Findlay Reservoir No. 1 covers 185 acres and Findlay Reservoir No. 2 covers an additional 643 acres. Both are on the same property and separated only by a dike.

Reservoir No. 1 features good numbers of channel cats measuring 18 to 24 inches. Reservoir No. 2 boasts slightly larger fish with plenty of 18- to 27-inch cats including some up to 28 pounds. State Route 15 and county Road 205 provide access to Reservoir No. 1.

Reservoir No. 2 can be very good when water is pumped into the lake. Try the northern section of the lake during these periods. The inflow sometimes attracts a lot of cats.

The northern shore of Reservoir No. 2 may be accessed via township Road 207, which is off township Road 208 and state Route 568. Township Road 207 also provides access to a boat ramp on the western shore.

For maps or more information regarding Bressler or the Findlay reservoirs, contact the ODOW's District Two office, at 952 Lima Avenue, Findlay, Ohio 45840; or call (419) 424-5000.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Atwood Lake
Northeast Ohio features three solid channel cat destinations -- Atwood, Berlin, and Charles Mill lakes.

Atwood Lake, which is in Carroll and Tuscarawas counties, covers 1,551 acres. Netting surveys conducted there in 2004 indicated good numbers of channel cats measuring 8 to 27 inches. More than 70 percent of the cats caught during the survey measuring at least 11 inches also measured 16 inches or more. Even more promising is that more than 14 percent of the fish measuring at least 11 inches were also over 24 inches, with some fish reaching 28 inches.

Boats may be rented and launched from two marinas: Atwood Marina West (off state Route 212 and county Road 93) and the Sail and Power Marina East (on state Route 542). There is one other ramp at the dam off state Route 212.

Berlin Lake
Berlin Lake spans three counties (Portage, Mahoning, and Starke) and covers 3,280 acres.

Berlin Lake was also surveyed in fall 2004, and while not many large channel cats were found, the researchers did note plenty of fish measuring 6 to 22 inches. Nearly 30 percent of the fish measuring at least 11 inches were also at least 16 inches, with some up to 22 inches.

A 2004 creel survey backed up the netting survey, with the average channel cat harvested by anglers in the creel survey measuring 14 inches.

If you have younger anglers, there is a youth fishing pond on the property that's limited to fishermen 15 years of age or younger. The pond has been stocked with channel cats on odd-numbered years since 1999. In 2001, several 15-inch-plus fish were taken, indicating excellent growth rates. This means there should be some bigger cats this summer.

Berlin Lake has several launch sites. The most central one is off Berlin Station Road along the southern shore. Follow state Route 14 east over the lake, turn south on Bedell Road, and then take Berlin Station Road west to the lake and the boat launch. There are no horsepower limitations.