When is blue catfish season in Kansas?

Kansas keeps blue catfish open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.

What is the Kansas bag limit for blue catfish?

The Kansas daily bag limit for blue catfish is 5 / day statewide; 10 / day (one over 30 in) on Clinton + El Dorado + Elk City + Glen Elder + John Redmond + Melvern + Tuttle Creek; 5 / day + 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; 10 / day on Milford (28–40 in slot); 2 / day on Wilson (32–40 in slot). The possession limit is 15 in possession statewide (3× the daily creel — KDWP standard); 30 on the 10-fish reservoirs; 6 on Wilson (2 / day). Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.

What size blue catfish can you keep in Kansas?

The Kansas size rule for blue catfish is No statewide length limit; 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; only one fish over 30 in on the 10-fish reservoirs; Milford 28–40 in protected slot; Wilson 32–40 in protected slot. Slot limit: Milford Lake: 28–40 in protected slot — must release blue catfish 28–40 in; daily bag of 10 may include only one fish 40 in or longer. Wilson Lake: 32–40 in protected slot — daily bag of 2, plus one fish 40 in or longer may be kept. Trophy rule: KDWP-introduced reservoir fishery booms on shad forage — 10 / day (one over 30 in) on the introduced reservoirs, a 35 in trophy minimum on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry, and protected slots on Milford (28–40 in) + Wilson (32–40 in); KS state-record blue catfish 102.8 lb (Missouri River, 2012); Milford trophy blue ~82 lb.

Do you need a license to fish for blue catfish in Kansas?

Yes. Kansas requires a valid fishing license to fish for blue catfish, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a Kansas license — compare resident and non-resident Kansas fees on the state regulations page below.

Are there gear restrictions for blue catfish in Kansas?

Yes. In Kansas, blue catfish fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; setlines, trotlines, floatlines, and banklines permitted under KDWP-specific rules (separate tagging requirements — check current regs); Fresh cut bait (shad, skipjack) fished in deep reservoir channels + Missouri River scour holes is the standard big-blue tactic; KS Fishing Licence required ages 16+ ($27.50 res / $52.50 NR annual); Confirm current-year KDWP Fishing Regulations Summary for the listed-reservoir blue-catfish rules + Milford slot.

Do specific Kansas waters have different blue catfish rules?

Yes. 10 named Kansas waters carry rules that override the statewide blue catfish regulation, including Milford Lake, Wilson Lake, Cheney Reservoir, and 7 more. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

2026 regulation year

Kansas Blue catfish 2026 — Season, Bag Limit, Size Rules

Ictalurus furcatus

Last updated June 8, 2026

Blue catfish are Kansas's fastest-growing trophy fishery and the species behind the state's biggest catfish of all — the KS state-record blue catfish weighs 102.8 pounds, caught from the Missouri River in 2012. Blue catfish are native to the Missouri River but have been deliberately INTRODUCED by KDWP into a dozen large reservoirs (Cheney, Clinton, El Dorado, Elk City, Glen Elder, John Redmond, Kanopolis, Lovewell, Melvern, Milford, Perry, Tuttle Creek, Wilson), where they grow extremely fast on the abundant shad forage base — Milford Lake has become a nationally known big-blue destination (Milford trophy blue ~82 lb). Because the introduced reservoir populations boom, KDWP regulates harvest by reservoir: the statewide bag is 5 fish per day with no length limit, rising to 10 fish per day with only one fish over 30 inches on Clinton + El Dorado + Elk City + Glen Elder + John Redmond + Melvern + Tuttle Creek; a 35-inch minimum + 5 fish per day protects the bigger fish on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; Milford Lake runs a 28–40-inch PROTECTED SLOT (10 / day, with only one fish 40 inches or longer) and Wilson Lake a 32–40-inch slot (2 / day, plus one fish 40 inches or longer) to grow true trophies while cropping the abundant mid-size class. Blue catfish are caught on fresh cut bait (shad, skipjack) fished in deep reservoir channels, on main-lake humps, and in the Missouri River scour holes and wing-dike eddies. The trophy bite peaks in late fall and winter when big blues school over deep structure.

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Season

Open year-round Open year-round statewide; introduced trophy fishery on a dozen KDWP reservoirs + the Missouri River. Late-fall / winter is the trophy bite. No closed season.

Bag & possession

Daily bag: 5 / day statewide; 10 / day (one over 30 in) on Clinton + El Dorado + Elk City + Glen Elder + John Redmond + Melvern + Tuttle Creek; 5 / day + 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; 10 / day on Milford (28–40 in slot); 2 / day on Wilson (32–40 in slot)
Possession: 15 in possession statewide (3× the daily creel — KDWP standard); 30 on the 10-fish reservoirs; 6 on Wilson (2 / day)

