bait on the bottom, rod in a holder
- Slip-bobber rigs drifted along riprap during the spawn
- Fresh cut white bass at Utah Lake — the local cheat code
- Circle hooks so fish hook themselves (and release clean)
Full seasonal guide to channel catfish →
Fishing best right now
All 8 channel catfish waters in southern Utah
| Water | Right now | Flow / level | Water temp | Stocked | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Flat Reservoir | Good | 48% full | — | stocked 5d ago | brook trout, brown trout, channel catfish, … |
| Parowan Pond | Good | — | stocked 3w ago | channel catfish, black crappie, rainbow trout | |
| Leigh Hill Reservoir | Fair | — | stocked 3w ago | channel catfish, black crappie, tiger trout (brown × brook hybrid), … | |
| Redmond Lake | Fair | — | stocked 13mo ago | largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, … | |
| Salina City Pond | Fair | — | stocked 3mo ago | brook trout, brown trout, channel catfish, … | |
| Willow Spring Pond | Fair | — | stocked 4w ago | channel catfish, black crappie, rainbow trout, … | |
| Piute Reservoir | Tough | 4% full | — | stocked 5mo ago | smallmouth bass, white bass, channel catfish, … |
| Gunlock Reservoir | Warning | 37% full | — | — | largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, … |