No such thing as a "yellow catfish" species in Lake Erie. The only catfish species generally encountered out in the open Lake is the channel catfish. There are flathead catfish in the Maumee River and other local rivers (Sandusky, Huron). Therefore there are probably a few strays in the Lake. No Blue Cats or "yellow cats". If the catfish you landed really was more of a yellow orange color, then it could have been a big flathead. But, if you know you fish species even fairly well, it's easy to tell a flathead because... well they have a very flat head! There are also color variations in almost all fish species, so it could also have been a channel catfish.

Yellow and Brown Bullheads are found in the marshes, bays, and slower parts of the rivers. But they only get about 12-14 inches in length.

Here's a nice Lake Erie fish ID for anyone interested, text and photos.

https://www.utoledo.edu/nsm/lec/rese...ecies_list.pdf