T_boy
05-06-2009, 03:46 PM
Alum Creek Lake (Delaware County) — This lake north of Columbus is a good bet for crappie, white bass, and channel catfish. Fishing jigs and minnows suspended by a float around woody cover in the upper end of the lake and in coves is a good way to catch crappie. Crappie must be nine inches or longer to keep. Use minnows, jigs, and small spinners in the upper end of the lake north of Howard Road when seeking white bass. White bass are also available in the creek itself, at Kilbourne. The area above Howard Road has good numbers of channel catfish; use cut shad for best results.
Kiser Lake (Champaign County) — Fish plastic baits and crank baits for largemouth bass in and along lily pads on the south side of lake and near woody cover on the north shore. As the water warms, bluegill can be caught in shallow water areas using night crawlers or wax worms fished under a bobber. Fly fishing for bluegill using floating flies and spiders can also be very productive and exciting. Chicken livers fished on the lake bottom can reward an angler with channel catfish or hybrid striped bass. No motors are allowed on this lake.
Sandusky River (Sandusky County) — The water temperature is 62 degrees. Walleye, white bass and channel catfish are being taken near the dam. Anglers need to be aware that largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are illegal to possess in this area of the river from May 1 through June 30.
Schoonover Park (Allen County) — Bluegill are being caught by casting jigs or fishing wax worms or night crawlers under a bobber. The north end of the bay is the best area. Rainbow trout are also being caught with the same methods. Spinners and power baits work well on these trout. They are being caught all over the lake.
Lima Lake (Allen County) — Rainbow trout are being caught here by casting spinner baits and jigs. Fishing night crawlers and wax worms under a bobber is working well too. Try the fishing dock near the boat ramp.
Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County) — Walleye are being taken in the early mornings by drifting night crawlers or leeches. Near the island is the best.
Atwood Lake (Carroll / Tuscarawas Counties) — Saugeye are biting well during mid-afternoon hours aswater temperatures warm. Anglers are experiencing success with minnows fished on jig heads or under bobbers in six to 10 feet of water. Most saugeye are ranging from 12 to 15 inches with much larger fish being caught occasionally. One of the best ways to catch these hybrids is to use a small jig (1/32 to 1/8 ounce) and tip it with half of a night crawler. Simply cast, let the bait sink, and slowly retrieve. A strike will be gentle and only a slight twitch of the line will occur. Crappie are also biting well on smaller minnows, at a range of depths. The horsepower limit is 25.
Springfield Lake (Summit County) — Crappie and largemouth bass fishing has picked up at this lake located southeast of Akron. Anglers have seen best results while fishing near or from the southern and eastern shorelines near underwater habitat and lily pads. Crappie can be caught on the usual lures such as jigs tipped with maggots or minnows suspended under bobbers. If the bite is slow, try fishing a little deeper such as five feet or more. Bass lures such as Rat-L-Traps and other imitators are working well for 12 to 15-inch "bucketmouths." Wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities are available. Boat anglers should note special restrictions on horsepower limits: 250 horsepower from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 10 horsepower otherwise.
Tappan Lake (Harrison County) — Anglers looking to do some nighttime fishing should visit this lake located on U.S. Route 250. Excellent numbers of channel catfish up to 25-inches are present with most averaging about 13½-inches long. Stink baits, chicken livers, or night crawlers fished in the shallows and on the bottom are the best baits. When conditions are murky, still try fishing for catfish since they can tolerate poor conditions when other sportfish cannot. Wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities are available.
C. J. Brown Reservoir(Clark County) — Crappie and bluegill are being caught around the marina and the wooden piling structures near the boat ramp and campground. Use minnows for crappie and wax worms or red worms for bluegill, fished under a bobber. Anglers are still catching some white bass along the rocky shorelines and up in the creek. Try using small spinners, jigs, or minnows. Walleye fishing has turned on with anglers having success bouncing along the bottom with night crawlers.
Caesar Creek Lake (Warren County) — Largemouth bass are being caught around shoreline cover and riprap shorelines using crank baits, jigs, and soft plastic lures. Saugeye are starting to bite in 6 to 12 feet of water. Try using jigs with twister tails, or a plain jig tipped with a minnow. Some white bass are being caught in Anderson Fork and where the two creeks pass under state Route 380 and Roxanna-New Burlington Rd. Use small spinners, white or chartreuse jigs for the white bass.
