The daily limit on blues and channel cats is 15 combined with a 12-inch minimum; the limit on flatheads is 5 with a 20-inch minimum.

WAURIKA LAKE
Waurika Lake, in the southwest part of the state near the town of the same name, is another great spot for catfish. According to ODWC biologist Larry Cofer, Waurika's channel catfish will average 2 to 5 pounds. Most fishing is done by boat since there is little bank-fishing access. Best spots to fish are off windy points using cut shad. The blue cats, which will vary from 3 to 30 pounds, also seem to prefer cut shad.

"Waurika Lake is one of the best up-and-coming blue catfish lakes in southwest Oklahoma," Cofer confided. "It's also one of the most fertile lakes due to the run-off it receives from area agricultural operations. Combine that with a good shad forage base and all you need are anglers willing to make the long drive to get their rods bent."

The daily limit on blues and channel cats is 15 combined, and the limit on flatheads is 10 with a 20-inch minimum length.

RIVER SYSTEMS
The state has rivers and creeks flowing from border to border and feeding into lakes and other rivers. These waterways are good bets for catfishing and most hold good numbers of fish.

"The Cimarron River is a great place to fish, and the catfish there will bite anything that gets in their way," said Leon Mixer, a veteran catfish angler. "If you are fishing with cut or prepared baits, you will probably catch more blues than channel cats. Live bait works great for flatheads."

Though a confirmed noodler, Mixer loves catfishing, and still finds time to dunk some bait each year. His biggest river cat was a 40-pound blue, although he has taken some flatheads in the Kiamichi River that weighed 40 pounds as well.

Jeff Williams suggested that anglers bent on river fishing should experience the mighty Arkansas River. "I really enjoy fishing the Arkansas River because if you know where the secret spots are, you can do well. The spots I am referring to are oxbows, bayous, and small coves where catfish generally congregate to stay out of the river's current."

Williams said he usually accesses the Arkansas River off Highway 66 between Catoosa and Claremore, where it is realistic to catch blue cats ranging from 5 to 15 pounds, with the chance always of taking a 50-pounder. Flatheads caught there generally weigh from 10 to 30 pounds.

Delmer Shoults, striper-fishing legend and veteran guide, has caught numerous big catfish in the Arkansas between the confluence of the Lower Illinois and Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. Shoults boasts of legendary catfish he has hooked in his lengthy tenure on the river that were too big to boat. Nevertheless, when he's not striper fishing, Shoults guides many of his clients to good catches of catfish in the navigational waterway.

OTHER SPOTS
Though space doesn't permit us to cover numerous other lakes and rivers, I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't name at least a few of those. In the northwest, Canton Reservoir and Great Salt Plains are both excellent spots to take channel catfish. Though the average-sized cat in these two lakes is smaller than that in the waters written about earlier, these are worthwhile destinations. Regional biologist John Stahl said that both lakes are good bets for a mess of channel catfish, which will on average weigh 3 to 7 pounds there. He suggested that cat anglers use cut shad, earthworms, or large minnows.

Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City has the low-water woes brought about by drought, heavy water usage, and scheduled repairs to the dam. The lake has been an annual favorite for catfish anglers, mainly because of the dam's long riprap offering numerous bank-fishing opportunities. Most anglers catch the abundant channel cats that average 1 1/2 to 3 pounds. Those catfish can be caught on a variety of baits including homemade dough baits, cut baits, minnows, shrimp, liver, and blood bait.

Carl Jones, who's logged many hours angling for Hefner's catfish by means of his favored method, slip-corking, considers the fishing there to be excellent most of the time. He believes that anglers will catch more cats by using his approach than by fishing, as so many seem to do, on the bottom.