# Best Spot To Fish For Catfish?



## Qd74

In southwest Ohio what is the best place to fish for catfish. not super big but the 30 pounders.


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## Bass-Chad

Firstly, from boat or shore? Secondly, how far are you willing to drive. After you answer these questions I can help you out.


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## Qd74

i fish from shore and i can go about 4 hours from where i live 2 mins away from the city of dayton.


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## pendog66

paylakes:T


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## Fisherman 3234

Sniff...Sniff.... Something stinks in here...:T


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## ducky152000

Fisherman 3234 said:


> Sniff...Sniff.... Something stinks in here...:T


Haha, thats funny. But very true!!!!


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## JimmyMac

If someone really lets you know "the best place" to catch them, please fill me in also. Sure would be nice if that is how simple things were.


On a serious note, the Ohio river is gonna be your best chance for 30+ fish in the area, use google earth to find accessible spots, then go give them a shot.


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## lsheets22

Paylakes I would see that is where i have had some luck. I also know a bunch of people who have had luck to.


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## Salmonid

yup, about the only place that gives up 30+ lbers at all is the Ohio River and thats the very rare flattie ( thanks to the commercial netters raping the river clean of flatheads) and mostly Blue cats, they can be taken from shore but a boat is your best bet.. Inland in SW Ohio, there is nowhere that gives up a 30+ other then the rare freak of nature. If your into payponds, then try some paylakes and see what all those Ohio River fish look like when stuffed into a barrel and starved to death to the point they will bite a worm with WD-40 sprayed on it....... So the point is that ALL payponds here in Ohio get there fish from public streams like the Ohio River. There is no such thing as a paypond buying from hatcheries,,, no one can afford to feed out anything bigger then about 5 lbs, ALL fish bigger then that are taken from the publics water for profit at the expense of all of us. 

Salmonid


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## flathunter

You aint gonna have many people give up there best spots on a public forum..the areas i used to catch big flatheads were trotlined to death and the fish sold to paylakes illegal in ohio.

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## lark101_1999

Salmonid :good: use y=to catch fish till my arms hurt those days are gone


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## katfish

QD

Those guys are teasing you. 30 pounders are as common as flies to Brian and Jack.

The best part is you can catch them on stink baits or hot dogs.
All you need is a zebco 202 and a little time and a big rope to 
string em up on.


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## cattin15

Katfish gave some good advice. Make sure you only use bait from the grocery store. Fish mostly public park ponds and use the smallest tackle possible. Nothing over 6lb test. Big cats are very line and tackle shy..good luck!

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## cattin15

Many people dont understand the amount of dedication and time involved in finding and catching trophy sized catfish. I have put in 6 years of fishing for big channels and 3 for flatheads and honestly im just starting to be consistent in my results. All of my free time and extra money is put into catfishing and there are hundreds of guys like me (pendog is a good example) we love to hunt these fish and it is a shot to the gut when someone else expects a hand out. If you dont wanna work for em and find them on you dont deserve to catch a trophy sized fish .But if you do decide to do it the hard way please take a picture and release your fish. These are rare fish and they cant be replaced in our lifetime.

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## backupbait

Salmonid said:


> yup, about the only place that gives up 30+ lbers at all is the Ohio River and thats the very rare flattie ( thanks to the commercial netters raping the river clean of flatheads) and mostly Blue cats, they can be taken from shore but a boat is your best bet.. Inland in SW Ohio, there is nowhere that gives up a 30+ other then the rare freak of nature. If your into payponds, then try some paylakes and see what all those Ohio River fish look like when stuffed into a barrel and starved to death to the point they will bite a worm with WD-40 sprayed on it....... So the point is that ALL payponds here in Ohio get there fish from public streams like the Ohio River. There is no such thing as a paypond buying from hatcheries,,, no one can afford to feed out anything bigger then about 5 lbs, ALL fish bigger then that are taken from the publics water for profit at the expense of all of us.
> 
> Salmonid


Well said Mark! Could not agree with you more!!! It would be a common thing to catch a 30lber out of the Ohio river if the commercial fisherman were not taking them all for the paylakes.


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## Fishin' Addiction

pendog66 said:


> I put pay lakes because he is trolling for info instead of going out and putting in the work himself. If you look at his post count, 90 percent or more start out with What is the best bait or Where is the best spot. I put in 10 years of learning the river and baits to use. Im not going to just give away spots because some asked nicely on the internet


Maybe he is new to fishing, or catfishing and is hoping to learn catfishing from someone like your experience. 