Piedmont Lake (Belmont County) — Anglers report catching saugeye in the 15 to 16-inch range by trolling jigs and minnows over the rock point across from the Reynolds Road boat ramp. Black crappie nine to 10 inches have been caught using a minnow fished under a bobber in six foot water depths fishing from the shore near Township Road 356.
Dillon Lake (Muskingum County) — Successful catches of channel catfish are in the 12 to 18-inch range. Try using worms fished under a bobber in five to ten feet of water along the north side of the dam in 16 inches of water. Fish for bluegill using wax worms, meal worms or night crawlers under a bobber in four to six feet of water. Crappie fishing has also been good fishing over structure using minnows. Anglers are catching largemouth bass that are eight to 15 inches using minnows, plastics, and green or orange crank baits in five to ten feet of water near woody structure retrieved slowly. The north side of the dam has been the best bet for largemouth.
— The walleye bag limit is 6 fish per day. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15 inches.
— The daily bag limit for Lake Erie yellow perch is 25 fish per angler in waters west of the Huron pier. The limit will remain at 30 fish per angler in Ohio waters from Huron eastward. Any boats landing west of Huron, Ohio will be subject to the 25 fish daily bag limit, while boats landing at Huron or points east will be subject to a 30 fish daily bag limit. Shore-based anglers west of the Huron pier will be subject to a 25 fish daily bag limit, while those on the pier and eastward will remain at 30 fish daily.
— Through May 15, the steelhead trout daily bag limit is 2 fish. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.
— Black bass is closed to possession (catch and release only) through June 26, with the limit returning to 5 fish on June 27.
Western Basin — Walleye fishing has been good when weather allowed. Anglers jigging in Maumee Bay and on the Camp Perry reef complex are still catching spawning males, but the spawning season will soon be over for walleye. Trollers caught fish around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island. Perch fishing has been best around Kelleys Island and Marblehead.
Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 55 off of Toledo and 50 off of Cleveland.
Cincinnati Area — Water levels are still high. Water temperatures remain cool. Anglers are reporting some success in the tributaries on worms as well as twister tails tipped with minnows. Catches are mostly bluegill and White bass.
At the R.C. Byrd tail waters anglers report catching largemouth bass using olive and brown plastics while fishing close to shore near the riprap. White bass in the nine to 14-inch range have been reeled in using white or orange twister tails. Best methods have been casting downstream into the current from the cement platform near the dam.
Sauger have been hitting salt and pepper or plain white twisters as well as white spoons. Cast from the riprap out of the faster current into 10 to15 feet of water. Sauger are averaging eight to 12 inches, but many have been over 15 inches.
Kiser Lake (Champaign County) — Fish plastic baits and crank baits for largemouth bass in and along lily pads on the south side of lake and near woody cover on the north shore. As the water warms, bluegill can be caught in shallow water areas using night crawlers or wax worms fished under a bobber. Fly fishing for bluegill using floating flies and spiders can also be very productive and exciting. Chicken livers fished on the lake bottom can reward an angler with channel catfish or hybrid striped bass. No motors are allowed on this lake.
Sandusky River (Sandusky County) — The water temperature is 62 degrees. Walleye, white bass and channel catfish are being taken near the dam. Anglers need to be aware that largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are illegal to possess in this area of the river from May 1 through June 30.
Schoonover Park (Allen County) — Bluegill are being caught by casting jigs or fishing wax worms or night crawlers under a bobber. The north end of the bay is the best area. Rainbow trout are also being caught with the same methods. Spinners and power baits work well on these trout. They are being caught all over the lake.
Lima Lake (Allen County) — Rainbow trout are being caught here by casting spinner baits and jigs. Fishing night crawlers and wax worms under a bobber is working well too. Try the fishing dock near the boat ramp.
Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County) — Walleye are being taken in the early mornings by drifting night crawlers or leeches. Near the island is the best.
Atwood Lake (Carroll / Tuscarawas Counties) — Saugeye are biting well during mid-afternoon hours aswater temperatures warm. Anglers are experiencing success with minnows fished on jig heads or under bobbers in six to 10 feet of water. Most saugeye are ranging from 12 to 15 inches with much larger fish being caught occasionally. One of the best ways to catch these hybrids is to use a small jig (1/32 to 1/8 ounce) and tip it with half of a night crawler. Simply cast, let the bait sink, and slowly retrieve. A strike will be gentle and only a slight twitch of the line will occur. Crappie are also biting well on smaller minnows, at a range of depths. The horsepower limit is 25.
