The Beaver River is navigable for over a mile up from the Ohio (this is a no-wake zone), and along its length are good shore-fishing spots. A dam near New Brighton stops boat travel, but good fishing from shore occurs below this dam, too.

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

The commission also has a ramp on the Beaver at New Brighton.

ALLEGHENY RIVER
Both the middle Allegheny and lower Allegheny River offer excellent opportunities for channel cats and flatheads.

The middle Allegheny is considered to be the portion that runs from Kinzua Dam down to the East Brady area, where the river is free-flowing. Below Brady, along the 70-odd miles on its way to Pittsburgh, the river is impounded by eight navigation lock and dam systems.

Anglers will find middle Allegheny catfish to be structure-oriented. Catfish will be found in the deeper holes. Shallow riffles and runs may be cooler and full of smallmouth bass at this time of year, so don't expect to find concentrations of channel cats and flatheads nearby -- at least not bigger cats.

The catfishing in the middle Allegheny picks up below Tionesta, where the river has had a chance to warm up. The Kinzua discharge is relatively cold during the summer, but by the time the river reaches Tionesta, the cooling affect has dissipated.

Several deep dredge holes exist within the middle Allegheny. Tionesta, Oil City and Reno feature such spots, which can be more than 15 feet deep. Many other deep holes exist along the way, too.

In Forest County, the Fish and Boat Commission provides boat access upriver from Tionesta off Route 62. An excellent access is in Tionesta, near the site of the old Tionesta Sand and Gravel Company.

In Venango County, boat ramps can to be found in Oil City, Franklin and at Fisherman's Cove, about 10 miles downriver of Franklin.

The picture is a bit different along the lower Allegheny, where catfish are more widely distributed. During a creel census survey that the Fish and Boat Commission conducted on pools 3 and 4 of the Allegheny in 2000, catfish made a strong showing.

After the big three -- smallmouth bass, walleyes and saugers -- channel catfish were high on the list of species caught by anglers. During the survey period, which ran from May through October, nearly 2,000 channel cats were reportedly taken.

On the lower Allegheny, dams are located at Rimer, Mosgrove, Kittanning, Clinton, Freeport, Natrona, Acmeonia and Sharpsburg. Fishing platforms are located at hydroelectric plants found at the Rimer (L&D 9), Mosgrove (L&D 8), Clinton (L&D 7), and Freeport (L&D 5) plants.

Fish and Boat Commission boat access areas in Armstrong County include Brady's Bend, Cowanshannock, Rosston and Freeport. In Allegheny County, PFBC ramps are found at Harmar, Tarentum and Springdale. Many of the municipalities lining the river also have ramps. A good example is the riverside park in Kittanning.

MONONGAHELA RIVER
Like the Ohio and lower Allegheny River, the Monongahela is another great big-river catfish setting. Last season in July, it produced one of the four largest flatheads reported to the Fish and Boat Commission -- a 39.5-pounder caught by Joe Mellinger Jr. The catfish took a bluegill.

While big flatheads capture the news, the Monongahela also features a very healthy channel catfish population. Anglers fishing in good areas should have no trouble finding forktails.

What's been said of the Ohio and lower Allegheny holds true for the Monongahela, which is navigable for its entire length within Pennsylvania.

Expect to find fish below the locks and dams, located at Point Marion, Grays Landing, Maxwell (near Brownsville), Charleroi, Elizabeth and Braddock.

Holes located at creek mouths will be hot, as will deeper holes in the main river, which are better accessed from a boat.

Boat-access areas on the Monongahela are in Greene County at Rice's Landing. Fayette County ramps are at East Fredrickstown and Point Marion. Washington County access areas include Speers Landing and Monongahela. In Allegheny County, anglers will find a PFBC ramp in McKeesport.