# Best Giant Bass Lake in Ohio?



## JignPig Guide

Ok everyone, the key words are giant bass (public fishing) lake in Ohio. Let's not post where we think the best places to catch bass are located. Let's post where we all think the possible state record is located on public waters...

My vote is Burr Oak Lake... What is yours?


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## fishingredhawk

1. AEP Lands
2. Burr Oak
3. Fox Lake
4. Tycoon
5. Hargus


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## V-MAX200

smallmouth - lake erie

largemouth, I would have to say Wolf Run lake. I have seen some giants in there when they are spawning.


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## gofeesh

I'm with ya V-Max.....

Somewhere in the Southeastern region is holding that bass. I know there's an 8.5 somewhere (not wolf run though) because i've seen it, and that was 3 years ago, and it is public.


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## riverKing

burr oak and snowden, snowden is much harder to fish but there are more fish over 6 in there than i think any other lake in the state. shocked 4 in one day this spring and one crew missed one my professor said was 8+


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## CARP 104

Well now Im really excited...I'm going to Burr Oak this friday, saturday and sunday for the first time! 

I would have to go with Mike on this one and say the AEP area is the best bet for a 13+lb largemouth. Smallies are the obvious lake erie...gotta be a world record sitting in there, let alone state record.


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## Marshall

I would have to add clear fork on the list also.


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## riverKing

i didnt see the part about the next state record, i will go with that fish will never be beaten, not to be a downer but i have still yet to see a pic ever of a verified 11+. though if it is there, maybe in some lost aep lake, maybe, i think the reservoirs for catching trophy 5+ fish


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## RANGER16

they have electroshocked two bass bigger than the state record out of Nimisila resevoir!!!


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## liquidsoap

I think lake erie is very under rated for large mouth. I have caught many nice ones out of erie and very rarely do I catch shorts.


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## KATKING

id like some tips on fishing burr oak if anyone has any? never fished it before im staying in one of the cabins there by the lodge and i was wondering if anyone had any good tips


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## flippin fool

my bet is rest haven or norwalk reservoir #1.


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## riverKing

ranger i am willing to bet thats a "slight" exaggeration by someone back when!
Katking i have only fished burr oak from the bank but i have done well on both swimbaits and jignpigs, my best luck has been big swimbaits, on the dam, with a nice wind blowing in right at dark. a boat would make a huge difference, but i would stick with big fish tactics, jigs, swimbaits, maybe some shakey heads.


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## madcrappiekids

Intersting...i know there are some big ones in acton, but what about the Ohio River? I have heard good stories about some of the creek arms.


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## sisezz73

Madison Lake


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

liquidsoap said:


> I think lake erie is very under rated for large mouth. I have caught many nice ones out of erie and very rarely do I catch shorts.


Agreed
Erie is best for everything


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

New guess
One of the La Su An ponds or lake erie...


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## MaumeeAngler

what is Ohios current state record for a largemouth? Is it still 13lbs 2oz?


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## ohiou_98

MaumeeAngler said:


> what is Ohios current state record for a largemouth? Is it still 13lbs 2oz?


13.13, 25 1/16" Farm Pond Roy Landsberger, Kensington May 26, 1976


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## bubba k

My experience is that large quarries hold the biggest Ohio largemouth. I have either caught, seen caught, heard caught, or seen swimming the biggest bass in quarries. Larger quarries are usually deep, clear, provide minimal spawning areas for bass, have limited structure, and are loaded with pan fish. The "minimal spawning" is a good thing because the #s aren't as high, but the size is exceptional. The clear water and limited structure make them spookier so they are harder to catch allowing them to grow BIG. I saw a mount along with pics of bass that went 8, 8.5, and 9 lbs all out of the same quarry. Personally, I've caught numerous 5-7 lbers (more 5s than 7s) out of 3 different quarries while seeing fish that were definately bigger. 

Okay, one quick story.....my buddy and I were fishing a quarry right outside of Bowling Green when we saw a big bass.....we worked that fish for almost 30 minutes.....finally, it grabbed my buddy's live bluegill and headed straight for deap water (this quarry was 50 feet deap).....after about 3-4 minutes, my buddy got it up to the surface when a HUUUUGE bass that was DOUBLE the size of this one came up out of the dark deap water right behind it......why it followed this fish up was a mystery to both of us.....anyways, we landed the fish and weighed it on a berkley digital scale and it was 5 lbs 6 oz......that eans that the other fish was EASILY 10 lbs!!!!!