Springfield Lake (Summit County) — Crappie and largemouth bass fishing has picked up at this lake located southeast of Akron. Anglers have seen best results while fishing near or from the southern and eastern shorelines near underwater habitat and lily pads. Crappie can be caught on the usual lures such as jigs tipped with maggots or minnows suspended under bobbers. If the bite is slow, try fishing a little deeper such as five feet or more. Bass lures such as Rat-L-Traps and other imitators are working well for 12 to 15-inch "bucketmouths." Wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities are available. Boat anglers should note special restrictions on horsepower limits: 250 horsepower from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 10 horsepower otherwise.
Tappan Lake (Harrison County) — Anglers looking to do some nighttime fishing should visit this lake located on U.S. Route 250. Excellent numbers of channel catfish up to 25-inches are present with most averaging about 13½-inches long. Stink baits, chicken livers, or night crawlers fished in the shallows and on the bottom are the best baits. When conditions are murky, still try fishing for catfish since they can tolerate poor conditions when other sportfish cannot. Wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities are available.
C. J. Brown Reservoir(Clark County) — Crappie and bluegill are being caught around the marina and the wooden piling structures near the boat ramp and campground. Use minnows for crappie and wax worms or red worms for bluegill, fished under a bobber. Anglers are still catching some white bass along the rocky shorelines and up in the creek. Try using small spinners, jigs, or minnows. Walleye fishing has turned on with anglers having success bouncing along the bottom with night crawlers.
Caesar Creek Lake (Warren County) — Largemouth bass are being caught around shoreline cover and riprap shorelines using crank baits, jigs, and soft plastic lures. Saugeye are starting to bite in 6 to 12 feet of water. Try using jigs with twister tails, or a plain jig tipped with a minnow. Some white bass are being caught in Anderson Fork and where the two creeks pass under state Route 380 and Roxanna-New Burlington Rd. Use small spinners, white or chartreuse jigs for the white bass.
Piedmont Lake (Belmont County) — Anglers report catching saugeye in the 15 to 16-inch range by trolling jigs and minnows over the rock point across from the Reynolds Road boat ramp. Black crappie nine to 10 inches have been caught using a minnow fished under a bobber in six foot water depths fishing from the shore near Township Road 356.
Dillon Lake (Muskingum County) — Successful catches of channel catfish are in the 12 to 18-inch range. Try using worms fished under a bobber in five to ten feet of water along the north side of the dam in 16 inches of water. Fish for bluegill using wax worms, meal worms or night crawlers under a bobber in four to six feet of water. Crappie fishing has also been good fishing over structure using minnows. Anglers are catching largemouth bass that are eight to 15 inches using minnows, plastics, and green or orange crank baits in five to ten feet of water near woody structure retrieved slowly. The north side of the dam has been the best bet for largemouth.
— The walleye bag limit is 6 fish per day. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15 inches.
— The daily bag limit for Lake Erie yellow perch is 25 fish per angler in waters west of the Huron pier. The limit will remain at 30 fish per angler in Ohio waters from Huron eastward. Any boats landing west of Huron, Ohio will be subject to the 25 fish daily bag limit, while boats landing at Huron or points east will be subject to a 30 fish daily bag limit. Shore-based anglers west of the Huron pier will be subject to a 25 fish daily bag limit, while those on the pier and eastward will remain at 30 fish daily.
— Through May 15, the steelhead trout daily bag limit is 2 fish. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.
— Black bass is closed to possession (catch and release only) through June 26, with the limit returning to 5 fish on June 27.
Western Basin — Walleye fishing has been good when weather allowed. Anglers jigging in Maumee Bay and on the Camp Perry reef complex are still catching spawning males, but the spawning season will soon be over for walleye. Trollers caught fish around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island. Perch fishing has been best around Kelleys Island and Marblehead.
Based on the nearshore marine forecast the water temperature is 55 off of Toledo and 50 off of Cleveland.
Cincinnati Area — Water levels are still high. Water temperatures remain cool. Anglers are reporting some success in the tributaries on worms as well as twister tails tipped with minnows. Catches are mostly bluegill and White bass.
At the R.C. Byrd tail waters anglers report catching largemouth bass using olive and brown plastics while fishing close to shore near the riprap. White bass in the nine to 14-inch range have been reeled in using white or orange twister tails. Best methods have been casting downstream into the current from the cement platform near the dam.
Sauger have been hitting salt and pepper or plain white twisters as well as white spoons. Cast from the riprap out of the faster current into 10 to15 feet of water. Sauger are averaging eight to 12 inches, but many have been over 15 inches.