Photo by Ron Sinfelt

June always signals the beginning of summer, and with it, Ohio's catfishing season officially kicks off. Thousands of anglers will hit the waters of the Buckeye State for channel cats just the right size for the frying pan. Others will battle 30-pound-plus monster flatheads. It doesn't matter what your motivation is, fillets or sport: Great catfishing awaits anglers all across the state.

We tapped Ohio's regional fisheries biologists to find out where the action will be this summer. While many reservoirs and the Ohio River often get a lot of catfishing attention, there are several other river systems that go unheralded. Here's a closer look at the 10 best catfish rivers -- large and small -- in Ohio this year.

DISTRICT TWO
Maumee River
According to Larry Goedde, District Two fisheries supervisor, one of Ohio's most fabled walleye rivers -- the Maumee -- is also one of his district's top catfish rivers. The Maumee River is a broad, shallow waterway. The upper stretch flows through Paulding and Defiance counties and is bordered by agricultural plains. As the river makes its way to Toledo, it cuts through a wide flood plain. According to Goedde, the entire stream upriver from Toledo produces good channel and flathead catfishing.

Anglers can expect to catch good numbers of channel cats in the 16- inch range. The average Maumee flathead will run 20 to 40 inches.

Throughout most of its course the river bottom is dominated by bedrock, which is why the river is generally shallow. The best place to find high numbers of both species is near the deeper holes, which, on the Maumee, means water that is 6 to 8 feet deep.

"Most of the time catfish will be found in the deep holes during the day," noted Goedde. "At night, try the flats that immediately surround those holes. The catfish will come up out of the holes into nearby shallow water to feed."

Anglers should ask for permission to gain access to stretches of the river that roll through private lands. Bridge rights of way are another way to gain access to the river. Often there are some good, deep holes below the bridges.

Goedde recommends the tailwaters below the Providence and Independence dams. Providence Dam is in Grand Rapids off state Route 110. Independence Dam is in Defiance off state Route 424.

If you're fishing below the dams, try tightlining. Use a heavy sinker to keep the bait on the bottom with no drift.

Huron River
Goedde also recommends the Huron River, which contains channel cats and flatheads. Anglers can expect channel cats to average 16 inches and flatheads to range from 20 to 40 inches. The entire river from Monroeville to Lake Erie should produce high-quality catfishing.

Huron River anglers should also focus on deeper holes, which are not quite as deep as those found on the Maumee. A hole measuring 6 to 7 feet deep is considered a deep hole on the Huron.

Access may be obtained to stretches that flow through private lands by asking permission from the landowners. Bridge rights of way are also a possibility. Then there are three public-access sites that Goedde recommends.

The first is at the mouth of the river along Lake Erie. Anglers may access the river from the Huron Boat Basin, which is off state Route 2. The second access site is below the Monroeville Dam, which may be reached via state Route 20. The third site is the Milan Wildlife Area, which may be reached by following Lover's Lane Road east off state Route 113.

Auglaize River
Our last top-rated northwestern Ohio river is the Auglaize. The headwaters of this Maumee River tributary begin in Auglaize County. From Wapakoneta, the Auglaize winds north through Allen County into Putnam County. The Auglaize County stretch of river is characterized by a soft, marshy bottom. The river measures anywhere from 15 to 80 feet across as it winds its way north through Auglaize County. During the summer this upper section is not navigable even by canoe, owing to extremely low water and weeds.