Compared to most of the Southern states, Pennsylvania doesn’t get a lot of credit for its catfish fishing.
While it’s true that PA doesn’t produce the kind of 100-pound monsters that you might find in warmer climates, the catfish opportunities in the Keystone State are highly underrated.
Channel catfish are abundant in lakes, reservoirs and rivers all over Pennsylvania, where they often reach sizes of 20 pounds or more.
Pennsylvania’s state record channel cat, which has been on the books since 1991, weighed 35 pounds, 3 ounces, and was hauled out of the Lehigh Canal in Northampton County.
Increasingly, Pennsylvania also offers some very persuasive flathead catfish opportunities. Flatheads are native to the Ohio River watershed of Western Pennsylvania, but in the last couple of decades these giants have started to become more widespread.
Bigger and bigger flatheads are now being caught in Pennsylvania, including a few that have tipped the scales at 50 pounds or more.
Both species thrive in large reservoirs and slow-moving rivers. They hunt using their senses of small and taste more than eyesight, and almost any smelly, natural bait can tempt channel catfish to bite.
Chicken livers, nightcrawlers, shrimp, dough baits, stinkbait and cut bait are among the most popular options. Channel cats usually strike baits that are on or just off the bottom.
Flatheads, on the other hand, are more likely to strike live bait. Various forage species including bluegills, shad, creek chubs and alewives are effective, either alive or as fresh cut bait.
Some of the best catfish angling in Pennsylvania takes place in spring, as catfish seek out warm, shallow waters in preparation for the spawn, which usually takes place in late May or early June.
There’s also excellent fishing for catfish during the heat of summer, especially at night.
Best Catfish Fishing Rivers in PA
Ohio River
The Ohio is the ultimate “Big River” of Pennsylvania catfishing.
The Ohio begins in Pittsburgh, where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers merge in a spot known as Three Rivers. It ultimately flows 981 miles before meeting the Mississippi River in Cairo, Illinois.
Pennsylvania’s share of the Ohio River is only about 50 miles in length, but it’s unlikely that any other stretch of river in the state is home to more catfish. Channel cats and flatheads both swim here in abundance.
Approaching a river this size can be daunting. The Ohio River is broad, deep, and usually extremely turbid, all of which is great for catfish, but not always ideal for finding catfish.
Catfish tend to favor deep holes, and for anglers, the best way to put the odds in your favor is to focus on creek mouths and deep bends in the Ohio River.
There are a lot of great spots, and a depth map of the river can be a very useful tool for finding them.
The mouth of Sewickley Creek, not far below the Dashields Dam, is one of those great spots. There’s a drop-off to nearly 30 feet just past the rocky bar at the creek mouth where a lot of big cats are caught.
Another good spot is the mouth of the Beaver River in Rochester.
Bridgewater Crossing County Park offers shore access right where the Beaver River empties into the Ohio, and it’s common to see catfish anglers in boats anchored near the river mouth.
Fishing these deep holes is often productive during the day. At night, many cats will move upriver to the nearest flat above a deep hole to feed.
The Ohio River in Pennsylvania hasn’t been a big producer of trophy-caliber catfish in recent years. But it remains an outstanding numbers river, with plenty of channel cats up to 15 pounds and some big flatheads topping 20.
Allegheny River
Along with the Monongahela River, the Allegheny River is one of the two major waterways that meet to form the mighty Ohio.
The Allegheny is a great catfish river in its own right, and both its middle and lower sections offer some excellent fishing options.
Let’s start with the Middle Allegheny, a 125-ish mile stretch of river from the Kinzua Dam to East Brady. This section of the river is entirely free-flowing, and is both a National Scenic River and an official PA Water Trail.
There’s excellent fishing for channel catfish in the tailrace area immediately below Kinzua Dam. The bottom here is very rocky, which can make fishing difficult, but a lot of fat 10-pound-plus channel cats have been pulled out of this spot.
Aside from that one location, the fishing for catfish in the Allegheny River generally gets better the farther downriver you go.
There are some deep holes around Tionesta and Oil City that have proven very productive, and both cities have good bank fishing spots. The mouth of French Creek in Franklin is another prime spot.
As a general rule, cats in the Middle Allegheny River are very structure-oriented. Look for channel catfish at the upper end of the deepest pools. Cut bait is often the best bait option.
