SUFFIELD, OH- Wingfoot Lake State Park, the newest jewel in the Ohio State Park system, has been a hotspot for anglers this past year. But thanks to a partnership between the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Portage Lakes Bassmasters, anglers who fish this lake in the future might find even better fishing.

            This past weekend, a crew from the Division of Wildlife teamed up with close to 20 volunteers from the bass club to introduce structures into Wingfoot Lake (Portage County). “We have been lucky to work with the Portage Lakes Bassmasters for several years now, and their enthusiasm is always appreciated in our projects.” says Matt Wolfe, fisheries biologist who oversees this project for the Division of Wildlife. “Anglers will benefit from this collaboration for years to come,” added Wolfe.

            Two types of structures were placed into the reservoir. Fifty five spools weighed down with stone were placed in about 10 – 12 feet of water. The center point for the spool reef is at N 41^o 0’ 43.5” / W 81^o 21’ 57.1”.  Also, 20 tree structures were placed off of the Lakeside Shelterhouse in about 7 – 8 feet of water. The tree structures can be found from N 41^o 0’ 49.8” / W 81^o 21’ 51.8” to N 41^o 0’ 48.0” / W 81^o 21’ 48.5”. The map datum on your GPS unit should be set at NAD 83 to find the structures and the coordinates provided are in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

            The goal of this project is to introduce 500 structures into the waters of Northeastern Ohio annually in order to recruit the next generation of anglers and retain the anglers who already enjoy the sport of fishing. A downloadable Google Earth file containing all of the structure placements throughout Northeast Ohio is available by contacting the Wildlife District Three office at (330) 644-2293.