# senecaville drawdown.



## grtrnd1 (Mar 25, 2012)

Hi everybody. Haven't been to Seneca in about a 3 weeks. Done decent there. A lot of small ones. Kept 4 keepers. Fished the sunken island from 7 to 2:30 in the afternoon. I'm going to get to go Veterans Day and have a couple questions if you guys could help me. 1. With the drawdown happening now, will I still be able to dock an 18 foot bass tracker? 2. How does the drawdown affect the saugeye? Do they tend to hold their position on points, drop offs, and edges, or does the drawdown tend to make them run for the dam? 3. I used to get mg minnows at the bait store across from where you turn to go across the dam. An elderly gentleman owns it and is open at 7 am. Someone told me he opens at 9 through theweek. Is this true or is he closed now? If so, where to get minnows. Thanks for the help in advance. I'll be in a tracker pro tournament 18 with a 9.9 if anyone wants to cruise by and say hello.


----------



## G3guy (Feb 21, 2013)

The courtesy docks have been pulled at the ramp. With draw down basically just starting u won't have any problems launching or using the concrete piers in between the ramps to dock your boat. You should still be able to catch saugeye just about anywhere but it seems that the current does attract them to certain areas. As for the bait shops T&L should be open by 8 am as for Jim's bait its kinda up in the air when he is open in the mourning also Jim tends to close up shop if the weather turns bad. Rumor has it that T&L are closing sometime this late fall or early winter till spring


----------



## SmittyN330 (May 17, 2013)

Sometimes the saugeye actually go down into the spillway. During the drawdowns, there is supposed to be great fishing for them. Good luck!


----------



## kickinbass (May 25, 2009)

Its been said 1000 times on here but if you fish the spillway don't be stupid. ODNR watches that place like crazy and if you snag a fish throw it back or risk a $400 fine(I know someone who got caught and that was their fine). Even if you catch one that has been snagged think about throwing it back, one fish isn't worth it. If there's enough in there to snag you oughta still catch you're limit.


----------



## grtrnd1 (Mar 25, 2012)

Thanks for the help fellows. I called T&L and they open at 8 and have minnows. I'll be pitching them straight down and flipping swim baits and grubs. I've never fished the spillway on the back side of the dam. Always heard horror stories of tangled lines and pushy fisherman and fighting. Not my idea of a good time. I'll giver it a whirl Monday morning and see what happens. May be the last time out on the boat this year.  I'll report back Monday evening and let you all know how we do. I've heard of some dandies pulled out of there this time of year. Hopefully.


----------



## foxbites (Mar 15, 2010)

I stay AWAY from below the dam. I bank fish up in the lake


----------



## grtrnd1 (Mar 25, 2012)

I've heard people do well on the lake side of the dam at the mouth of the spillway. May have to try this after the drawdown is complete. Its a shame you can't get a boat on the water after drawdown. (Maybe)


----------



## SmittyN330 (May 17, 2013)

kickinbass said:


> Its been said 1000 times on here but if you fish the spillway don't be stupid. ODNR watches that place like crazy and if you snag a fish throw it back or risk a $400 fine(I know someone who got caught and that was their fine). Even if you catch one that has been snagged think about throwing it back, one fish isn't worth it. If there's enough in there to snag you oughta still catch you're limit.


Yeah, they watch it like crazy for 2 reasons:

1. There is a huge snagging problem. A thread posted a few months back by Flathead76 stated that he caught 9 fish on one trip from the spillway at Seneca, all of them having snag marks and scars.

2. Many of the people who frequent that spot are real creeps! They're like the scary, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous people that you run into in the Appalachian small-town ghettos. Last time I went down there and fished, a group of people were getting as wasted as possible, and after each solo cup they downed, they would light it on fire along the bank. You could hear them cussing in a loud, but slurred and drunken tone from quite a ways away. A ranger stopped by and warned me and the person accompanying me that they were extremely drunk and to watch out. 

Bottom line is, there can be good fishing there, but don't break the law and watch your back like there's no tomorrow.


----------



## G3guy (Feb 21, 2013)

grtrnd1 said:


> I've heard people do well on the lake side of the dam at the mouth of the spillway. May have to try this after the drawdown is complete. Its a shame you can't get a boat on the water after drawdown. (Maybe)


Fish it now with current being pulled through there instead of after drawdown. The plan is now that the lake will come down 5 ft and hold there till December then the gates will re open and draw down another 5 ft till mid January and if you have 4 wheel drive u can launch a boat off to the side of the ramps backing Down on the gravel. At 5 ft down I'm fairly sure the ramps can still be used just be careful and trim motor all the way up.


----------



## grtrnd1 (Mar 25, 2012)

Fished this morning from 8:30 till 3. Water was 47 degrees. Picked up 1 saugeye on the sunken island that was a quarter inch short. Caught a few small stripers. Moved to several different points and the dam and done no good. Went to a brush pile close to the boat ramp and did manage to bring home 14 crappie between 10 and 12 inches. Seen a couple people fishing the cove by the boat ramp and caught a couple decent eyes. I should've left the boat at home and fished the bank I think. Lesson learned.


----------



## kickinbass (May 25, 2009)

Brother in law and I fished from 830-noon today from the bank at the spillway, the dam, and another spot on the lake for saugeye and crappie and never got bit on jerkbaits, curly tails, and live minnows. Granted we moved around a good bit (fished each spot about an hour) but it was slow for us today. It was my first trip out there since August and usually don't do so great until after thanksgiving


----------



## grtrnd1 (Mar 25, 2012)

You must've been the 2 we seen walking up the hill toward the rest area. We were just coming back from the sunken island in the boat. We went straight to the spillway mouth. I told my buddy that I think we are waisting our time if those 2 fellows are leaving. Not so much as a nibble there.


----------



## bassteaser1 (Apr 13, 2004)

I fished there sat night at the dam with jerks and not a bite but a lot of shad action.I went back sunday morning with the boat and tried trolling and casting cranks.No luck for hours except 1 bass on a crank and than I managed 3 saugeye from 15 1/2 to 17" in front of the dam.1 on jig and minnow and the other 2 on a blade bait and than they disappeared.They were throwing up big gizzard shad.


----------



## bassteaser1 (Apr 13, 2004)




----------



## bassteaser1 (Apr 13, 2004)




----------

