# Dead Lake?



## Dogsled (Feb 4, 2009)

Hi, this is my first post, I was reading the threads here for a while and noticed alot of people here from the Youngstown area and I have been doing a lot of research and have a question anybody and everybody has to have an opinioin on. We have a lake here in the Are, its called Hamilton, it was always a pay lake (or as long as I remember) and had great fishing. A few years back it closed and hasn't been stocked or fished cause its a resevoir.
The spillway/dam goes into a waterway called Yellow Creek in the Mill Creek Park area. It runs through some beautiful woodland area right in the middle of Struthers OH. and dumps intothe Mahoning river. I fly fish and I've been scouting out the are for a few weeks now and feel the lay of the water and surroundings would offer plenty of food for at least bass that get out of the lake and into the bigger Mahoning. I call the administrators of Mill Creek Park (and by the way you are allowed to fish Yellow Creek) and they tell me there are nothing in Yellow Creek but maybe some carp. Their reasoning is Hamilton isn't stocked and would be pretty much void of any game fish but why, the fish that were there when it was shut down to the public should have flourished. I feel Mill Creek just doesn't want any fishing in that area and are telling me this as a 'keep out'....God I didn't plan on plundering the land! What are some other opinions on how this eco system with the fish works, should it be barren or could it flourish. I know, all I have to do is get out and throw a line in and find out, but I was wondering what species would have been the strongest and what would be getting bigger and able to make it to the Mahoning? Basically, I got the feelin of bass while I was there, does that sound feasible? 
I was there the other day and fell in the creek cause the snow gave way under me but just up to my knees. The creeks clean and clear some rocky bottoms some riffles and some smooth runs. Nice bends with a lot of open ir for fly casting in waders. Any locals from the Cornersburg area of Youngstown want to do any hiking to find out if its a spot loaded with some secrets?
BTW, great website


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## rolland (Jan 8, 2008)

Depends who you get on the phone at mill creek. I have had a few ladys that were very helpfull and a few that really just wanted me off the phone. I live over on the west side and never thought of fishing that creek, but im going to look a little more into it. probibly the best way to get good info would be to goto the flower gardens and talk with the old volenteers/workers in the nature center. Calling down there you get the mill creek office and those people deal with all the incomming calls for everything and im sure they get tied up at times and there time is limited. At the nature center and the old mill they have old times sitting around I have had some great chats with and they are full off good info on the wildlife/fishing in the area. 

If I find anything out ill let you know, keep me updated on any info you get.


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## Dogsled (Feb 4, 2009)

I posted this in the fly fishing section and here's a response I got;
Hamilton is no longer a pay lake because Aqua Ohio does not want to pay insurance to operate as a pay lake or pay employees to operate it as a lake. It probably did not turn a profit. As for Yellow Creek being deep enough to keep fish, I dont think you will find anything of size that would not head down to the Mahoning. Its awfully shallow.
No doubt there are largemouth bass, bluegills, crappies, carp. maybe perch, some northerns in it. They did stock hamilton with trout every year.
Hamilton has to be loaded with fish since virtually no one is fishing it.
There are a ton of fish in the Mahoning especially walleyes and muskies.
When I was there it ran 2' and looked deeper in some spots. I parked in a nice parking lot on Wetmore dr. right below the blast furnace or whatever that memorial is. When the snow melts a bit and I can get closer I'm gonna start to fish it. The point was to catch the bigger one before they got to the Mahoning. I've been to the Mad and 2' if water was more than enough for trout.
I live right by Lanterman falls, i'll stop in and see if I can find someone that knows anything. Go check out Yellow creek and tell me what you think


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2009)

grew up fishing the lake daily. before the mills shut down, the bluegill and crappie fishing was exceptional, the bass fishing good. pike were there, but scarce. i doubt if you will find much in the way of trout in yellow creek. the creek is shallow and during dry conditions, will not hold much water. the sucker fishing where yellow creek enters hamilton (poland) was great in the early spring also. actually, where the creek comes out below evans lake was good also. knew of a guy who would pick up walleye there. unfortunately, a lot of the creek access is now private property.


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## tyrus3k (Feb 24, 2008)

I am also from the cornersburg area and I hike mill creek park regularly. I always wondered what the deal was with that creek, and why there is never anyone fishing in it. I have fished plenty shallow rivers that still produced smallies, trout, warmouth, largemouth, gills and carp. There has got to be some type of fish in that creek other than carp. I fish the Mahoning river in the summer from the rose garden down past the train tresses near steel street and have caught many, many smallies and a couple nice surprise channel cats. When spring hits I would be glad to go out with you and check things out.


