The Texas state-record blue catfish and previous world-record holder “Splash” caught at Lake Texoma is shown here in its home at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center where it lived until it died in 2005. (Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)
Big Blues and BBQs
By Anietra Hamper
A north Texas road trip can combine the best of trophy blue catfishing and barbecue in the Lone Star state.
Texas is known for its blues music scene and sumptuous barbecue, but anglers appreciate the state for another kind of blues—the trophy fish kind that notoriously align with the “everything is bigger in Texas” moniker.
We take you on a north Texas road trip outside of Dallas where you can base and take daytrips or just hit the road in a loop, getting your fill of big blues and barbecues.
Lake Texoma
Our road trip starts at Lake Texoma near Denison, Texas, located on the border of Texas and Oklahoma.
Lake Texoma is one of the more notorious lakes for trophy blue catfishing. It is where “Splash,” a former world record and current state-record blue catfish was caught in 2004. That 121.5-pound catfish lived out her life after fame at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens until she died in 2005.
Several factors make Lake Texoma ideal for anglers looking to land a trophy blue catfish. For starters, its large size and location along a major river channel make it prime trophy blue catfish water. During the hottest parts of summer, the big blues can travel upstream into cooler deep-water pools, and there’s an abundance of gizzard shad for feeding.
“Texoma just has a lot of real estate when it comes to looking for locations to target blues,” said Dan Bennett, fisheries biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). “Catfish anglers can spread out and not have much competition. Texoma also has many more locations to fish for blues from the shoreline.”
Lake Texoma has restrictive bag and length limits for catfish, but the bonus for anglers here is the unique Lake Texoma fishing license. The $12 yearly license permits fishing on the lake from either side of the Texas and Oklahoma border.
After you fill your limit it’s time to fill your stomach at Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, a family-owned stop known for its brisket and beef ribs. A must try is Hutchins’ Texas Twinkie, a jalapeno stuffed with barbecued brisket and cream cheese then wrapped with bacon and smoked. Banana pudding and cobbler are musts for dessert. The restaurant is on the way to our next stop at Lake Tawakoni.
Lake Tawakoni
Lake Tawakoni, located less than an hour east of Dallas, is considered one of the best trophy blue catfish lakes in the state. There are several reasons for this. First, the lake is nutrient rich. This stimulates the entire food chain from the bottom up with abundant plankton supporting a healthy shad population. This gives the blue catfish and other species a regular buffet.
Second, Lake Tawakoni has quality habitat for blues throughout the year. There is deep water where they can escape the extreme temperatures in the summer or winter and vast flats where they can feed.
Next is the ample catfish spawning habitat along the lake’s miles of cavity-filled shoreline.
Finally, regulations implemented at Lake Tawakoni since 2016 have helped ensure the lake continues to support its abundant trophy fishery.
“In most lakes, a 30– to 50-pound blue catfish is a giant and possibly a lake record. On Tawakoni, fish in that size class are a common occurrence,” said Jake Norman, supervisor in the TWPD Tyler District. “There are very few lakes where anglers could hook up with an 80-pound catfish and a 15-pound striped bass, plus fill a cooler with white bass (sand bass) all in the same trip. While that isn’t an everyday occurrence, it is absolutely a reality for Tawakoni.”
Norman also credits the impressive catch rates of trophy catfish to the fishing guides available at the lake who get clients onto fish while educating them about the fishery.
Wrap up a day of fishing on Lake Tawakoni by heading to Cattleack Barbeque in north Dallas for some smoked brisket, burnt ends, ribs, wagyu bologna and pulled pork with a Special Reserve BBQ sauce. If you can’t decide what to get, try The Toddfather signature sandwich that piles high a combo of some of Cattleack’s top meats.
Lake Lewisville
Lake LewisvilleNext on the road trip is Lake Lewisville, which offers anglers a chance to catch catfish over 50 pounds. The lake has a strong prey base of shad and sunfish, and its harvest regulations enable the blue catfish to reach trophy sizes.
“Lake Lewisville is in the middle of the Dallas/Fort Worth major metropolitan area, yet it provides a trophy blue catfish fishery year after year that draws anglers from all over Texas and other states,” said Raphael Brock, DFW, TPWD Inland fisheries biologist. “Angling access to Lake Lewisville surpasses that of most of the reservoirs in north Texas. It has numerous boat ramps and an abundance of bank access, which allows all types of catfish anglers the opportunity to fish for trophy blue cats.”
There are several fishing guides available at Lake Lewisville, so anglers who are not familiar with the lake can hire one to increase their chances of landing a personal best.
After fighting trophy blues, you can make your way to the Fort Worth Stockyards to quell that appetite at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, which serves up 14 different cuts of meat right off the open pit. Cooper’s has signature beef ribs and the Texas Trinity consisting of brisket, sausage and pork ribs along with seared steaks. It is Texas, so save room for the sides and cobbler.
Lake Arrowhead
Cap off your road trip by heading north toward Wichita Falls for fishing at Lake Arrowhead. The lake consistently produces trophy blue catfish due in part to the plentiful shad population and great forage base, and it’s a bit of a hidden gem for catfish anglers.
“Lake Arrowhead goes under the radar among Texas blue catfish anglers,” said Wes Dutter, TPWD Wichita Falls Inland Fisheries District Supervisor. “During blue catfish sampling surveys, fish are routinely captured around 40 inches in length. The reservoir produces an abundant number of quality length fish, 20 inches or greater.”
Blue catfish can be targeted by boat or bank due to the great public access around the reservoir, especially from Lake Arrowhead State Park.
Wrap up your memorable road trip with a Texas-sized steak from family-owned McBride’s Steakhouse in Wichita Falls. You’ll be glad you did!
(Anietra Hamper is a career television news anchor and investigative journalist turned award-winning outdoor writer specializing in fishing and outdoor adventure. Anietra travels the world fishing for catfish and other unique species in new destinations.)