The Lower Allegheny River differs in that it is regulated by a series of locks and dams. Eight Lock-and-dam systems control the river over a 70-mile stretch from East Brady to Pittsburgh.
Anglers can count on good catfish action in the tailrace areas below each dam, although the availability of bank access varies.
The PA Fish & Boat Commission operates access and boat launch sites in Brady’s Bend, Cowanshannock, Rosston, Freeport, Harmarville, Tarentum and Springdale.
Farther down in Pittsburgh, some of the best fishing is around bridges and bridge piers (of which there are many). Some huge flatheads have been taken in this area, including a 43-pound former state record.
Susquehanna River
Since some time around 2010, the Susquehanna River has come out of nowhere to become the best flathead catfish fishery in Pennsylvania, beating out even the fabled Three Rivers.
In 2021, two of the top five biggest flatheads in Pennsylvania’s Angler Awards Program were caught in the Susquehanna River. In 2020, three Susquehanna flatheads made the top five.
What makes this all the more unusual is that flathead catfish are not native to the Susquehanna River, and nobody seems to know just how they got there. But anglers who live in the Susqhehanna watershed aren’t asking too many questions.
Flatheads differ from channel cats in a few ways. Not only are they much bigger, capable of topping 50 pounds, but they’re also more active hunters, and are usually more than willing to strike a live bait.
In the Susquehanna, live sunfish and bluegill seem to be the top baits that tempt whopper-size flatheads, though shad, suckers and creek chubs will also do the trick.
Live baitfish on a basic drift rig works in most situations, but a slip float rig is often better in snaggy areas.
Most of the best flathead water in the Susquehanna is south of Harrisburg.
Riverfront Park in Wrightsville and Columbia River Park in Columbia are two excellent places to either fish from shore or launch a boat. The two parks are almost directly across from one another.
Flathead catfish commonly cruise along the edges of deep channels and drop-offs to hunt for prey. And while channel cats are most often caught at the upper end of a deep pool, flatheads will more likely be in the midsection of any given pool.
Conowingo Reservoir, a large Susquehanna River impoundment that straddles the Maryland state line, also produces some massive flatheads. The biggest ones are almost always caught at night.
Flatheads aren’t the only monsters here, as this river is one of the best places to catch muskellunge in Pennsylvania.
More: Complete Guide to Susquehanna River Fishing
Best Catfish Fishing Lakes in PA
Lake Arthur
Located about 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh in Butler County, Lake Arthur is one of Pennsylvania’s most prolific catfish lakes.
A trap-net survey of Lake Arthur by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission turned up 909 channel catfish, making them second in abundance only to bluegill. The catfish caught in the survey ranged from 8 to 30 inches.
Though perhaps not the leading trophy catfish lake in Pennsylvania, Lake Arthur is home to plenty of 10-pound fish, and there may be no better place in the state to catch your limit of scrappy table-sized cats for your next fish fry.
Lake Arthur spans 3,225 acres, and it’s a long, meandering reservoir with numerous coves and creek arms. Catfish are fairly evenly distributed throughout the lake, but a few standout spots are routinely productive.
The two bridges that carry Route 422 and Route 528 across Lake Arthur are a couple of the best spots. While the bridge piers provide ideal catfish cover, the two bridges are also located at bottlenecks within the lake, where the current funnels nutrients and baitfish through.
Another good spot is the submerged railroad bed that crosses the midsection of the lake from Barbour to Neely Point. Try drifting or trolling with live baitfish or cut bait between 10 and 15 feet.
Because of its proximity to Pittsburgh, Lake Arthur gets a lot of fishing pressure. Fortunately for catfish anglers, most folks who come here are after other fish, like largemouth bass and muskellunge.
Even so, it’s best to avoid summer weekends if you want to beat the crowds.
Moraine State Park provides excellent bank access and boat launch facilities on Lake Arthur, and it’s a great home base for camping and fishing vacations.
More: Complete Guide to Lake Arthur Fishing
Lake Erie
Lake Erie might not be the first lake in Pennsylvania that springs to mind for catfish. For smallmouth bass? Of course. Walleye? Sure. But catfish? Not so much.
But Lake Erie regularly produces some of Pennsylvania’s biggest channel catfish, including a 25-pounder that was the second-biggest channel cat caught in PA in 2021. Few lakes in the state, if any, produce more 20-pound channel cats.
