Catfishin' in the Hoosier State has never been better. Boaters and bank-fishermen alike are finding plenty of action right now, and there are plenty of whiskerfish to go around. Channel catfish still lead the way for numbers in the Hoosier State's whiskered lineup, while flatheads and blues produce the lunker specimens.

Here's a look at five of our most promising catfish waters and what 2009 holds in store.

LAKE MAXINKUCKEE
Lake Maxinkuckee, in Marshall County, is one of the best catfish lakes in the region. This 1,854-acre large water contains a nice population of channel catfish, according to fisheries biologist Bob Robertson. The lake offers anglers a reasonable chance for landing a big channel cat. There aren't a lot of catfish in the lake, but there seems to be plenty of big ones.

"There are some sleeper big ones in there," said Roberts. "During the last survey, we saw some large fish in the trap nets. The numbers aren't high in Maxinkuckee, probably due to all the other game fish in the lake, but the sizes are."

Randy Walter has fished the lake for a long time. As owner of Randy's Place Bait Shop, Walter has had some personal experiences with Maxinkuckee's big cats.

"This is a big-fish lake," said Walter. "I was fishing with my older brother from a bass boat and he hooked a catfish on 35-pound-test line. That fish dragged our boat around for a half hour and we never even got a look at it before it got off."

Walter is convinced there are bigger catfish in the lake that no one may ever see. Anglers generally come unprepared for what swims in the lake's depths and the result is usually the same as he and his brother experienced. The water at the dam reaches 100 feet, so there's plenty of room for whiskerfish to grow fat and sassy. He's seen many 20-pounders and has taken a 35-pound fish himself, but they get much bigger than that.

One of Walter's customers tried netting a big catfish that had a head large enough that it wouldn't fit into a regular-sized bass net. When the angler and his partner tried to wrestle the catfish into the boat, it surged, broke the line and sank back into the deep water. They claim the fish was several feet long. Catfish like this are the stuff legends are made of.

The most productive areas for channels and flatheads are on the south end of the lake along the east side at night or in Academy Bay. Both areas have shallow water and lots of structure.

Maxinkuckee Lake is Indiana's second largest natural lake and is located in Culver. There is a ramp on the southwest corner of the lake.

For more info, call Randy's Place in Culver at (574) 842-3070.

For information on where to stay, visit www.maxinkuckee.com on the Web.

INDIAN CHAIN OF LAKES
The best catfish lake in District 2 is the Indian Chain of lakes. It also goes by the name of the Dallas Chain. But no matter what you call it, the lake pumps out some hefty channel cats. Fisheries biologist Neil Ledet gives the chain a thumbs-up and recommends it highly.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has been stocking 10-inch fingerling channel cats into the chain since 1990. Over the last decade, the number of catfish stocked on a bi-annual basis has increased to about 6,000 fish per stocking.

"Indian Lake is kind of a sleeper fishery, though the chain has drawn some interest from the catfish clubs and tournaments," said Ledet. "I'm told these tournaments allow five fish to be weighed in and that it takes 40 to 50 pounds to get into the money. This isn't a typical catch, but there are some pretty nice catfish taken."