# Anyone ever catch Olentangy/Scioto muskie?



## Banker (Jun 7, 2005)

Hi Everyone,

First post - been reading for a couple months and really diggin it- everyone seems really cool.

I've read here that musky are native to both the Olentangy and Scioto. Can anyone confirm this on the Olentangy? I can't see why not as it's connected to the Scioto and I can definitely imagine them in the Scioto 200 years ago.

Has anyone ever caught one? I'd like to hear details. About 15 years ago I ran into someone who said he caught one in the Worthington/Powell area (said it was small, perhaps 12-14 inches). I also have heard of one person catching one below a smaller dam thats below the Delaware Lake dam(met him a couple weeks ago catfishin the Scioto). I'm sure people have caught them below the Delaware dam(but would still like to hear all stories!).

But what about say greater than a mile below the Delaware dam in the Olentangy, or in the Scioto? Just very interested in hearing stories.....one of the things I love about fishing is that you never know what you're gonna catch.

I  the idea that I have chance of hooking a ski in the tangy(so what if my odds are better off winning the lottery

thanks, Pete


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## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

Welcome to OGF


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Ok I know I post this picture all the time...And Im sure josh (where ever he is) is probably really famous by now...lol But I post it to prove a point...Yes there are Muskies in the Scioto north of Greenlawn. I have heard stories since I was a kid about small secluded sections of Musky in the upper Scioto...If there are (were) Musky in the Scioto, then I would have to think they would have migrated up the Olentangy as well....The question(s) remain: after the dams went in (and most of there natural spawning areas were destroyed) were they able to successfully reproduce?...And if so was there adquate habitat and forage to sustain there presence? ...are the muskies in the Scioto (at this moment) native? or illegally stocked into the Scioto? I know the area downstream of Griggs very well...And there is habitat to support Muskies... Slack pools,sunken timber,aquatic plants...It's all there. Im sure the food is there as well. I think the Muskies are in there....I believe the reason why people don't catch them is simple: people fish the Scioto for smallmouth and saugeye. Both of these fish inhabit areas in or near current....Muskies on the other hand prefer deeper slack pools with abundant vegetation and wood. Most of these areas are nearly impossible to fish from the bank, and getting a boat back there is nearly impossible as well....So guess what? they don't get caught!...Anyway that is what I think is going on..I have also heard reports ( which are credible...but not as numerous) about Northern Pike above O'shay and directly below.


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## dfoxfish (Apr 13, 2004)

alum is much better known for it's monster muskys. :B


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

stilesp's (ogf member) brother caught one a few years ago on Griggs. That's the only one I've ever seen or heard of coming out of the river. Is that pic him?


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

I have caught what I thought were muskie in the Big Darby. I don't know if these were muskie or grass pike. The guys that I was fishing with called them grass pike.


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

There were alot of Muskies caught out of the Olentangy back in the 70's when they were stocked in Delaware Res. Not sure when stocking ended but know it was before 1980. Have heard of very few since then and none in the last 10 years. 
Don't think there is any native population left.


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## stilesp (Apr 8, 2004)

acklac you beat me to posting my pic. Yes that is my picture(not my brother but one of my friends). He doesn't fish much so I need to send him a link to let him know that he is famous. He lost about 80 since that photo(no not because he as recognized as the great griggs muskie catcher) so he should get a kick out of the photo.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

!!!!! The great Griggs Muskie killer? He didn't take it home did he!!!


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## stilesp (Apr 8, 2004)

No. That was a poor choice of words. I will edit the post.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

man I was about to be upset! .....What did he catch it off of btw?


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## stilesp (Apr 8, 2004)

I know what you mean. It was caught on a bomber crankbait/red crawfish. It was way up north past the island 200-300 yds.


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## Rod&Reel (Jun 4, 2005)

I aint sure about Lake Logan, but I know the Hocking River has Muskie. One of my uncles live across the street from the Hocking and two years ago while fishing it (in a large hole), he caught a 3 1/2' Muskie from it. He said it was his first one, but that some of his friends catch them there all the time. I will be fishing this same hole this Friday. I have never caught a Muskie or Pike, so I am hoping to have some good luck and catch one while fishing it. Any ideas as what to use to fish for them?? Maybe I will ask my uncle what he caught his on.


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## Kayakfisher (Apr 12, 2004)

Have caught a few pike in mills creek upstream of where it runs into the Scioto/oshay just north of 42. This was a few years ago, but, have no reason to suspect that they aren't still in there.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I'm new here as well, and quite familiar with the upper ends of both the Olentangy and Scioto rivers as I am from Marion. The Olentangy used to produce musky on a regular basis. As someone else mentioned, I don't think a musky has been caught out of there since the 80's. As for the scioto, I suppose there may be a few musky here and there in or below the resevoirs. I don't know how or why. Though, there is a native population of Northern Pike that reside in the rivers above O'Shaunessy. The best fishing for these fish is usually from ice-out to about the first of March. I don't know where they go after that, but they never get caught in the summer or fall that I am aware of. There is not a LOT of fish, but one can expect to get a 24 to 36 inch fish or two if you hit it at just the right time.

CG


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## dfoxfish (Apr 13, 2004)

did you mean 3 1/2 inches? or 3 1/2 feet? just curious.


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## Rod&Reel (Jun 4, 2005)

dfoxfish said:


> did you mean 3 1/2 inches? or 3 1/2 feet? just curious.


lol I just realized the typo in my post after reading yours. I meant 3 1/2' not inches. I wouldn't have even mentioned it if it was inches. I edited my post for future readers. Man thats funny. Inches. lol


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## bones (Dec 31, 2004)

there are musky in the olentangy i have taken two small musky under delaware dam in the spillway.maybe 8" max.


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

Back in 1968 I caught a 14 1/2 lb. Muskie out of Big Walnut creek just south of Morse Rd. Its been a few years ago that I heard there were Muskies above the roledam on CherryBottom Rd. The one I caught was full of eggs too.... I'm sure this one came from Hoover. There were stories that they were put in Hoover years ago....... I still have that fish on the wall... I was only 13 at the time I caught it.... I'm sure there is Muskies where you would never dream of catching one.

Oh an before someone says it.... WOW THAT WAS along time ago!!!  

see ya
GarryS


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## Alter (Apr 8, 2004)

I fished for creek ski's in central Ohio for about 3 years while I was at tOSU. I never caught one out of the Olentangy nor the main branch of the Scioto but I can say for sure that there are muskie in at least one branch of the Scioto. I caught a 32" fish from this creek in around '97 and hooked but lost a similar size fish the next year. I know there is at least one other Buckeye on this board that fishes that particular creek

While I've never caught one from the main stem of the Scioto I do know they are in there. I was introduced to fishing for river/creek muskie by a graduate student who studied the natural muskie populations in the Scioto and Muskingum River systems.

It's not easy catching them out of rivers or streams. I spent a *lot* of time casting for those 2 fish. I've had better luck fishing downstream of reservoirs that stock muskie but it's not quite the same as catching them where no one in the world would think they might be.

Steve


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

there are musky caught every year below deleware dam. i agree with the comment about more musky in the 80s. i have seen several musky in the upper tangy between 1983-88, none since.


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