The first really "big" fish that I can remember catching when I was a youngster was a 5-pound channel catfish. At the time -- I can't remember if I was 5 or 6 -- my whiskered quarry seemed almost magical in its fierce monstrosity.

Ever since I managed to haul that fish out of a private lake near Bryan, I've had an affinity for that slimy face that only a mother could love, and for everything else associated with angling for catfish.

Overall, the catfish ranks second among the game fish most sought after in Texas, following close behind the largemouth bass. While flatheads prey almost exclusively on live fish, the catfish is known mainly as an opportunistic scavenger that lurks in turbid water and will eat just about anything that catches its fancy. Blue and channel catfish share a wide-ranging appetite for all things smelly, making them excellent targets for any angler with a little bit of time -- and a strong stomach!

Thanks to their ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, catfish can be found in almost every body of water in the state. However, some angling opportunities in Central Texas are just too good for anglers living in the Austin metro area to pass up. Here's a closer look at some of the best of those lakes.

In this part of the state, the Highland Chain of lakes on the Colorado River -- Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis, Austin and Lady Bird -- and the Colorado itself offer some topnotch catfish fisheries. Each is notable for fine catfishing opportunities, though some stand out above the others.

At about 22,000 acres, the largest of the Highland Chain, Lake Buchanan is rated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as excellent for its catfishing. Just west of the town of Burnet, it contains a variety of structure types, with the eastern portion up to the dam primarily rocky. The western portion of the lake features a number of coves that have no shortage of flooded vegetation when water levels are stable.

Marcos De Jesus, a TPWD natural resources specialist in San Marcos, noted that Buchanan features some superb blue catfish habitat. "Blue cats thrive in bigger, deeper bodies of water like Buchanan where there is good habitat," he said. "There are also flatheads and channel cats in there, but the blue cats tend to dominate the overall fishery."

The next-largest link in the Highland Chain is Travis, northwest of Austin. The 18,000-acre lake, rated as good in TPWD reports, shares some similarities with Buchanan. Because it's a larger lake, De Jesus explained, Travis has a much more dominant blue catfish population.

"Travis is another of the lakes that has much higher blue cat populations, but it also is one of the better lakes in the area for flatheads," he said. "Based on gill-netting surveys, Buchanan and Travis have the best overall numbers of both blues and flatheads, but they also have channel cats, too. Travis and Buchanan were stocked with blues, and they've taken to the habitat, so that's where they're the best."