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## Biodude (Nov 5, 2004)

Hi, 
I thought I'd send a pm so as not to broadcast too loudly about the Mahoning River by Mill Creek Park. I work at YSU and flyfish the river coming into Glacier Lake for carp. Don't laugh...its a blast! I drive by the section of river you mention in your post. The section where it enters the main river looks good, but I have never fished it. I have a cpl of quetions if you didn't mind sharing...Do you fish upriver or down from there? Do you wade or hike the bank? Smallies are my absolute favorite fish...I drive all the way down to Beaver creek to fish them. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed


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## Biodude (Nov 5, 2004)

OOpps... so much for the PM, lol.


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## LUCIUS (Nov 22, 2007)

Biodude I have waded the creek and thrown small spinners for smallies it was fun.


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## tyrus3k (Feb 24, 2008)

haha oops on that private message. Well biodude I thought about private messaging also as to not let people in on the mahoning river but then I figure not many people will come down there anyway just because of the location. If you fish that stretch of river near the rose garden you should probably carry a pistol haha. But it is indeed good fishing! I was fishing there this past summer for smallies. I was throwing 1/16 oz jighead with a small twister tail when I hooked into a monster fish. I had 50 pound braided line on the setup which I usally used for catfishing. I fought this fish for a couple of minutes and it just kept running with the current. I never got it in close enough to see what it was. After a couple more minutes of fight it actually broke the hook off of the jighead! I am guessing it was a carp because I have seen many in that area, and the fight it was giving me definitely felt like a carp!


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## hilltopjack (Jan 21, 2009)

I've caught some huge carp over the years in the mahoning underneath the Girard- McDonald viaduct. Lots of gills, walleye, and sometimes bass at night. It seems like I always get a major snag every time I go. Good fishing tho.


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## Dogsled (Feb 4, 2009)

Tyrus, were from Youngstown, nobody from here should be told to carry a gun....you should just know it!
Here's what my plan is to fish the Yellow Creek right now and as spring comes on us. I know the water gets low in the summer but its high right now because of run off....tell me about it, I fell in the other day. I scouted it out and it looked to be where you would fish up stream and down stream because of the obstacles like logs and things and bends. If you get back to my original post (If it was on this site) I said I thought it looked like bass waters. Read the Mad River weather report and they are fishing there now, so why not here. I was out hiking yesterday after talking with one of the park rec administrators and he told me to scout out the creek from around that parking lot across crom Mill Creek golf course where there's a bridge over to the hiking trail, check the water from there out towards and past 224. I didn't have good hiking boots to get in that cold snow so I only hiked a little ways but the water is looking good. Right now its 2 to 3 foot clean and clear with a lot of casting room. (The hikers thought there was a bear in the woods) I think there's not much in the clear flow cause theres no where to hide but it would be worth checking from that bridge down to shields, a lot of rocks trees and undercuts for fish to hide in that area. I checked that area about a month ago. 
As for the Mahoning, Like I said, try under Market street bridge. great spot. 
*Anybody* interested, PM me and we can set up an expedition, I don't work and can go at a minutes notice to hit a hot spot or look for one. Alot of nice water around here that need investigated, we shouldn't have to go 100 miles to fish.


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

i have fished yellow creek down by burgholz and caught quite a few smallmouth nothing really big but they are in there. i dont know once you get up as high as you guys are.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2009)

we may be talking two different yellow creeks, not sure though. the yellow creek in mahoning county empties into the mahoning river.


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## WhoolyBugger (Aug 25, 2008)

I have had good success in the mahoning near MC Park. (yes, fish at your own risk!) Walleyes, bass (LM and SM) carp, cats, gills, muskie, etc.... Seems like the Ytown section is improving but still ALOT of pollution from the mills. I have heard a river cleanup project was in the works. This would be great, because the river could be a valuable recreational resource for the community. I plan on kayaking it this summer....


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2009)

whooly, i have a friend who fishes the mahoning right in the middle of warren. does fantastic, really big eyes and smallies. all throwbacks, of course. one guy in his group uses nothing but a flyrod.


