OHIO RIVER
While the Monongahela produced two of the top five flatheads in the state in 2004, the Ohio River provided two more, including the No. 2 fish for the year, a 34-pound, 11-ounce shovelhead. Peter W. Borsos of Joffre caught that fish in October, using a bluegill for bait. Channel cats are also found here in good supply.

As with the lower Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, the Ohio is an impounded river. The Emsworth, Dashields and Montgomery locks and dams are within the 30-plus-mile corridor where the Ohio forms at Pittsburgh and leaves the state below the Montgomery Dam.

Important shore-fishing spots on the Ohio River are at the mouths of feeder creeks. Sewickley Creek, which joins the Ohio just below Dashields Dam, is such a spot. There are many others.

A great destination for catfish along the Ohio River is where the Beaver River enters near Rochester. A community park is along the upriver side of the river mouth and provides some shore access. Boat anglers often anchor off the river mouth.

The Beaver River is navigable for over a mile (though it's a no-wake zone) up from the Ohio, and along this stretch are good shore-fishing spots. A dam near New Brighton halts boat traffic, but good fishing can be had from shore below the dam.

A Fish and Boat Commission ramp at Rochester provides access to the Ohio River. The ramp at Leetsdale, which for many years was leased by the PFBC, is now under the control of the local municipality as a fee launch. The PFBC also maintains a ramp on the Beaver at New Brighton.

CLARION RIVER
The Clarion River from Cooksburg down to Clarion provides a variety of catfishing options. Both channel cats and bullheads are present.

Below Cooksburg, the Clarion flows freely for about eight miles. Below that, you will find slack water above Piney Dam, a power dam on the river below Clarion. The slack-water pool is about 10 miles long.

Roads parallel the river above Cooksburg, but below the Route 36 bridge, the river flows away from the road. The Gravel Lick bridge spans the Clarion a few miles downriver of Cooksburg. Downstream from the bridge, anglers will find a few deep catfish holes. A mile or so below the Gravel Lick bridge, the Fish and Boat Commission has an area that provides shore access and an unimproved canoe access.

Larger boats may be launched at the Fish and Boat Commission's launch near Strattanville, within the slack water above Piney Dam. You can enjoy shore-fishing by walking downriver of the access area. Anglers can try different spots for about a quarter of a mile before the riverside trail ends.

LAKE ARTHUR
Noted for its largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass and muskie fishing, Lake Arthur is one of the top channel catfish impoundments in the state. In 2004, it produced one of the top five forktails of the year -- a 16-pound, 8-ounce channel cat taken by Joe Cowan of Butler.

Lake Arthur is a 3,200-acre impoundment that features many bays and coves. Two bridges spanning the lake are prime hotspots for channel catfish action. These bridges are on routes 228 and 422, and both have numerous piers.