Size, slot, trophy rules

Size: No statewide length limit; 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; only one fish over 30 in on the 10-fish reservoirs; Milford 28–40 in protected slot; Wilson 32–40 in protected slot
Slot: Milford Lake: 28–40 in protected slot — must release blue catfish 28–40 in; daily bag of 10 may include only one fish 40 in or longer. Wilson Lake: 32–40 in protected slot — daily bag of 2, plus one fish 40 in or longer may be kept
Trophy rule: KDWP-introduced reservoir fishery booms on shad forage — 10 / day (one over 30 in) on the introduced reservoirs, a 35 in trophy minimum on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry, and protected slots on Milford (28–40 in) + Wilson (32–40 in); KS state-record blue catfish 102.8 lb (Missouri River, 2012); Milford trophy blue ~82 lb

Gear restrictions

Hook-and-line; setlines, trotlines, floatlines, and banklines permitted under KDWP-specific rules (separate tagging requirements — check current regs)
Fresh cut bait (shad, skipjack) fished in deep reservoir channels + Missouri River scour holes is the standard big-blue tactic
KS Fishing Licence required ages 16+ ($27.50 res / $52.50 NR annual)
Confirm current-year KDWP Fishing Regulations Summary for the listed-reservoir blue-catfish rules + Milford slot

Named water-body overrides

Where statewide rules differ on specific Kansas waters:

Milford Lake
28–40 in protected slot; 10 / day, only one fish 40 in or longer; KDWP-introduced trophy blue fishery (Milford trophy blue ~82 lb)
Wilson Lake
32–40 in protected slot; 2 / day, plus one fish 40 in or longer may be kept
Cheney Reservoir
35 in min, 5 / day; Wichita-area trophy blue fishery
Kanopolis Lake
35 in min, 5 / day
Lovewell Reservoir
35 in min, 5 / day
Perry Lake
35 in min, 5 / day; Topeka-area reservoir
Listed blue-catfish reservoirs
10 / day, only one fish over 30 in (Clinton, El Dorado, Elk City, Glen Elder, John Redmond, Melvern, Tuttle Creek)
Missouri River main stem
5 / day, no length limit; KS state-record blue catfish 102.8 lb came off the Missouri (2012)
John Redmond Reservoir
10 / day, only one fish over 30 in; KDWP-introduced reservoir fishery (Neosho River, N of Burlington)
Melvern Reservoir
10 / day, only one fish over 30 in; KDWP-introduced reservoir fishery (Marais des Cygnes River, S of Topeka)

Official source

Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP) publishes the authoritative 2026 Kansasfishing regulations. Always verify the current rule before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override what's published here.

The blue catfish rules on this page are sourced from Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP)'s official blue catfish regulation page.

Visit official Kansas fishing regulations →

Emergency-order channel

Blue catfish closures, slot-limit changes, and harvest pauses are posted to Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks's emergency-order feed — check it before any Kansas trip during the active season.

Frequently asked questions

When is blue catfish season in Kansas?: Kansas keeps blue catfish open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.
What is the Kansas bag limit for blue catfish?: The Kansas daily bag limit for blue catfish is 5 / day statewide; 10 / day (one over 30 in) on Clinton + El Dorado + Elk City + Glen Elder + John Redmond + Melvern + Tuttle Creek; 5 / day + 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; 10 / day on Milford (28–40 in slot); 2 / day on Wilson (32–40 in slot). The possession limit is 15 in possession statewide (3× the daily creel — KDWP standard); 30 on the 10-fish reservoirs; 6 on Wilson (2 / day). Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.
What size blue catfish can you keep in Kansas?: The Kansas size rule for blue catfish is No statewide length limit; 35 in min on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry; only one fish over 30 in on the 10-fish reservoirs; Milford 28–40 in protected slot; Wilson 32–40 in protected slot. Slot limit: Milford Lake: 28–40 in protected slot — must release blue catfish 28–40 in; daily bag of 10 may include only one fish 40 in or longer. Wilson Lake: 32–40 in protected slot — daily bag of 2, plus one fish 40 in or longer may be kept. Trophy rule: KDWP-introduced reservoir fishery booms on shad forage — 10 / day (one over 30 in) on the introduced reservoirs, a 35 in trophy minimum on Cheney + Kanopolis + Lovewell + Perry, and protected slots on Milford (28–40 in) + Wilson (32–40 in); KS state-record blue catfish 102.8 lb (Missouri River, 2012); Milford trophy blue ~82 lb.
Do you need a license to fish for blue catfish in Kansas?: Yes. Kansas requires a valid fishing license to fish for blue catfish, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a Kansas license — compare resident and non-resident Kansas fees on the state regulations page below.
Are there gear restrictions for blue catfish in Kansas?: Yes. In Kansas, blue catfish fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; setlines, trotlines, floatlines, and banklines permitted under KDWP-specific rules (separate tagging requirements — check current regs); Fresh cut bait (shad, skipjack) fished in deep reservoir channels + Missouri River scour holes is the standard big-blue tactic; KS Fishing Licence required ages 16+ ($27.50 res / $52.50 NR annual); Confirm current-year KDWP Fishing Regulations Summary for the listed-reservoir blue-catfish rules + Milford slot.
Do specific Kansas waters have different blue catfish rules?: Yes. 10 named Kansas waters carry rules that override the statewide blue catfish regulation, including Milford Lake, Wilson Lake, Cheney Reservoir, and 7 more. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

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