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## WhoolyBugger (Aug 25, 2008)

rapman said:


> whooly, i have a friend who fishes the mahoning right in the middle of warren. does fantastic, really big eyes and smallies. all throwbacks, of course. one guy in his group uses nothing but a flyrod.


Ha ha glad to hear they are not on the menu at the Sunrise Inn! The river in and around Lowelville is great too.....


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## Carbon44514 (Apr 23, 2021)

Dogsled said:


> Hi, this is my first post, I was reading the threads here for a while and noticed alot of people here from the Youngstown area and I have been doing a lot of research and have a question anybody and everybody has to have an opinioin on. We have a lake here in the Are, its called Hamilton, it was always a pay lake (or as long as I remember) and had great fishing. A few years back it closed and hasn't been stocked or fished cause its a resevoir.
> The spillway/dam goes into a waterway called Yellow Creek in the Mill Creek Park area. It runs through some beautiful woodland area right in the middle of Struthers OH. and dumps intothe Mahoning river. I fly fish and I've been scouting out the are for a few weeks now and feel the lay of the water and surroundings would offer plenty of food for at least bass that get out of the lake and into the bigger Mahoning. I call the administrators of Mill Creek Park (and by the way you are allowed to fish Yellow Creek) and they tell me there are nothing in Yellow Creek but maybe some carp. Their reasoning is Hamilton isn't stocked and would be pretty much void of any game fish but why, the fish that were there when it was shut down to the public should have flourished. I feel Mill Creek just doesn't want any fishing in that area and are telling me this as a 'keep out'....God I didn't plan on plundering the land! What are some other opinions on how this eco system with the fish works, should it be barren or could it flourish. I know, all I have to do is get out and throw a line in and find out, but I was wondering what species would have been the strongest and what would be getting bigger and able to make it to the Mahoning? Basically, I got the feelin of bass while I was there, does that sound feasible?
> I was there the other day and fell in the creek cause the snow gave way under me but just up to my knees. The creeks clean and clear some rocky bottoms some riffles and some smooth runs. Nice bends with a lot of open ir for fly casting in waders. Any locals from the Cornersburg area of Youngstown want to do any hiking to find out if its a spot loaded with some secrets?
> BTW, great website


They just don't want you in there fishing. I have lived on yellow creek for 50 years and my family has had homes at the same location on Hamilton since before the damn was built. I'm telling you this cause I know the water system well. You name the fish and its there. Not only Hamilton lake but Burgess,Evans and pine feed into it. The big sport fish sometimes get trapped in the bigger pools, but only gill next storm. Walleye, pike and such move to the Mahoning. Small bass, crappie and perch can be caught below spillway in creek. The lake is booming with fish, great place to fish with kids if you know someone with a home on it. The only otherwise is to kayak it as they can't catch you lmao! They 2 main big fish in yellow creek are both catfish bullhead and ?(idk what the other is called) however I've been catching them since 1978 on bamboo poles and now expensive equipment. The bavk waters of Hamilton where yellow creek flows into is the best fishing walleye on fly equipment is grand! The section on 616 between the cemetery bridge and Hamilton. Don't fall into the deep sections as you can be drug into the old Youngstown clay company mines from the 19th century. Have fun and keep the secret about how good it is. Its better than meander reservoir for fishing.


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Carbon44514 said:


> They just don't want you in there fishing. I have lived on yellow creek for 50 years and my family has had homes at the same location on Hamilton since before the damn was built. I'm telling you this cause I know the water system well. You name the fish and its there. Not only Hamilton lake but Burgess,Evans and pine feed into it. The big sport fish sometimes get trapped in the bigger pools, but only gill next storm. Walleye, pike and such move to the Mahoning. Small bass, crappie and perch can be caught below spillway in creek. The lake is booming with fish, great place to fish with kids if you know someone with a home on it. The only otherwise is to kayak it as they can't catch you lmao! They 2 main big fish in yellow creek are both catfish bullhead and ?(idk what the other is called) however I've been catching them since 1978 on bamboo poles and now expensive equipment. The bavk waters of Hamilton where yellow creek flows into is the best fishing walleye on fly equipment is grand! The section on 616 between the cemetery bridge and Hamilton. Don't fall into the deep sections as you can be drug into the old Youngstown clay company mines from the 19th century. Have fun and keep the secret about how good it is. Its better than meander reservoir for fishing.


This post is 13 years old


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