That being said, the best way to catch Lake Erie catfish is to get away from the main lake. Locating catfish in the vastness of this 9,940 square-mile Great Lake is very much a needle-in-a-haystack proposition.
A better tactic is to focus on bays and tributaries. Presque Isle Bay, which is enclosed by a long, hook-shaped peninsula near the city of Erie, is catfish central.
In particular, the deep channel that connects Presque Isle Bay to the main lake is a major catfish thoroughfare. Anglers often catch giants from the long, concrete piers on either side of the channel.
Walnut Creek, which empties into Lake Erie just a few miles west of Presque Isle Bay, is another catfish hotspot. Cats weighing over 20 pounds have been pulled from deep pools in the lower reaches of Walnut Creek.
Head farther west and you’ll come to Elk Creek, which might be the most popular catfish spot along the Lake Erie shoreline. Bank access and a boat launch on the lowest part of the creek are located within Erie Bluffs State Park.
Nightcrawlers and raw shrimp are the baits of choice among Lake Erie’s local catfish aficionados. There’s excellent catfish fishing in Lake Erie’s bays and lower tributaries from May right through the summer, with the best bite usually taking place at night.
Honorable Mentions
Catfish are incredibly widespread in Pennsylvania. Just about any lake, pond or river in the state has the potential to produce catfish, and these honorable mansions are almost as good as the top-tier waters listed above.
Blue Marsh Lake
Northwest of Reading in western Berks County, Blue Marsh Lake is a 1,147-acre reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Channel catfish are highly abundant here, especially mid-sized fish weighing 3 to 6 pounds.
There’s excellent catfish action here in spring. Channel cats often seek out the warmest water they can in April and May, and local anglers do well in shallow, dark-bottomed bays and coves.
The fishing is great during summer too, and the best time to fish, by far, is after the sun goes down. Blue Marsh Lake has a huge alewife population, and some local anglers net alewives during the day, and then use them as cut bait after dark.
If you can’t get your hands on alewives, almost any cut bait will do the trick in a pinch. Chicken livers also work well, especially in spring.
Access is available at Blue Marsh Lake Park.
Blue Marsh Lake also has a population of flathead catfish, and although they’re far less common, there are some real giants. A former state record flathead weighing 46 pounds was caught in the spillway below the lake in 2006.
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River begins in West Virginia, flowing generally northward until it reaches Pittsburgh, where it merges with the Allegheny to form the Ohio River.
The Monongahela arguably gets less attention than the other two rivers that make up PA’s “Three Rivers,” but there’s tremendous catfish fishing here.
Numerous flatheads in the 40-pound class have been pulled from the Mon, and there are plenty of channel cats between 10 and 15 pounds.
The entire Pennsylvania portion of the Monongahela River is navigable, and it’s tightly controlled by six lock-and-dam systems. As a result, the river feels more like a series of narrow reservoirs than a traditional river.
Some of the best fishing for catfish is below each of the locks and dams, which are located at Point Marion, Grays Landing, Maxwell, Charleroi, Elizabeth and Braddock. Shore fishing access is available at each of those sites.
There’s usually a great bite around the mouths of feeder creeks too. Live bluegill seem to be the leading bait for flatheads, but a wide range of dough baits, cut bait and chicken livers will nab channel cats.
Pymatuning Reservoir
Lying astraddle the Ohio state line in Western PA, 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir is the largest lake in Pennsylvania that isn’t Lake Erie.
It’s a well-rounded fishing lake that is best known for its off-the-charts walleye fishing. But every once in a while, a walleye angler will think they’ve caught their crankbait on a snag, only to find out that snag is actually a 30-pound flathead catfish.
In addition to a modest population of enormous flatheads, Pymatuning Reservoir also has an abundance of channel catfish. Anglers catch loads of them on muddy flats after dark using cut bait.
Chicken livers and nightcrawlers work well too, but are just as likely to hook a bullhead as a channel cat.
There are numerous access points on the Pennsylvania side, including Pymatuning State Park.
Keep in mind that, because Pymatuning spills over into Ohio, an Ohio fishing license is required to fish from the Ohio shore. If you’re fishing from a boat, a license from either state is accepted anywhere on the lake.
Naturally, Pymatuning Reservoir also is among the best fishing lakes in Ohio for a variety of game fish including largemouth bass.