I agree with the Ohio River. I don't get to go there to often, however every time I have I have had a great experience.


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## jonnythfisherteen2

pendog66 said:


> I put pay lakes because he is trolling for info instead of going out and putting in the work himself. If you look at his post count, 90 percent or more start out with What is the best bait or Where is the best spot. I put in 10 years of learning the river and baits to use. Im not going just give away spots because some asked nicely on the internet


seriously? Do you need to be a jerk to a guy with 26 posts? 
What do you thinks forums are for? You gain information with forums. It does not matter if you give or get more information. 
Posts like these is what drives away newer guys and people who haven't joined.


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## jonnythfisherteen2

pendog66 said:


> Im the jerk? Go back to your Pole/Rod argument, i LMAO at that stupid argument starting thread. Its one thing to gain information through becoming friends with people and gaining their trust. A lot of great people are no longer on this website because of this BS. Are you a cat guy jonny? And yes im going to be a jerk when someone is just asking for best spots possible! And i was being serious, if you want 30 # fish every trip go to a pay lake. GMR has been destroyed, sure there are still some out there. The fishing has been in a rapid decline in the last 5 years. But the increasing number of people stocking "Their Ponds" with GMR Flats are at a all time high... I literally watched a thread start a couple years ago about a good spot on the lower GMR that i fished. Never said a word but somebody posted a 25 lb fish. And you know what i saw literally within 24 hrs there jonny? 2 jon boats running trotlines across the hole. So i repeat, go out, put in the time, ask for suggestions not spots, and you will find them.


hey, the thread was good, but some guys who took it too seriously tried to turn it into a argument, it was supposed to be a fun thread. 
but hows this guy suposed to know? he has 26 posts, and hasnt even been here a full month. maybe he's new to catfishing, but it sounds like you think he's here to get nothing but information for himself, and take all the good spots, and you base this all from 26 posts? ridiculous!
i could maybe help this guy with the do's and dont'si of this forum.


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## jonnythfisherteen2

pendog66 said:


> You will smartin up when you get burned by being loose lipped. Do yourself a favor and read the posts he started. Thats *EXACTLY *what he is looking for. I wasnt the only one to speak up on this thread. Other seasoned Catfisherman sensed that "Smell" also with these threads. You just keep trying to gain that Admin title and make everyone like you. While i will continue to learn the river and teach the people who have approached me about learning.


 make everyone like me? ha, i could care less if no one liked me. that does not bother me. 
and i can take whatever crap you or anyone else will try to throw at me. 
i already ready his posts, but you act like thats ALL he's trying to do. there have been a few posts about his success. if he was just here for information, then thats ALL he'd be posting about. 
this is fun, arguing with you. i havent had such a great time on a forum in a while!
but it looks like your posts are getting angrier and angrier.


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## jonnythfisherteen2

pendog66 said:


> Have fun riding the bus to your spots kid . im done, kids learn over time. In the good ole days i would of already got my PM Misfit.


so, you give up. good. 
and try a pathetic attempt at using my posts against me. so whats your blood pressure huh? sky high?


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## jonnythfisherteen2

pendog66 said:


> Ignorance is bliss i guess. Time to go Flattie fishing


and that was pathetic attempt number 5 to insult me. 
good luck with the flatheads.


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## jjshbetz11

Catfish!!!!!!!!! The summer steelhead


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## Fisherman 3234

Ohio could be a dynamite catfish fishery, WE just have to let it get there. Paylakes (the majority of them) are the main problem, and there are many solutions to that problem. Too many people roaming around looking for that next batch of fish to throw in their mudholes, only to have to do it again 2 months later because 85% of the fish don't survive. That is why a lot of experienced Ohio catmen keep their mouths shut.


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## carpslayer

pendog66 said:


> Ignorance is bliss i guess. Time to go Flattie fishing


If you dont want to share info then dont post on the thread plain and simple.. Your actions are YOUR RESPONSIBILITY... why get on here and tear someone down cause you think your a trophy fisherman and deserve all this Respect... so once again dont reply to the thread...


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## rustyfish

Not my normal fishing area, but you are sitting in a good catfishing area. Lots of flathead waters between you and the Ohio river. Some nice rivers and lakes around cincy and the city has alot more public access than we have over here in Pike co. 

