Catfish Fishing In Ohio: 4 Places To Drop Your Line For Big Cats

Catfish fishing is extremely popular in Ohio because there are plenty of productive bodies of water.

Just like in other areas of the country, most catfishermen find success in Ohio with various forms of stink bait. (Catfish use their excellent sense of spell to track food...)

Any bait that lets out a strong odor has a good chance of pulling some results.

You'll find channel cats, blues, flatheads, and even white catfish in the waters of Ohio, with channels being the most abundant.

Where Should We Go Catfishin' In Ohio?

There are tons of lakes, rivers, streams and ponds chalk full of catfish in a variety of species, shapes, and sizes.

Here are the top 4 places to catch catfish in Ohio:

Number 1: Lake Erie. Obviously, an enormous lake with many awesome spots for channel cats and spotted cats.

Number 2: The Ohio River. If you're after blue cats, this is the place to be. Rumor has it, they can get up to 100 pounds...so be ready for a fight no matter what.

Number 3: Seneca Lake. Great place for catching channel catfish. Most of these range in size from 11" and 16" in length...and they are all over the place!

Number 4: Wolf Run Lake. Excellent catfishing here...but you've got to have a boat to get to the real good spots.

As with all catfishing trips, check out the fishing reports, and talk to the locals. This is the best way to find great spots.

Charter boats are always an option as well. (This is a great way to find the best spots in Ohio, then go back and hit them on your own later...)

Ohio Fishing Tips

Here are a few tips that will help you be as productive as possible when catfish fishing in Ohio.

Tip #1: Preparation, preparation, preparation. Make sure all your gear and tackle is in good shape...clean...operational...and ready to go.

Remember, catfish are strong and have broken many a line. Your rig is only as long as it's weakest link, and it's usually the line. So pay special attention to the quality and condition of your fishing line.

And of course, find out as much as you can about the body of water you plan on fishing.

Tip #2: When you get to a fishing spot, spend around 15-20 minutes fishing there, and if you haven't gotten a bite by that time, you should consider moving to another spot in that same location...or moving locations completely if there aren't a lot of other good spots in that area. (Sometimes just shifting a few feet can start bringing results, keep this in mind!)

Tip #3: Make sure you choose a rod, reel, and tackle setup that will hold up to a big fight. I recommend a me dium to heavy weight graphite rod. Fast action. Combine this with a bait casting reel, and you've got a winner.

Enjoy...and get out there and slam some Ohio catfish!