In Greenville, local accommodations include the Budget Host Inn, phone: (800) 283-4678; Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, phone: (618) 664-3030; and Super 8 Motel, phone: (800) 800-8000. Boat and canoe rentals, and tackle and bait are available at Kaskaskia River Bait in Shelbyville, phone: (217) 774-4721.

ROCK RIVER
The Rock River enters Illinois near the village of Rockton, just south of the Wisconsin border. It flows southwest 160 miles to the Mississippi. Excellent catfish habitat is found along its entire length, where more than 70 access sites lead local anglers to their favorite fishing sites.

IDNR fisheries biologist Dan Sallee describes the catfishing in the Rock River as "remarkable" for both channel cats and flatheads. Fishing guide Denny Halgren of Rock River Professional Guide Service in Dixon credits local anglers' awareness for catch-and-release fishing for the great quality of the local fishery.

Halgren fishes the Rock River from Oregon to Dixon, where he targets both channel cats and flatheads in the same hotspots -- deep-water holes and shallow-water brushpiles. Halgren especially likes the river's deadfalls. He says he can usually find the cats on the woody structure as long as the wood has current pushing into it. He uses live bait for both flatheads and channel catfish, choosing from among small sheepshead, bluegills and green sunfish.

His usual rig includes live bait tapped onto a circle hook through the bait's back just behind the dorsal fin. This allows the fish to swim actively and the bait lives longer. The bait becomes active and seeks out the hidden structure, he says, where flatheads lie in wait. Halgren's rig for this method does not include a float.

Boating access is located in Dixon. One ramp is located in Page Park, in the center of town. A second ramp is the Municipal Ramp, downstream in the southwest section of town. Bait. tackle and fishing information is available at Bunny's Bait Shop in Dixon, phone: (815) 288-3812; and TJ's Bait/Tackle and Canoe Rental in Oregon, phone: (815) 732-4516 or online at www.tjscanoerental.com.

Guided fishing services are available from Denny Halgren in Dixon, phone: (815) 288-6855; and Matt Jones in Prophetstown, phone: (815) 590-1469. For area information, including local accommodations, contact the Blackhawk Waterways Convention & Visitors Bureau in Polo, phone: (800) 678-2108 or online at www.bwcvb.com.

EMBARRAS RIVER
Small in stature, the Embarras River (pronounced AM-Brah) is best known for its bluegill fishing, but local anglers report taking many catfish from its shallow depths.

Beginning in Champaign County, the Embarras River flows southward into Jasper County, where it turns southeast and empties into the Wabash River, about six miles southwest of Vincennes, Indiana. Along the way, boat ramps are found in Villa Grove, Camargo, Greenup, Newton, Ste. Marie and Lawrenceville.

The main channel of the Embarras River, especially at St. Marie, tends to hold the best numbers of both channel catfish and flathead catfish, according to IDNR fisheries biologist Trent Thomas. He reports both channel and flathead cats in the 18-inch class are abundant in the riverway downstream from the lake. Some local anglers occasionally report taking larger catfish, but these tend to be the exception rather than the rule.

Successful tactics include fishing with cheese baits and night crawlers. Some anglers use chicken livers but only as a last resort. Single- or treble-hook rigs are used with a 1/2-ounce weight about 2 feet above the hook.