Joe Crumpton, a retired FWCC fisheries biologist, is still known as "The Catfish Man." He got that nickname prior to his retirement by publishing a newsletter about the best places in the state to target cats.

On Rodman, Crumpton recommended fishing on the bottom near the dam with traditional baits, such as earthworms or stinkbaits.

He suggested stopping below Rodman at any of the sandbars in the Ocklawaha River -- assuming the water is low enough -- and looking for mussels the size of a half dollar.

"You can't find a better bait for channel cats than mussels," he stated. "That's really an overlooked fishery in the Ocklawaha."

There are several good boat ramps on the south and east sides of Rodman Reservoir. Parking is usually no problem, except when bass tournaments are taking place.

To reach the lake from Palatka, take state Route 19 to the southwest. After crossing the Barge Canal, follow the signs to the impoundment.

In Clay County, another good place for catfish is Ronnie Vanzant Park Lake near Green Cove Springs. The 5-acre lake is a fish-management area and a good example of what a cooperative venture between state and county authorities can accomplish.

Biologist Jerry Krummrich said the FWCC stocks this popular lake with 5,000 channel cats annually and provides fish feeders. County personnel then take care of filling and maintaining the feeders.

No boats are allowed on the lake, unlike at most other fish-management areas. But the county does a superb job of keeping the grass cut and bank clean for easy public access.

Another major difference is a provision that no one can fish unless accompanied by an angler under 16 years of age. That kind of regulation is an investment in the future of fishing by recruiting new anglers. It's also something most visitors to the park seem to like.

Practically everyone has heard of the St. Johns River, and it rates a place on the list of the area's great catfish waters.

North of the equator, most rivers flow north to south. But the St. Johns, one of those oddities of nature, flows south to north. The river starts in the St. Johns Marsh, inland of Vero Beach in southeast Florida. From there, it flows north through Jacksonville before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

Most of the time, the stretch near Jacksonville is too salty for catching channel or white catfish. Joe Crumpton said the best section of the river for catfishing is from Palatka down to Murphy and Dunns creeks.