The Fish Ohio Report

Updated Weekly April through October

October 26, 2011
This is the final inland fishing report for 2011.

CENTRAL OHIO

Buckeye Lake (Fairfield, Licking, and Perry counties) – As water temperatures cool, hybrid striped bass will again feed more actively.  Try chicken livers fished on the bottom or troll spinners along the north shore from Seller’s point to the north boat ramp at St. Rt. 79.  Channel catfish are being taken right now using cut bait on the bottom.  Crappies from nine to 12-inches are active; use minnows and jigs around points especially in the east half of the lake.

O’Shaughnessy Reservoir (Delaware County) – This 912-acre reservoir north of Columbus is a good place to catch largemouth bass and channel catfish.  Channel catfish can be caught on cut baits, night crawlers, and shrimp fished on the bottom.  Crappies are also being caught around woody cover using minnows and jigs.  Saugeye can be caught on shallow flats and along rocky shorelines.  Try crankbaits or blade baits at dawn and dusk for best results.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Ottawa Reservoir (Putnam County) - Try fishing for saugeye, channel catfish, and crappie in this small above ground reservoir.  For saugeye, try using minnows, nigh tcrawlers, and jigworms.  To catch crappies, use minnows suspended under a bobber.  For catfish, use night crawlers, shrimp, or cut shad as bait.  If you’re lucky, you may even catch a big flathead catfish.  Try fishing along the shoreline in the evening to catch all three of these species.

Findlay Reservoir #2 (Hancock County) - Yellow perch can be caught in this reservoir by boat using minnows and redworms.  Try fishing in 20 to 25-feet of water during the day to catch these fish.  Still fishing minnows in 20 to 25-feet of water should work to catch walleye.  For best results, try the south end of the reservoir during the day.  

Bellevue Reservoir #5 (Huron County) - Fish in approximately 10-feet of water to catch crappies and yellow perch.  Fish the west side of the reservoir using minnows under a slip bobber.  For the best results, try fishing in the evening.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Mogadore Reservoir (Portage County) – The fall crappie bite has continued to be good at Mogadore Reservoir despite the soggy weather. Crappie jigs and tubes is all it is taking to put some slabs in the cooler. Fishing minnows on jigs or under a bobber is also very effective.  The crappie seem to be concentrated in deeper water. Look for depths around 13 to 15 feet and begin fishing towards the bottom starting out. Work your way up the water column until you start to get consistent bites and then stick with that depth. For some great fish recipes visit www.wildohio.com.

Tappan Lake (Harrison County) – While fishing for saugeye last weekend, anglers caught bluegills, bass, crappie, catfish, white bass perch, and saugeye! Fishing is hot at this 2,350-acre lake located on U.S. 250. Most fish were caught on chartreuse worm harnesses fished between U.S. 250 and the island by the park ramp. Late morning hours provided best results. The saugeye were the most impressive, measuring 12-21 inches in length. A 21-inch saugeye qualifies for Fish Ohio!

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Adams Lake (Adams County) – Bluegill are being taken by anglers using any of the following worms: red, earth, wax, or meal.  Fish from a boat, along the pier, or along the shoreline.  Keep the bait about two to three feet deep under a bobber.  

C. J. Brown Reservoir (Clark County) - Crappie are biting one jigs with plastic bodies and live minnows.  Fishing is good form a boat or the shoreline. Fish the bait slowly along the bottom, still fish, or use a slip bobber.  Fishing the bait between three to more than 10 feet deep will produce results.

Paint Creek (Highland County) – Crappies are being caught by anglers using minnows or jigs as bait.  Fish the bait in three to 12 feet of water.  Fish the bait around any type of woody structure such as downed trees and overhanging brush and around the campgrounds.  A few saugeye are being caught by casting jigs or trolling small crankbaits between the beach and the island and along the hazard area.  Bluegills are being caught by anglers using wax worms under a bobber as bait.  Fish the bait two to four feet deep.  Good fishing spots are back in the coves, near stumps, and around fallen timber.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

AEP ReCreation Land (Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties) – Cooler temperatures have spurred bass and bluegill activity in these smaller ponds.  Use worms or wax worms suspended under a bobber for the best bluegill results.  For largemouth bass, fish close to shore using crankbait in the late evening.  Nice catches of largemouth bass were reported over the weekend, with some bass weighing in over five pounds.  

Forked Run Lake (Meigs County) – Anglers looking for bluegill should find success fishing below the spillway.  Keep it simple by fishing wax worms or meal worms under a bobber.

Muskingum River (Washington County) – Fishing for saugeye, white bass and hybrid stripers is improving below the Devola Dam.  Try casting jigs or crankbaits into the current and floating them back.

LAKE ERIE

Regulations to Remember:

The daily bag limit for Lake Erie walleye is 6 fish. The minimum size limit is 15 inches.

The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler on all Ohio waters of Lake Erie.

The steelhead daily bag limit is 2 fish per angler. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.

The Lake Erie black bass (largemouth and smallmouth) daily bag limit is 5 fish with a minimum size limit of 14 inches.

Western Basin
 
Walleye: There have been very few walleye reports from the western basin.  The best reports have come from Kelleys Island Shoal and Gull Island Shoal.  Expect walleye fishing to improve as water temperatures drop and migratory walleye move back towards the west from the central basin.

Yellow perch: There have been very few reports from the western basin recently (as of 10/25).  The best reports have come from off of the Moose Lodge in Port Clinton and E of the Kelleys Island airport.  Anglers are using spreaders with shiners (emerald or golden) fished near the bottom.  

 
Central Basin
 
Walleye: The best walleye fishing in the central basin has been 4 to 6 miles N of Vermilion.  Fish have been caught mostly on deep diving crankbaits, and also on harnesses behind divers. 

Yellow perch: Fair to good fishing was reported in 35-38’ NE of Rocky River, 35-38’ NW of Edgewater State Park, 52-55’ NW of Fairport and 76’ NE of Conneaut.  Perch spreaders with shiners fished on the bottom produces the most fish.  Anglers have been using golden shiners when emerald shiners are not available.  A few fish have been caught by shore anglers off the East 55th St. Pier in Cleveland.  Mornings and evenings have been best. 

Steelhead Trout:   Northeast Ohio Rivers remain high due to rains late last week.  Conditions will improve throughout the week. See the steelhead trout fishing reports.

The water temperature is 50 degrees off of Toledo and 56 degrees off of Cleveland according to the nearshore marine forecast.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

View the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie.
 
View Lake Erie boating information, safety tips, and launch ramps.

OHIO RIVER

Belmont and Monroe counties – Smallmouth bass can be caught along the rip-rap or by casting out with crankbaits resembling minnows or shad.  Short arm spinner baits (1/2-ounce) with dark colored skirts and pork trailers can be effective as well.  In the Hannibal tailwater, fish the West Virginia shore to the New Martinsville Bridge to catch the best action on smallies.

Western Ohio River -  Anglers are still taking channel catfish. They are being caught on chicken livers and cutbait around warm water discharges. Carp are biting on dough balls and corn. Hybrids are hitting Rapalas and rattletraps.

Find boat access to the Ohio River.