Photo by Ron Sinfelt

River catfishing is not for the faint of heart. Big rivers often produce big fish. And surprisingly, some smaller rivers produce big fish, too. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the big-catfish phenomenon that’s sweeping the country. They just keep getting bigger and bigger each year. Nobody seems to know why.

Regardless of why, our rivers seem to be at the forefront of the catfish action. Nearly every newsworthy catfish that’s caught in the country has come from either a major river, or from the impoundment of a major river. Kentucky is no exception.

Read on for three great picks for catfishing in the commonwealth. Take advantage of one of these waters this summer. You’ll be glad you did!

OHIO RIVER
Any discussion of big-river catfishing in Kentucky must start with the Ohio River. Say what you will, it’s the best big fish venue in Kentucky, probably in the Midwest and arguably in the country. Kentucky actually recognizes four species of catfish for state records. Two of the three major species records -- channel and blue -- were caught in the Ohio River. Our state-record flathead came from the Green River, a tributary of the Ohio.

But not all parts of this river are equal. Some stretches are better than others. One is the metropolitan area between Newport and Covington on the Kentucky side of the river, and Cincinnati on the Ohio side. This productive ribbon of water begins at the Interstate 275 Twin Highway Bridges (mile marker 462.1) and ends near Anderson Ferry (mile marker 478.3).

Fishing spots along this 16-mile section of the river are numerous enough to keep a catfish angler busy for a couple of seasons, maybe longer than that. Especially popular are areas near the grain terminals.

The local theory is that the channel catfish eat the grain, and the flatheads are attracted to the area because minnows and forage fish also eat the grain. Now, that’s just a theory. What isn’t a theory -- but rather, a fact -- is that the grain terminals offer a great location to find catfish on the river.

Stink baits are the attractant of choice for those who target channel catfish. Most stink baits are bounced along the bottom on a Carolina rig or suspended below a bobber. Both homemade and commercial preparations are popular and effective.

When it comes to flatheads, live bait is king. Big shad or skipjack herring are typically fished off the bottom on three-way rigs with heavy sinkers. Shad and skipjack up to 16 inches long are common, and sinkers between 6 and 10 ounces are standard.

Channel catfish up to 5 pounds are typical, with a realistic possibility of catching fish from 10 or 12 pounds from time to time. Flatheads will go to 40 pounds, but it’ll take a 50- or 60-pounder to turn heads at the dock.

Recently, blue catfish have been showing up in the creels of some anglers. The majority of these fish are small -- less than 10 pounds -- but there are unconfirmed reports of some weighing in at around 40 pounds, maybe even a little larger. Most blues are caught in high-current troughs of water on cut bait.