GREAT OUTDOORS: Catfish biting, from Lake Erie to Ohio River

Sure, it is easy to determine what the glamour fish species is here in the "Walleye Capital of the World," but several species of catfish are very popular this time of the year. Summer means lazy fishing for legions of shoreline or "bank" fishermen across the state. Nearly every public body of water is, or has been, stocked with channel catfish or more recently, blue catfish. Both species have been getting lots of attention due to excellent catches occurring in recent weeks. Locally, channel catfish are waking up and moving into the shallows in preparation for their spawning season, with bigger ones leading the way. The state record is 37.65 pounds. Sandusky Bay catfish guide Scott Heston, who operates from Hidden Hideaway, formerly called Hank's on the Bay, has guided clients to over two dozen channel catfish over 20 pounds so far this spring. I was able to get out with him twice this week and landed some burly specimens from 9 to 13.5 pounds. Another weighed 17.8 pounds. Despite the cold front conditions that suppressed their activity somewhat, he and our five anglers combined to catch 18 on Sunday and 28 during our four-hour trips, short of the 50-70 I have usually seen during previous trips. Bank fishermen have been lining up on the remnants of the old Sandusky Bay bridge, accessible from the Village of Bay View from the north or Vetter Road from the south. Baits used include nightcrawlers, minnows, shad, sunfish, raw shrimp and commercial paste-type baits. Bays Edge Bait and Tackle, in the epicenter of our local catfish mecca, is well-stocked with top-notch specialty catfish rods, lines, trotline rigs and bait. While not present in the section of Sandusky Bay where Heston, Jeff Tipple and Paul Schill guide from their pontoon boats, Ohio's state record flathead catfish is 76.5 pounds. Flatheads are abundant in the Maumee and Huron rivers. A potential state record blue catfish was caught April 7 on a bank line set in Twelve Mile Creek, a tributary stream of the Ohio River. After being examined by Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODW) officers, identified via photographs by ODW fisheries biologists, kept alive overnight awaiting access to a certified scales, and weighed with witnesses signing the slip it was released near the catch site. The Ohio Record Fish Committee of the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, the professional media organization that administers state record fish for the ODW, initially declined to certify it as a new record, due to it being released without a fish biologist or any of them being able to examine it in person, as the rules require. However, during the 2024 OWO annual conference business meeting on May 4, members in attendance voted to certify it as the official record, in an unprecedented move to overrule the committee's decision. The new Ohio state-record blue catfish is 101.11 pounds, caught by Jaylynn Parker of New Richmond. See outdoorwritersofohio.org and click on the menu to view the full list of Ohio's state record fish. Hageman wins awards During the Outdoor Writers of Ohio conference awards banquet, John Hageman won several honors in the 2023 annual Excellence in Craft writing and photography contest. For articles that appeared in the Weekender: First Place: "Best How-to-Article" entitled, "Smoked fish a satisfying summer delicacy" (July 29-30) included a $50 check provided by the Ohio Marine Trades Association. Third Place: "Best Environmental Writing" category for "Parasitic wasps released to protect ash trees" (August 20-21). Third Place: "Best Column" category entitled, "Thirty years at same 'deer camp' produce great memories" (December 2-3, 2023). Additional awards were collected for his work appearing in Midwest Outdoors, including Second Place recognitions for "Best Travel Article" called, "Put-in-Bay - Lake Erie's Best Ice Fishing Bet" and for his ongoing series, "Lake Erie 4-1-1." Hageman also won Second Place for "Best Magazine Article" for a feature story titled, "Put-in-Bay fishing twice as nice on the ice" that appeared in the 2023-2024 Ice Fishing Annual Magazine, published by 360 Media.