More: Complete Guide to Pymatuning Lake Fishing
Schuylkill River
A tributary of the Delaware River, the Schuylkill River flows through about 135 miles of eastern Pennsylvania. It’s always been an excellent catfish river, but in recent years it’s been a river in a state of flux.
Much like the Susquehanna River, flathead catfish have recently become a major presence in the Schuylkill River, even though they’re not native to it. And some serious monster flatheads have come from the Schuylkill in recent years.
The most recent Pennsylvania state record flathead (56 lb. 3 oz.) was caught here in 2020.
Flatheads have become fairly common throughout the lower portion of the Schuylkill, with some of the best fishing being from Fairmount Dam up to around Blackrock Dam.
That includes an excellent stretch of river that flows through Valley Forge National Historic Park. There are also dozens of prime access sites throughout Philadelphia and its northern suburbs.
As in the Susquehanna, live bluegills are the bait of choice among many local flathead hunters, but cut bait often works equally well. Dough baits and chicken livers will catch a mess of channel cats too.
Nockamixon Lake
Covering 1,450 acres in Eastern Pennsylvania’s Bucks County, Lake Nockamixon is a large man-made reservoir that offers a diverse assortment of fishing opportunities.
Lake Nockamixon is managed by the PA Fish & Boat Commission for tiger muskellunge, but trap net surveys routinely turn up huge numbers of channel catfish. Cats measuring 18 to 24 inches are quite common, and a few may tip the scales above 10 pounds.
Flatheads are present too, but in much lower numbers.
Some of the best catfish action is during spring, when cats seek out warm, shallow areas in preparation for the spawn. Any of the lake’s shallow, fertile coves is likely to be productive in April and May.
As with many lakes, there’s a great catfish bite at night from July to September too.
Nockamixon State Park provides great access, including a fishing pier and multiple boat ramps. Although the day use portion of the park closes at dusk, those who are camping here can fish all night long.
One of the best areas for cat-fishing is the Haycock Creek arm of the lake. Try the area from the Haycock Boat ramp up past the Route 563 bridge.
Among Lake Nockamixon’s other notable opportunities are some of the best striped bass and hybrid striped bass fishing in Pennsylvania.
More: Complete Guide to Lake Nockamixon Fishing
Clarion River
Pennsylvania has a lot of “big river” catfish angling opportunities. The Clarion River, a 110-mile tributary of the Allegheny River in Northwestern Pennsylvania, is different.
The Clarion is a much more approachable river, with classic riffle/pool/run configurations. It’s a popular place for float trips, and for the most part, it’s very easy to wade or walk the river’s banks in search of fishy-looking pools.
And while the upper reaches of the Clarion River are best known for trout fishing, warm water species like channel catfish, smallmouth bass and walleye become more common farther downriver.
Channel cats over 20 pounds have been pulled out of the Clarion River, and there are a lot of 10-pound fish here. Look for them at the upper ends of deep pools, and around river bends and tributary mouths.
Cook Forest State Park is a great place to start exploring the river, offering access on a beautiful U-shaped river bend. Just a couple miles downriver, there’s also excellent fishing right around the Gravel Lick Road canoe launch.
Shenango River Lake
Often overlooked, Shenango River Lake (commonly referred to as Shenango Lake) is a highly productive channel cat fishery.
And although it’s not known for producing giants, there are tremendous numbers of 15- to 20-inch catfish in this lake that are perfect for eating.
Shenango River Lake spans about 3,500 acres, and it could be described as a sprawling, Y-shaped reservoir. The dam is located on the deep, main stem of the Y, while two broader, shallower arms make up the upper prongs of the letter.
There’s a lot of submerged structure that holds catfish on this lake, including sunken road beds, underwater humps, rock piles, and some man-made structures placed by the PA Fish & Boat Commission.
Shenango Lake has several major bridge crossings, each at a narrow bottleneck where water is funneled through at a greater velocity. Fish the deep water around the bridge piers during the day, and switch to nearby flats at night.
Gizzard shad is the most abundant forage, and it makes great cut bait. Shrimp is also a good alternative.
The Corps of Engineers operates several recreation areas around the lake with bank access and boat launch facilities.
Shenango River Lake also has an excellent crappie fishery.
Catch More Catfish
The fishing tips found throughout this article will bring you good catches of catfish at these rivers and lakes, but if you want to up your overall catfishing game even more, read our free guide, Catfish Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips.