Lakes and reservoirs collectively contribute significant amounts of methane (CH₄) to the global atmosphere. If CH₄ production were not at least partially balanced by consumption (oxidation) in most of these systems, they could potentially emit an order of magnitude or more CH₄. The impacts of environmental drivers such as trophic status, temperature, and latitude on CH₄ production, CH₄ oxidation, and the balance of the two processes influence current and future patterns of freshwater CH₄ emissions. Using CH₄ production and oxidation rates measured with a common methodology (incubations) from over 60 different lakes and reservoirs, we provide novel evidence for lower sediment CH₄ oxidation efficiency at high sediment CH₄ production rates. We also show a strong positive correlation between sediment CH₄ production and lake trophic status. Our results suggest that less efficient CH₄ consumption at high CH₄ production rates could help explain greater surface emissions often observed in eutrophic lakes globally.