A high number of reports of big catfish catches are coming in from lakes and rivers throughout the region. Last week Wayne McNeill of Homewood hooked this 23-pound, 38-inch channel cat with a 21-inch girth before dusk on a crawler in the Allegheny River near the Highland Park Bridge.

"It took me a half hour to get him in," said McNeill. "Once in, he broke the aluminum net I had in half. It was great fun!"