KENTUCKY LAKE
One of the premier destinations in the state for catfish is Kentucky Lake. Both the lake and its tailwaters provide tremendous fishing opportunity for flatheads, blues and channels. With ample space, structure and forage, all varieties of catfish have the potential to reach trophy size here.

Bill Pierson has been fishing and guiding at Kentucky Lake for a number of years. He rates the area as one of his favorite locations for catfish. He regularly boats huge catches of whiskerfish and pursues them year 'round. He says knowing the difference between fishing the lake and the tailwaters is paramount to success.

Blue catfishing is better below the dam, according to Pierson. He likes to look for changes in current. A little eddy where the water slows down near a deeper drop is a prime target.

He finds channel cats more concentrated. "You can usually catch four or five in one spot and then move either left or right and catch four or five more."

Pierson uses cut bait in the tailwaters on a rig that resembles a Carolina rig used by bass anglers. Shad and cut herring are among his favorite baits. He uses 3/0 to 5/0 hooks, 1- to 1 1/2-ounce egg sinkers, and a short leader of between 1 1/2 to 2 feet.

In the lake proper, Pierson prefers to fish along the main river channel. He looks for a bend in the channel with a large rock or broken rocks in the bend for structure. "At locations like this, you can catch a mixed bag including blues, channels, and even an occasional flathead over 20 pounds."

Deeper water -- 35-foot-plus -- holds bigger fish, according to Pierson. He says there won't be as many bites, but the fish will be larger. Most will be 10 pounds or larger.

Pierson utilizes different bait in the lake. He will generally use shrimp, leeches or a combination thereof. Lately, he has been leaning more toward the combination.

Flatheads are most active in low light said Pierson, so anglers wanting to target them specifically should have the most success just before dark and for the first part of the nighttime. He recommends a 5/0 to 6/0 hook baited with live bait. A small bluegill is a good choice.

OHIO RIVER
Another fantastic location that is accessible for many Kentuckians is the Ohio River. Bordering much of the state, the river offers excellent catfishing throughout, with the best action taking place below major dams. Flatheads can be found from Ashland to Cairo and channel catfish may be found most anywhere in the river.

Ohio River biologist Doug Henley said the river is also very good for blue catfish up to about Cincinnati. After that, the fishery for blues "starts to dwindle," according to Henley. "There are not as many and they're not as big."

Consequently, in August 1999, Bruce W. Midkiff found the blue catfish population in fine shape as he landed the new state record at 104 pounds. The fish was caught in the tailwaters below Cannelton Dam. The catch also qualified as a new world record for line-class catch-and-release.

The Ohio River also just recently yielded the state record for channel catfish. On May 26, 2004, Kyle Estep pulled in the 32-pound record fish. The catch surpassed the previous record by nearly 4 pounds!

Henley and others at the KDFWR are beginning to study catfish in the river more closely. "We want to get a better idea of what shape the fishery is in regarding size, length, weight, age and growth rate."

The biologists are concerned they don't know enough about reproduction and growth rates, and have already determined that catfish in the river grow slower than what they previously believed.