Sandy River Reservoir is a very popular place to go night-fishing. Most anglers that fish Sandy River prefer to use stink bait and chicken liver to attract their next meal. Anglers tend to target the shallow flats of the reservoir and Michaelson concurs that his sampling is showing that to be a productive area to find channel cats.

A good trip to Sandy River might yield 15 or 20 fish in the 18- to 24-inch range. Some fish are caught weighing up to 20 pounds!

SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN
As you get farther from the tidal rivers, the catfishing opportunities slim down and the size of the fish tends to decrease as well. However, there are still several great fishing locations that offer catfish enthusiasts a great day of fishing.

John Copeland, fisheries biologist for the region, pointed to three small impoundments in his region that hold good numbers of stocked channel catfish.

"Gatewood Reservoir in Pulaski County, Lovill's Creek Lake in Carroll County and Rural Retreat Lake in Wythe County are stocked with sub-adult (10- to 12-inch) channel catfish every other year."

Copeland went on to tell us that anglers are already confirming that the catfishing is improving at all three waters.

Flathead enthusiasts will be glad to know that, according to Copeland's surveys, the New River continues to give up good flathead catches.

"Catfish catches in the section below Claytor Lake were higher in Giles County than in Montgomery County, although the catch and harvest rates were lower than those for catfish anglers upstream from Claytor Lake. Anglers are more successful in the areas upstream from Claytor Lake in the section of the New River from Fries Dam to Allisonia (in Wythe and Pulaski counties)."

According to the electro-sampling data, the better flathead water includes the river at Austinville, Foster's Falls and Rich Creek.

In Claytor Lake, the most abundant catfish are the channel catfish, which are most often caught during the summer months in the upper end of the lake. Flatheads are caught in the midlake and lower end of the lake. Some flatheads up to 30 pounds are now being taken in Claytor Lake. Look for major underwater points near the main-lake channel and use live bait such as bluegills for the big flatheads.

NORTHERN MOUNTAIN
The Shenandoah River system has a great channel catfish fishery. The deep power pools and abundance of structure in the form of woody debris and rocks are prime habitat for channels. Use dead minnows and stink baits to drift-fish the pools while canoeing or even while fishing from the bank. There is a consumption advisory on eating the catfish in the main stem of the river due to PCBs. Anglers fishing the South Fork of the river are advised not to eat more than two meals per month because of mercury.

Paul Bugas, VDGIF fisheries biologist, also suggested that channel cat enthusiasts visit Lake Frederick, Lake Roberson or any of the other small impoundments in the region. Nearly all of them have good channel cat populations and the water quality poses no problem for anglers wanting to take home a stringer of fish.

Target sloping points, deep holes and coves for the best catfishing. Get your bait down to the bottom. A medium-action spinning or spin-cast setup will work well for catfish in the mountain impoundments.

NORTHERN PIEDMONT
Maryland DNR technically manages the Potomac River, but a Virginia fishing license is valid while fishing the waters. It is the opinion of many anglers that the Potomac will soon rival the James River in size of blue catfish.