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## freyedknot

there are no giant bass lakes in ohio/ thet are all down south where they grow year round. and i think the odnr does not care to produce a good bass lake. they focus on walleye and steelhead.


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## bubba k

freyedknot said:


> there are no giant bass lakes in ohio/ thet are all down south where they grow year round. and i think the odnr does not care to produce a good bass lake. they focus on walleye and steelhead.


The ODNR does care. They put time and money into managing bass populations by surveying and creating programs that develop adequate habitat when the need is great enough. They don't however stock bass only because they don't stock any species that naturally repreduces well enough to sustain a poulation. Largemouth are pretty much the only Ohio gamefish that are found in every lake and reservior in the state. The majority of them carry what most would consider to be trophy fish (over 5 lbs). What other Ohio gamefish can that be said for?


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## Net

freyedknot said:


> there are no giant bass lakes in ohio/ thet are all down south where they grow year round. and i think the odnr does not care to produce a good bass lake. they focus on walleye and steelhead.


Your 2 points contradict each other. Is the ODNR supposed to wave a magic wand and control growth rates in ohio? Or are you saying stocking is the answer


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## fishon

there' bass in ohio??? hummm LOL

Lake erie IMO...


Frank


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## Pigsticker

IMO almost every state record is currently swimming in Erie right now. Maybe not some trout or other obscure species but most everything else. I think alot of people actually have hooked giants but not been prepared for them with the equipment and been unable to land them. 

The largemouth fishing in Eries backwaters is the best in the state IMO.


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## ohiotuber

It always frosts me a little when I read that southern States are where the lunkers are. If you compare Ohio's State records on ALL species, INCLUDING LM bass, we stack up REAL well! That being said, I will join the vote for quarry, strip pit, or farm pond. We have some nice large lakes, but need to enforce slot limits & closed seasons.
Mike


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## jonzun

Shreve Lake in Wayne County. Don't laugh (its the one).

JONZUN


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

jonzun said:


> Shreve Lake in Wayne County. Don't laugh (its the one).
> 
> JONZUN


You saw that biggun in this months Ohio Fish & Game Eh?


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## bassmaniac

I have to believe Res. 5 in Fostoria has some giants in it. Over the past month, the smallies have really turned on, we catch at least 2 or 3 every trip over 18". Every thing we catch is very fat and healthy. About the DNR not caring about our bass populations, they have put special regs on several lakes just for the purpose of developing a trophy big bass lake. Knox is one that has an 18" limit. As far as not stocking bass, all that would do is to upset the balance in the bass population and would result in overpopulation and then stunted fish.


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## jonzun

i've personally have seen two legit 10 lb bass caught this year during the summer months that would have been much bigger during the spring. Shreve is it! JONZUN


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## corndawg

Pigsticker said:


> IMO almost every state record is currently swimming in Erie right now. Maybe not some trout or other obscure species but most everything else. I think alot of people actually have hooked giants but not been prepared for them with the equipment and been unable to land them.
> 
> The largemouth fishing in Eries backwaters is the best in the state IMO.


Second the Lake Erie backwaters. Cant beat the marsh areas, harbors and bays.


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## shroomhunter

jonzun said:


> Shreve Lake in Wayne County. Don't laugh (its the one).
> 
> JONZUN


Used to fish it regularly/nightly back in the 80's and I had 1 over 9 Lbs and numerous over 6. I haven't fished it in many years but one of these days....


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## bubba k

mushroomman said:


> Used to fish it regularly/nightly back in the 80's and I had 1 over 9 Lbs and numerous over 6. I haven't fished it in many years but one of these days....


Someone also told me that there are some big pike in Shreve??? I'm not sure what to believe because it's a pretty small lake.