Just search online to see which bodies of water have the fish you are looking for. Then check out depth maps and sat maps to find places to try.

As for rivers I look for two things. 1. Inlet creek or two rivers merge. 2. Look for slow current with large rocks or lots of logs THEN go upstream until you find faster moving water or ripples. That is where the flatheads will go to feed.

Sorry I cant tell you more but thats not my range. Just keep asking your questions you may have to deal with some punk comments but a few people will try to give you answer. It must be hard for these guys to carry around that big of an ego.

P.S. I do however have to give props to the rod/pole comment.


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## pendog66

carpslayer said:


> If you dont want to share info then dont post on the thread plain and simple.. Your actions are YOUR RESPONSIBILITY... why get on here and tear someone down cause you think your a trophy fisherman and deserve all this Respect... so once again dont reply to the thread...


Just let the thread die dude, we had a argument its over... We can continue this through PMs if you want to.



Deleted the Argument posts because it wont stop unless we forget about it. SW gets hit harder than any other part of the state by illegal selling of fish. When you mix that in with all of the Dams and slow growth rates of Flatheads. The fishing has been taking a big downward turn the last 5 years. Just check out a paylake map of the state and that will speak for itself. And to refer back to one of Robby's posts. A 40 pound Flathead could be 1 in 1,000,000


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## Salmonid

Trying to be nuetral here, as the original poster asked a question and myself and Pendogg replied with the only logical answer, "go to the paylakes" and then we all ranted why the paylakes have all the big fish from all the SW Ohio Rivers. Then of course the thread started down the "every jack wagon seems to catch and keep or trotline the best spots" part of the thread and now someone else is feeling like we were being rude but Im just not seeing that. Just my opinion, lets all move on.... 

Salmonid


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## Qd74

thought this forum was for answering and asking questions? No one asked for your secret spot it is fishing you do it for fun or for eating it is not war dude. I fish at a new place every week i am not wanting to know where you go excalty trust me i do not want to fish with you or anyone else but my family. you are acting like i am spying on your land and wanting to rob you i just ask for best fishing spots. remember it is just fishing and an online website.


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## KaGee

Qd74 said:


> thought this forum was for answering and asking questions? No one asked for your secret spot it is fishing you do it for fun or for eating it is not war dude. I fish at a new place every week i am not wanting to know where you go excalty trust me i do not want to fish with you or anyone else but my family. you are acting like i am spying on your land and wanting to rob you i just ask for best fishing spots. remember it is just fishing and an online website.


You did nothing wrong at all.


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## TClark

Children, children, play nice!


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## LipRipper79

jjshbetz11 said:


> Catfish!!!!!!!!! The summer steelhead
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


LMAO!!! Nice!! F pay lakes!!! Rapin our rivers so some lazy d bag can snap a pic with a big cat and feel like a sportsman.


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## CATMAN447

Nice answer rustyfish. It's nice to see someone give mature answer to such a simple question.


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## fredg53

CATMAN447 said:


> Nice answer rustyfish. It's nice to see someone give mature answer to such a simple question.


+1

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## driftfish101

I catch 40lb catfish on the Ohio River evry year. I don't agree with paylakes but it doesn't hurt my fishing that I have noticed. I actually believe the Ohio is one of the most underrated fisheries in the UInited States for multiple species of fish. I see absolutely no decline, it has gotten better over the years. (a hell of a lot cleaner) Google se4arch catfish techniques and you will get millions of pages of info........or pay for a linder catfishing dvd. lol. Goodluck in every's fishing. Especially to all the whiners who cry about everything.


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## Silent Mike

reading through this thread i think instead of bashing someone for "trolling" why not give him information on what a good spot would look like? down trees, deep pools, current, wood cover, etc?


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## Silent Mike

driftfish101 said:


> I catch 40lb catfish on the Ohio River evry year. I don't agree with paylakes but it doesn't hurt my fishing that I have noticed. I actually believe the Ohio is one of the most underrated fisheries in the UInited States for multiple species of fish. I see absolutely no decline, it has gotten better over the years. (a hell of a lot cleaner) Google se4arch catfish techniques and you will get millions of pages of info........or pay for a linder catfishing dvd. lol. Goodluck in every's fishing. Especially to all the whiners who cry about everything.


oops i think rustyfish did exactly that...good response rusty!


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## Flathead King 06

Man o' man... no matter how long a hiatus you take away from this place... it always seems to be the same stuff whenever you return.

