Everyone knows that the catfish run big in Hoosierland. But being on the proper stretch of river increases one’s chances of connecting with one of these trophy-class cats, and if you’re willing to put in a little effort, fish over 30 or 40 pounds are possible. Indeed, it wouldn’t be surprising if a new state record were to come out of one of these rivers. So here are a few rivers where you can tangle with your own big catfish in 2008.

OHIO RIVER
The Ohio River has always been big-cat country. The entire river, with its five Hoosier locks and dams, offers good fishing, but the tailwaters below the Newburgh Dam just might be your best bet for a big cat.

“There’s likely to be a 100-pound fish anywhere on Indiana’s portion of the Ohio River,” said Tom Stefanavage, the Department of Natural Resources’ big-river fisheries biologist. “It was below the Newburgh Dam where we saw a 90-pounder while electrofishing, which we just couldn’t get to the boat. The state-record blue was caught in the river and weighed 104 pounds.”

Electroshocking has never been very useful for checking blues and flatheads, but according to Stefanavage, that -- at least when it comes to flatheads -- is changing. The new technique being used regularly yields flatheads in a variety of sizes, including one that weighed 54 pounds. Blues are still elusive, but that’s OK. Last fall the DNR biologist saw schools of young-of-the-year blues feeding on the surface that numbered in the thousands. Last year was a drought year, which usually means more-successful river spawns.

Blue cats vary as to what they’ll hit, while flatheads stick strictly to live bait. If you’re going to catch a flathead, you’ll have to use a live baitfish. Both blues and flatheads may look like inefficient predators, but they’re amazingly adept at catching panfish and smaller cats.

“Shiners, turkey livers and cut shad are what I sell or hear of guys using,” said James Smith of Smith’s Bait and Tackle in Evansville. He knows of an 87-pound flathead taken within the last few years below the Newburgh Dam, along with several 60-pound-class blues in the same spot.

Channel catfish are abundant in the river, but are seldom found where larger flatheads and blues are holding in the tailwaters. Check along the riverbank in the evenings and throughout the night or in deeper water during the daytime.

Stink baits, cut fish, earthworms and minnows are good producers. Some creative catfish anglers will make their own baits from cheese. Be sure to use a three-way rig with an egg sinker to help avoid hangups.

The Newburgh Lock and Dam is located at river mile 776.1 near Newburgh in Warrick County, about 16 miles upstream from Evansville. Boat access at Evansville is good. The Angel Mounds ramp on the city’s east side is a mile south of Pollack Avenue and the Dress Plaza ramp is in downtown Evansville on the riverfront.

For additional information, contact the DNR at (812) 789-2724 or Smith’s Bait Shop at (812) 425-0645.

The Wabash River is a catfish hotspot in both the northern and southern parts of the state; but for numbers of catfish as well as the opportunity to tag a trophy fish, the stretch of the Wabash running through Huntington, Wabash and Miami counties is at the top of the list.