With marquee names like the Mississippi and Missouri, Iowa's rivers are tough to beat when it comes to catfish, but lakes like Rathbun, Macbride and Coralville produce their share of whiskerfish too. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

It should be another banner year for catfishing. Iowans are already tangling with trophy blues, huge flatheads and bragging-sized channel cats, and there's plenty more to go around.

Here's the lowdown on where you can get in on the catfish action for 2009.

MISSOURI RIVER
When you set the hook on a Missouri River catfish, you never know which species is going to be on the other end of the line. The fishing isn't always fast-paced, but a Missouri cat is worth the wait.

Blues can be taken as far north as Sioux City in the deeper stretches of the river. They lurk near ledges in deep water, and then move up to feed in the shallows in the evenings and at night. These fish can top 60 pounds, and anglers will occasionally boat an even bigger brute.

Blues bite in the daylight, but you'll have to go deep to find them. They rest in the shipping channel and deep river-bottom holes where an ounce or two of weight is needed to keep your bait down. Live bait is best, but these fish will take cut bait as well. Just be sure to use a big enough bait to interest a fish that is used to dining on small channel cats and bullheads.

Flatheads and channel cats are far more common than their larger cousins on the Missouri. The flatheads will hunker down in tangled wood or along deeper rocks and bridge pilings. Bigger flatheads are live-bait-only predators and can be taken on a hooked bluegill or shad. Channel cats are generally found in shallow cover and pick up offerings washed up onto the shoreline or into the backwater areas.

Sioux City anglers have plenty of access at the Sioux City Municipal Boat Docks and the ramps at Weedland, Highway 175 and Snyder Bend Oxbow.

For more information, contact the IDNR Northwest Management Region office at (712) 336-1840 or the Southwest Management Region office at (712) 769-2587.

UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
The upper reaches of the mighty Mississippi are second to none. Cats can be taken throughout the length of the Hawkeye State's portion of the Mississippi, but the northern reaches are especially productive. According to IDNR fisheries biologist Scott Gritters, the fishery has been awesome for the past four years.

The channel cats average between 1 and 3 pounds, with 8-pounders available. The spawns have been consistently good for the last few years, and the number of cats is high.

Flatheads are the big boys on the upper reaches of the Mississippi River in Iowa. There aren't a lot of encounters with fish in the 40-pound class, but they show up on occasion. Most of the flatheads weigh less than 4 pounds, which reflects the recent spawning success.

The best spots for both species are the large, flowing sloughs and side channels, in and around logjams and above wingdams or closing dams.

Gritters' top spots in Pool 9 are the Minnesota and Winneshiek sloughs. In Pool 10, try the Harpers and Wyalusing sloughs. In Pool 11, concentrate efforts on the Cassville, Jack Oak and Hurricane sloughs.

For information on the upper stretch of the river, call the Guttenberg Fish Management office at (563) 252-1156.

DES MOINES RIVER
A lot of old-time catfishermen will argue that the best catfishing in the state is found in the Des Moines River. IDNR fisheries biologist Dick McWilliams agrees. The river proper and the impoundments along the way offer excellent catfish prospects, and the fishing is as good as it has ever been.