Pendogg, we need to do some fishing this year man.


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## All Eyes

Other than the Ohio, the lower half of the Muskingum River has good numbers of big cats. Stock Port, Malta, and Devola (about 5 miles North of Marietta) can be great for both channels and flatheads.


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## pendog66

Flathead King 06 said:


> Man o' man... no matter how long a hiatus you take away from this place... it always seems to be the same stuff whenever you return.
> 
> *Pendogg, we need to do some fishing this year man*.


shoot me a text, im game whenever man


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## JustWannaGoFishing

I am also new to this site. I am here to learn about "how, for me, to become a better fisherman." What ever the fish may be. We are not all experienced as some, as every single person that fishes starts in the same place in his fishing life. I have 2 boys that plays sports year round. My oldest just graduated, so that leaves me a lil more time to hit the waters starting this summer. I am also a nurse...as i was a trauma nurse, surgical nurse an a cardiac nurse. So, between the kids an work....i haven't had as much free time as some people to fish freely an build up my experience. But, i work on that every time i go out. I enjoy fishing. I wish i could go every day. To the experienced people, a newbie may word things or say things differently than someone with lots of experience. I don't care if i catch something...i just enjoy being outdoors an wetting a line. If i catch something, that's a bonus. I don't mind going out an looking for places to fish. I don't mind getting dirty or wet. I don't mind bug bites, or scrapes and bruises. I am sure i'm fishing in places that are not good spots. And i'm sure i'm fishing them over and over. But for me, an a lot of new beginners, it's fun. I don't want to be considered a PRO at catfishing, i just want to fish for cats. It's the thrill of it. The fun of it. The good times...an the bad times. I don't fish with anyone, as i do not have many friends that fish. So, that leaves me to experience it all on my own. If someone was to inform me or educate me on a way to do it better, i would most certainly listen and try it that way. I am here to learn. I would also "Thank" that person for his advice. But i also know that every person is different. That's the way life is.


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## carpslayer

Qd74 said:


> thought this forum was for answering and asking questions? No one asked for your secret spot it is fishing you do it for fun or for eating it is not war dude. I fish at a new place every week i am not wanting to know where you go excalty trust me i do not want to fish with you or anyone else but my family. you are acting like i am spying on your land and wanting to rob you i just ask for best fishing spots. remember it is just fishing and an online website.


Couldnt have said it any better myself.....well played!!


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## E_Lin

rustyfish said:


> Just search online to see which bodies of water have the fish you are looking for. Then check out depth maps and sat maps to find places to try.
> 
> As for rivers I look for two things. 1. Inlet creek or two rivers merge. 2. Look for slow current with large rocks or lots of logs THEN go upstream until you find faster moving water or ripples. That is where the flatheads will go to feed.


I was curious to see how this thread worked out. I have posted many threads asking for help with varying results. For the most part there have been a lot of helpful, if not vague responses. I understand why now, and I also get all the animosity for paylakes. I had been someone who did most of his fishing at them. But I have gotten tired of it. Mostly for me it is a combination of getting tired of paying extra to get skunked, and the lack of "sport" in fishing somewhere, where, if I can make the analogy, it is like hunting in a fenced in preserve where you know the game is in there and it cannot get away.

But the frustrating thing for me is that I have a learning disability that prevents me from "book learning". I can read whatever is written down, but I cannot apply it unless I see it in front of me. Making me a particularly "visual" learner. So while I appreciate all the advice I have been given since I first showed up here, not much of it has done me a lot of good as I can't translate it to practicle application out on the river. I have not given up yet, though at times I have felt like I should. I still keep trying, and I am gettin better and having better results. But I hate learning via "throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks". I still lose about 6 to 7 lures for every one fish I catch. That is ending up being more expensive than fishing at paylakes, with even worse results

Yesterday I caught my first catfish on a crankbait. It was a small channel, but still was an interesting change of pace. I am not looking to go out and catch trophys every time out, and I don't need access to anyone's secret spot. What I do need, is to be able to go out and learn to recognize the types of places I can fish in the local rivers to target catfish. My biggest obstacles so far, besides being completely unfamiliar with locations and tactics, is that I fish alone and only from shore. I love going after catfish, but have pretty much given up on them to concentrate on bass, since there have been a larger number of people stepping up to help me with that. I used to love to go nightfishing for catfish, but can't do that anymore unless I just decide to go back to fishing at paylakes again.


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