According to Daniel, the lake is full of channel catfish.

"They don't run all that big," he said. "It's unusual to catch one over 5 pounds. However, there are plenty of smaller ones, and all you have to do is offer them something to bite and they will. The lake also has enough submerged timber to offer ideal conditions for spawning."

One of the more popular areas for targeting channels is the area known as "the flats" located near Bear Creek and Terral Island. This region features water averaging 8 to 10 feet deep, and it is a simple matter for anglers to let the breeze move the boat along over the flats with several rods hanging off the boat, each baited with a piece of cold worm. Unless weather and water conditions dictate otherwise, it's one of the easiest ways to ensure a good mess of catfish for supper.

Poverty Point Reservoir is north Louisiana's newest lake, having filled and opened to fishing in 2002. Poverty Point quickly garnered the reputation as the place to go if you want to catch a big channel catfish.

"The channel catfish we stocked here when the lake was new have grown to impressive sizes, with some to 10 pounds and larger being caught fairly regularly on Poverty Point," said Daniel. "The best way to catch big channel catfish here is to tight-line the deeper creek and bayou channels with cut shad."

CENTRAL LOUISIANA
The Red River slices across this part of the state, with catfishing success rivaling that of northwest Louisiana. Richard Moses is a fisheries biologist with the LDWF District Three office in Pineville, and he echoes Jeff Sibley's words about the Red featuring an outstanding catfishery.

"Catfishermen here employ all the standard methods of taking catfish, from trotlines to limb lines to rod and reel and snagging at the locks and dams during spring," said Moses. "Both Pool Two and Pool Three feature some good catfishing.

"Another good lake for catfish is Black Lake in Natchitoches Parish, which features nearly 14,000 acres of water that has a good population of both channel cats and flatheads. Trotliners on this lake bait with everything from cut bait to chicken liver to cold worms.

"For fishermen wanting to put a big flathead in the boat, the best bet is to set limblines with live bait in the channel of the lake. The average size would be 10 to 12 pounds, but you could tie into one in the 50-pound or larger range," Moses added.