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## JignPig Guide

*Here are the last month vote totals for the best giant bass public water lake in Ohio:*



Erie - 5
Burr Oak - 3
AEP - 3
Wolf Run - 1
Shreve - 2
Clear Fork, Nimisila Reservoir, Norwalk Reservoir #1, Acton, Madison, Lasu An, Fostoria Reservoir #5 - 1

Note - Some of the votes were vague, and if they mentioned more than one lake, I picked the first one written.


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## pizza

Antrim Lake (humongous at 37 acres)held the state record for largest smallie for a while.


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## Luns

I was digging through old threads and found this and wanted to bring it back to see if there are any new thoughts/locations.

Erie, aep, and quarries in my eyes.


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## fishingredhawk

Here are my thoughts:


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## Bassbme

I'm betting Mogadore has a few 10# plus fish in it.


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## Big Joshy

I cant speak for alot of the lakes on here but of the places I have gone to. I would say ROSE Lake is a prime spot for a monster. Small, clear, deep, stocked with trout spring and fall and very light fishing pressure and almost no boat fishing pressure. Very smart fish in the clear water. Saw one sunning itself along the bank there one spring that was easily in the 8lb class maybe bigger.

And I know this lake gets beat to death so it won't produce a new record but Rocky fork has proven to give up some real trophys. I lost a 7 at my feet this spring, and A buddy got a 8.4 trolling a shad rap last spring

But For a new record I agree with some, it would be an isolated deep smaller lake with little serious bass fishing pressure. ROSE!


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## Intimidator

I think it's going to come from someones pond, or a pit that has been transformed into a fishery!
The knowledge to grow BIG Bass is there, people have been at this for awhile and it's just a matter of time!
What better way to advertise a "Pay to fish Pit"....then by having the State record Bass caught there!

There are also several Reservoirs that have groups trying to make Bass fishing better, but I also feel pressured lakes lose alot of larger Bass that could grow even more. BIG Fish can eat larger meals and can grow even quicker!

Several OGF members are now hunting for that elusive Record!


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## buckzye11

bubba k said:


> Okay, one quick story.....my buddy and I were fishing a quarry right outside of Bowling Green when we saw a big bass.....we worked that fish for almost 30 minutes.....finally, it grabbed my buddy's live bluegill and headed straight for deap water (this quarry was 50 feet deap).....after about 3-4 minutes, my buddy got it up to the surface when a HUUUUGE bass that was DOUBLE the size of this one came up out of the dark deap water right behind it......why it followed this fish up was a mystery to both of us.....anyways, we landed the fish and weighed it on a berkley digital scale and it was 5 lbs 6 oz......that eans that the other fish was EASILY 10 lbs!!!!!


EXACT same thing happenned to me at a quarry in Barberton. I know its not a public lake, but quarry gets my vote for next record.


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## RiverCat

bubba k said:


> My experience is that large quarries hold the biggest Ohio largemouth. I have either caught, seen caught, heard caught, or seen swimming the biggest bass in quarries. Larger quarries are usually deep, clear, provide minimal spawning areas for bass, have limited structure, and are loaded with pan fish. The "minimal spawning" is a good thing because the #s aren't as high, but the size is exceptional. The clear water and limited structure make them spookier so they are harder to catch allowing them to grow BIG. I saw a mount along with pics of bass that went 8, 8.5, and 9 lbs all out of the same quarry. Personally, I've caught numerous 5-7 lbers (more 5s than 7s) out of 3 different quarries while seeing fish that were definately bigger.
> 
> Okay, one quick story.....my buddy and I were fishing a quarry right outside of Bowling Green when we saw a big bass.....we worked that fish for almost 30 minutes.....finally, it grabbed my buddy's live bluegill and headed straight for deap water (this quarry was 50 feet deap).....after about 3-4 minutes, my buddy got it up to the surface when a HUUUUGE bass that was DOUBLE the size of this one came up out of the dark deap water right behind it......why it followed this fish up was a mystery to both of us.....anyways, we landed the fish and weighed it on a berkley digital scale and it was 5 lbs 6 oz......that eans that the other fish was EASILY 10 lbs!!!!!


Quarry in North Baltimore? I know there is a 10+ pounder in there, it's possible that it's 20lbs. Seen it myself.


