Bonus catfish lakes in District One include O'Shaughnessy, Hoover, and Delaware lakes. All harbor excellent populations of channels cats.

DISTRICT TWO
Findlay Reservoirs Nos. 1 & 2
Heading northwest to District Two, we shift our focus from canal feeder lakes to upground reservoirs, such as Findlay Reservoirs Nos. 1 and 2, created for the purpose of storing water for municipalities.

Findlay Reservoir No. 1, built in 1950 to supply the city of Findlay, features 187 acres of water and ranges between 20 and 28 feet in depth. It features good populations of channel cats measuring 18 to 26 inches. Balloon fishing is popular with Reservoir No. 1 anglers. Sometimes balloon fishing also yields big summertime walleyes.

State Route 15 and county Road 205 provide access to Reservoir No. 1.

Reservoir No. 2 was built in 1968 to supplement the supply of water at No. 1. The junior structure is the larger of the two, 640 acres in area and ranging in depth from 16 to 33 feet. The channel cat population at Reservoir No. 2 features numerous fish in the 12- to 28-inch range and some channel cats weighing up to 28 pounds.

The catfish population is evenly dispersed throughout Reservoir No. 2. However, when water is pumped into the reservoir, the northern end is especially productive because of the inflow.

The northern shore can be accessed via township Road 207, which can be reached via township Road 208 and state Route 568. Township Road 207 also provides access to a boat ramp on the western shore.

Bressler Reservoir
Also an upground reservoir, 610-acre Bressler Reservoir provides water to the city of Lima. Built in 1970 and filled in 1971, it has an average depth of 27 feet. Like the other District Two upground reservoirs, its angling mainstay is channel catfish.

Anglers can expect excellent populations of 16- to 25-inch fish. Some Bressler channel cats will weigh up to 20 pounds. Like Findlay Reservoir No. 1, Bressler is popular with balloon fishermen who -- another similarity -- frequently catch walleyes as well by that method.

It seems as if Bressler Reservoir was purposely made for bank-anglers. The entire shoreline is lined with parking areas, making it easy just to stop the car to fish. Boaters looking to access midlake regions can launch from the Kemp Road site, which can be reached via state Route 81 and Kemp Road. Only electric motors are permitted on the lake.

For maps or more information regarding either Findlay Reservoirs Nos. 1 and 2 or Bressler Reservoir, contact the District Two office of the ODOW, 952 Lima Avenue, Findlay, OH 45840, or call (419) 424-5000.

District Two's bonus catfish lake is Charles Mill Reservoir, off Interstate Route 71 east of Mansfield. It positively teems with channel cats.

DISTRICT THREE
North Reservoir (Portage Lakes)
Moving to the western side of the state, there's plenty of action for District Three anglers at North Reservoir, which is one of the nine different lakes in the Portage Lakes chain.

The Ohio Legislature created this unique region in 1825 when funds were appropriated to build a network of reservoirs and canals to supply water to the local canal system. Dams and dikes were carefully designed and built to raise the water levels of the wetlands and small potholes that were characteristic of this glaciated region in southern Summit County. The canal system being eventually abandoned, the Portage Lakes' water supply was used for increased industrial demands.