Frank Jernejcic, a fisheries biologist for District 1, told me that the Hannibal Pool and its tailwaters produce superb fishing for both channel cats and their larger brethren, flatheads. He mentioned that accessibility is excellent to the Hannibal Pool, especially once you get below Moundsville where the river becomes slightly more pastoral.

The Hannibal Dam is just below the village of Steelton, and just north of New Martinsville on state Route 2. Director Jezioro reiterated what I had heard from Bernie Dowler, the former head of the Wildlife Resources Division, almost 10 years ago. Back then, Dowler stated, "Channel cats are probably distributed more universally throughout all habitats in the main stem of the Ohio river than any other sport fish."

There are a variety of approaches fishermen might consider in their quest for Old Whiskers. Night-fishing with chicken livers, cut baits, live minnows, night crawlers, skipjacks and creek chubs all have their followers. What might surprise some folks is how frequently channel cats will take artificial lures like Silver Buddies, small jigging spoons, Little Cleos, crankbaits, and just about any type of bait that has a metallic blade.

Usually areas with some current will be more productive than the more stagnant areas of water. Subsequently, the tailwaters below the dam is a great place to focus your efforts.

In addition, since channel cats grow up to 25 to 30 pounds, you will want to break out your heavyweight spinning and baitcasting gear. A 6 1/2- to 7 1/2-foot stiff spinning or casting rod that will handle 200 yards of 20- to 30-pound-test mono should be your gear of choice for doing battle with these big whiskerfish.

Catfish in the 5- to 10-pound range are common, and if you do hook into a 20- to 30-pound bruiser, you will have the type of gear necessary to get one of these brutes to the net. If you are serious about fishing the Ohio, a great reference book is Mark Hicks' Fishing the Ohio River, published by Big River Press, P.O. Box 130, Millfield, Ohio 45761. It is a necessary read for anyone who regularly fishes the Ohio River.

So there you have it, five prime picks to go fishing during the fall season. You're likely to find great fishing with less company right now. After all, most outdoors types are gearing up for hunting -- and that's not a bad idea; however, it's still a great time to enjoy tight lines on your favorite lake, reservoir, river or stream!