CITGO Bassmaster Classic anglers are expected to begin arriving in Pittsburgh this weekend for the $700,000 championship that runs Friday through July 31. Included is a Family Fest at Point State Park Thursday and a junior world championship Monday on the Allegheny River at Kittanning.

With that in mind, it's interesting that not a single bass was weighed at the Lock Three Bait and Tackle contest on the Allegheny River last Friday and Saturday that attracted 140 anglers. The word on the river is bass fishing is slow.

Catch of the week

Jeremy Rigatti, 8, landed a 36-inch, 22-pound carp with a 21.1-inch girth at Kittanning to win the Armstrong County Chamber of Commerce sponsored "That Dam Fishing Tournament." His carp is about as large as the five biggest reported in the state last year.

Weekly report

Erie: Perch fishing picked up a little but is still nothing special. Some anglers are limiting out in 39 to 42 feet of water off Trout Run and north of Walnut.

Allegheny River: Paul B. Dorsch, Jr. of Finleyville topped last week's catch with another brown trout, this one 28 inches, 9 pounds, on the Allegheny River in Warren County Sunday. A 29-inch walleye and a 26-inch channel catfish were landed around Oil City. In the lower reaches, Rick Unrin landed a 44-inch, 20-pound muskie at the mouth of Deer Creek yesterday. No walleye, crappie or bass were weighed in the Lock 3 Bait and Tackle fishing contest last week, although 38- and 37-inch flathead catfish were weighed. The Venture Outdoors Downtown TriAnglers' Tom Lippert of Spring Garden released a 17 1/2-inch smallmouth buffalo and a 16-inch channel cat, fishing at Point State Park Wednesday. An 11-inch freshwater drum was the only other fish caught.

Ohio River: A 10-pound hybrid striper was released in the back channel yesterday. Catfish are being landed on skipjack herring.

Monongahela River: Lots of smallmouth bass, 10 to 12 inches, are reported at the mouths of Pigeon, Mingo and Pangburne creeks and Kelly Run. Mark Smith of Jefferson Hills leads the Shad Lure Bait and Tackle July Catfish contest with a 39-pound flathead on July 9.

Lake Arthur (Butler County): Eleanor Puchta of Pittsburgh landed a 42-inch muskie trolling a Crane bait at 6 mph on a Howard Wagner guide trip Friday. Some walleye and hybrid stripers are hitting in the evening, especially at the breast of the dam, 528 launch and Bear Run launch.

Lake Wilhelm (Mercer County): Slow angling is reported, though a few walleye have been boated. A couple of largemouth bass also are reported, and one angler was catching nice numbers of big bluegill and crappie around Launch 2.

Shenango Reservoir (Mercer County): Bass fishing has been challenging because the water is warm, but crappie are reported.

Pymatuning Reservoir (Crawford County): Howard Wagner guided Bob Basic of Youngstown to a 41-inch muskie on a Legend lure as they were heading to the boat launch at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Youghiogheny Lake (Fayette County): Scott Smouse and sons Lane, 5, and Travis, 17, of West Newton landed a nice number of fish over two days, including walleye, 22 and 24 inches, and an 18-inch smallmouth, trolling Storm Lightning Shads in silver and fire tiger.