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## mischif

wow these are a bunch of lakes I haven't fished before! Only lakes mentioned that I have fished are aep lands (obviously not all the ponds) and erie. What is Rose lake like? I also never knew about the norwalk resevoirs. Shreve lake is new to me too.


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## Big Joshy

Rose lake is small lake behind the campground at old mans cave in hocking hills in south east ohio. Its no bigger than your average quarry. Its about the same size, but not to be confused with, ROSS lake which I beleive is mentioned in fishingredhawks blog as another good big bass lake.


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## mischif

is rose lake able to be fished by someone not camping at old mans cave?


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## Big Joshy

yeah just a small public lake. Its a good little hike down a hill from the campground or its a good hike from a nearby road on the other side. Not a big lake at all but Very beautiful and alot of fun to fish when they stock the trout. It gets fishing pressure like any lake but not alot of guys who are targeting trophy bass and know what they are doing from what ive seen.


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## jamesbalog

Is also agree with the quarries. I've seen some very very big fish swimming around in them

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## mischif

see, all of the quarries I fish are just way too overfished. Coe Lake and Wallace Lake in Berea are both quarries but I never catch/see huge fish in them.


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## seapro

How many of you are aware of Sites Lake? May not have the record bass but it sure has some big ones and it's possible by the available forage, that it could hold the record?? 

It doesn't get fished at all and most people aren't even aware it exists or at least that it's public.


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## Steel Cranium

mischif said:


> see, all of the quarries I fish are just way too overfished. Coe Lake and Wallace Lake in Berea are both quarries but I never catch/see huge fish in them.


I don't really consider Coe and Wallace quarries anymore - they have really filled in with silt over the years. The productive quarries are those that are private or somewhat public and don't allow boat fishing. I used to fish some east of Cincinnati (public access with a permit) and caught some big bass. The only true (scaled) 10lb+ bass I have witnessed in Ohio came from that pond -not caught by me - was there to weigh someone else's bass before release.

I believe that a state record could come from a lake that is consistently stocked with trout by someone who puts the time in to fish for them with the right types of baits - big trout-looking softbaits. We fish for big smallies/largemouths in a U.P. lake that is heavily stocked with rainbows. Throwing muskie-sized baits that look like a stocked trout (10") produce the biggest bass and pike.


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## kingfisher42

PUBLIC!!!!!!!!

Wolf Run. 

If state LMB is ever broken my guess will be AEP, or electric only lake and maybe 10hp max lake. all the other lakes just get hammered!!


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## dgatrell27

definetly aep ponds, theres a 10-11 pounder verified caught every year. myself ive saw numbers of 7-9lbers caught and released there. if the record doesnt come from a private farm pond it will be aep grounds...


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## Auk23

I am some what new to the forum. Can someone clarify what AEP is?


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## my vise

Google the recreation lands ohio

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## Bad Bub

kingfisher42 said:


> PUBLIC!!!!!!!!
> 
> Wolf Run.
> 
> If state LMB is ever broken my guess will be AEP, or electric only lake and maybe 10hp max lake. all the other lakes just get hammered!!


I'm gonna disagree with a 10hp lake. Piedmont, leesville and clendening get hammered all year.... piedmont produces good numbers, but the size is lacking... (these are the only 3 10hp lakes I fish with any regularity, so others may not fall into this category) guilford is a sleeper with big fish though, but i'm not sure if they'll ever be record worthy.

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## OZZIEOHIO

Tycoon lake for sure


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## GOT WORMS ???

If ladue was 125 miles south it would be in there for sure.Have seen two nine pounders and a ten out of there and it is way up north.


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## FisherPro

Springfield Lake not only holds a state record, but also a world record largemouth.


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## Photog

FisherPro said:


> Springfield Lake not only holds a state record, but also a world record largemouth.


I call shenanigans.


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## jason_0545

FisherPro said:


> Springfield Lake not only holds a state record, but also a world record largemouth.




also shenanigans i mean come on wonder if he knows exactly what the WR is?


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## Bad Bub

FisherPro said:


> Springfield Lake not only holds a state record, but also a world record largemouth.


Wow..... don't know how else to respond....

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## Tokugawa

FisherPro said:


> ...but also a world record largemouth.


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## FisherPro

Calm down now folks, im obviously kidding...


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