Channel cats in Dewey Lake are self-sustaining. But occasionally, there have been supplemental stockings when excess fish have been left over from the farm-pond stocking program. Dewey Lake's catfish get a lot of angling pressure, and there is a fairly heavy harvest annually.

Size distribution of channel cats up to 26 inches is very good. Bigger fish up to 33 inches are also present. Spawning and recruitment have been steady for several years, and the KDFWR continues to rate the fishery as very good.

Anglers have a wide variety of fishing choices at Dewey. Both bank- and boat-angling opportunities abound. Also, you can usually have your choice of fishing muddy or clearer water, depending on where you fish on the lake. The upper end typically stays muddier, due to turbidity.

After the summer spawning ritual ends in July, feeding channel cats will be omnivores and will scavenge food sources such as plant seeds, dead animals, and sick or dying fish. Throughout the remainder of the summer, rod-and-reel anglers can find good success by using chicken livers, cut shad, minnows, or stinkbaits. At times, however, heavy recreational boat traffic will limit the best fishing success to nighttime.

Channel catfish are scattered throughout the lake, and anglers can find good success from one end to the other. Some of the best fishing can be found in the upper end and also up into Johns Creek. Channel cats can be found around the dam, near riprap and rocky areas, and along sandy or muddy bottoms.

Dewey Lake is a flood-control water and subject to quick changes in conditions and lake levels. These water-level fluctuations can affect fishing success as well as the depth at which cats will be found and their proximity to the shore.

Floyd County is home to the 1,100-acre Dewey Lake. There are plenty of boat ramps at the lake and all are free to use. The best bank access occurs at the tailwaters. Anglers may want to contact the Jenny Wiley State Park office at 1-800-325-0142 for more information. Reach the park online at parks.ky.gov/resortparks/jw, or by e-mail at JennyWiley@ky.gov.

LAKE BESHEAR
Channel Catfish
This 760-acre lake in Caldwell and Christian counties has had an interesting channel catfish history. Beshear was first opened for public fishing in 1964 and was originally stocked with channel catfish at a rate of around 25 to 50 per acre each year.

Catfish quickly became too numerous, and their sizes were severely stunted. In the mid-1990s, the KDFWR chose to quit stocking catfish, thinking that they were putting too many fish in the lake. They had hoped that due to the lake's size, the catfish would take care of themselves.

Unfortunately, biologist Paul Rister says the KDFWR has not been able to document any natural reproduction for catfish in the lake. So stocking has resumed, but at a reduced rate.

Channel cats are now stocked into Beshear at the rate of 10 fish per acre per year. Additionally, blue cats were stocked at five per acre in 2005, to cut down on the big gizzard shad that are present. If the blues do well, they may be stocked exclusively at some point in the future.

Over the past 10 years, channel catfish quality has really improved and the lake now carries a rating of "Excellent" for channel cats. Sampling has shown that Beshear catfish grow slowly. However, the surveys show that some really nice channel cats inhabit the lake, with some reaching 18 to 20 inches.