With a blue-collar persona to match its whiskered mug, catfish are low on the glamour list of game fish. But if you seek species that are abundant and hard-fighting, with the ability to reach impressive dimensions, then the state's numerous catfish waters will be of noteworthy interest.

CHANNEL CATFISH
Channel catfish -- or forktails -- are the foundation of the Commonwealth's catfishing clan.

Well distributed across much of the state, this working-class whiskerfish can be found in most rivers, streams and reservoirs. Most channel cat fisheries host good numbers of modest-sized fish, along with some bigger specimens.

The current state-record channel catfish is 35 pounds, 2.5 ounces. Caught from the Lehigh Canal by Austin Roth III, that record has stood since 1991. Roth's trophy came from an eastern Pennsylvania water, where channel cats have been successfully introduced over the years. But channel cats are not believed to be native to the waters of the Atlantic slope, which in Pennsylvania include the Susquehanna, Delaware and Potomac river drainages.

Native channel catfish waters are believed to occur in the western portion of the state. The Ohio River drainage, which includes the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers as well as the Ohio itself, is considered to be the species' native range.

Regardless of the species' status -- native or exotic -- solid channel catfish fisheries exist in most areas of the state. Many populations are self-supporting. Where habitat limitations or other factors limit catfish reproduction, forktail numbers are bolstered by maintenance stocking by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Channel cats could well be classified as both scavengers and predators. Traditional fishing tactics often include using smelly non-living offerings, including chicken livers (or beef or even deer livers, which are tougher and stay on the hook longer), cut baits and commercial catfish concoctions. But the opportunistic channel cat isn't shy about hitting artificial lures like as jigs or crankbaits.

Three of the top five channel cats registered in 2007 in the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's annual big fish contest came from Lake Erie. Anglers often hook up with big forktails when pursing other species.

The lures listed for these catches -- which included the top channel cat of the year at 24 pounds -- were an Erie Dearie (weight-forward spinner), a drop-shot rig and a tube jig.

Across the state, channel cats commonly slam crankbaits intended for bass or walleyes. You could say that channel catfish are aggressive fish, willing to bite on a variety of presentations, which makes them winners in most folks' book.

FLATHEADS
Flathead catfish represent a smaller, but still significant piece of the state's overall whiskerfish picture. Like channel cats, flatheads are native to the Ohio River watershed. In recent years, they've been found in the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers as well. In fact, the current state-record flathead was taken from the spillway section of Blue Marsh Lake. That 48-pound, six-ounce shovelhead topped a 47-pound Ohio River fish that formerly held the record.

Flatheads show up in some odd places. A few years ago, fisheries management personnel discovered two big flatheads in Cambria County's Lake Rowena, a 13-acre lake best known for providing good action for stocked trout. It's believed the flatheads may be been introduced to the lake along with channel cats.