Knapp: 4 great spots to hook catfish in Western Pennsylvania
One of the most catchable species during the dog days of summer is catfish. Though the nearby lower Allegheny River gets most of the attention from area cat anglers, several other good options exist.
The entire Mon River, from its entrance into the state from West Virginia to its merger with the Allegheny in downtown Pittsburgh, is navigable.
Six navigation pools are found in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Mon River, though the demolition of the Elizabeth Locks and Dam is slated to begin this month.
The quality of the catfishing is dependent on the habitat present. Shore fishing for cats is often available in the tailrace areas below the dams. Many of the better boat fishing spots are found near the entrances of feeder waters. Rock bars are often formed by such mergers, creating the deep pools and eddies that concentrate catfish. In many cases, such rock bars provide good shore fishing spots, too. Private land is the typical scenario at feeder creeks, so use common sense when considering such fishing spots.
One of the better areas of the Mon River stretches from the Speers Access area up to the tailwaters of the Maxwell Locks and Dams, found upriver of Brownsville. Along this river length there are many feeder waters forming the good, deeper catfish habitat just described. Boat anglers can cash in on good action plying the waters below the Maxwell Locks; the catfish often turn on when water is discharged when the level in the lock chamber is lowered. The Fish and Boat Commission’s Speers Access, found near the Interstate 70 bridge, provides excellent boat access.
Like the Mon, the Ohio River flows through gated dams and over fixed crest dams before it leaves out state. The 18-mile Montgomery Pool — from the Montgomery Locks and Dams up to the Dashields Locks and Dam — contains a wealth of good catfishing spots.
Just below the Dashields Dam, the merger of Little Sewickley Creek provides a deep hole that can be accessed by shore anglers. A couple miles downriver Big Sewickley Creek forms a good-sized hole that provides good catfish habitat for the boat angler.
Down river there are several other good areas, including the remnants of an old lock and dam, where deep, slow habitat is found on both sides of the river. The mouth of the Beaver River, near Rochester, is a catfish hotspot for both boat and shore anglers. Shore anglers score on up the Beaver, at the tailrace of the old dam found there. Boats can run up the Beaver, though it’s all a no-wake zone.
Public boat access to this portion of the river is by way of the Commission’s ramp at Rochester.
Armstrong County’s Crooked Creek Lake is a federal flood-control lake that covers 350 acres.
Crooked Creek is best known as a solid largemouth bass and crappie lake. But the lake has been consistently stocked with channel catfish for many years; recent lake inventories conducted by the Fish and Boat Commission have collected excellent numbers of channel cats including many quality-sized fish.
The serpentine shape of this narrow waterway lends itself to several extended points to collect channel cats during the evening. These spots provide key areas for boat anglers. Shore anglers will find the best access in the lower end of the lake, both up-lake and down-lake of the swimming area.
Crooked Creek has a thick population of gizzard shad, which helps fatten up its game fish. Channel cats also likely feed on small crappies and bluegills. It’s common during the summertime to catch channel cats while targeting offshore wood embedded in the lake bottom.
There is no horsepower restriction on Crooked Creek Lake. Summertime boating activity can be intense during summertime weekends. The Corps of Engineers provides a boat ramp, dock and a soft-landing area. Call 724-763-2764 for an updated message on lake conditions as access closings occur when the lake rises due to significant rainfall.
Like Crooked Creek, Butler County’s Lake Arthur has received consistent channel catfish stockings over the years and supports a healthy population of forktails, many of which are more than 20 inches in length.
While targeting crappies, I’ve caught many large channel cats in the lower end of Lake Arthur near the dam, fish that were relating to cribs and stumps along the old Muddy Creek channel in 30 feet of water. This area is proximate to the McDanels access area.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle
