# ODNR Fishing Report 4/28/04



## Big Daddy

*ODNR Fishing Report 4/28/04*
Wildlife News 
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report 

April 28, 2004 

Tip of the Week - Add some swivel to it! Twisted line can make a day fishing not so much fun. Avoid this aggravation by adding a swivel about a foot or two up the fishing line from your terminal tackle. For more information on fishing, check us out on the web at www.ohiodnr.com. Enjoy. 

CENTRAL OHIO
Buckeye Lake (Fairfield, Licking & Perry Counties) - Use a jig and minnow combination in the area near the dam and around any drop-off points for saugeyes. Fingerlings saugeyes (1 ½ inches) are stocked annually including 330,000 stocked last May. Adult saugeye from previous stockings can be caught on 4 to 6-inch minnow imitations while casting or trolling. This is a good early largemouth bass fishing lake due to rapid spring water warm-up. Use crankbaits and tube lures in and around Clouse Cove and Cranberry Marsh for the better bass fishing opportunities. Fish along the lake bottom on the windward side of the lake with cut baits and prepared baits to take channel catfish. The outlook for hybrid striped bass this year is excellent. Almost 330,000 hybrids were stocked in the lake on 2003. All areas of the lake should provide great hybrid striped bass opportunities. Carp and crappies also provide good spring fishing action.

Rush Creek Lake (Fairfield & Perry Counties) - This 273-acre lake is located two miles east of Rushville on U.S. Route 22 east of Lancaster. Use larval baits and small worms fished beneath a bobber in shallow water to catch bluegills. Traditional baits such as night crawlers or chicken livers fished on the bottom are successful for channel catfish. Over 13,000 yearling channel catfish were stocked in fall 2002 and an additional 2,700 were added in 2003. Fish for crappies with minnows near submerged structure. Crappies are holding in deeper wood cover along breaks in 10 to 15 feet of water. Most largemouth bass measure 8 to 15 inches and are protected by a 15-inch minimum length limit. 10 horsepower limit.



NORTHWEST OHIO
Charles Mill (Richland County) - Channel catfish are being taken in good numbers on night crawlers off of the S.R. 430 bridge.

Pleasant Hill (Richland County) - Excellent catches of saugeye are being taken. These fish are in the 14 to16-inch range. Colored jig heads with a 4-inch piece of night crawler on the hook are working the best. 

Clear Fork (Richland County) - Excellent catches of crappie are being caught in the 8 to10-inch range. Minnows or wax worms under a bobber are working great to catch these fish. The best spots are off of bridges and particularly of the bridge on Bowers Road.

Maumee River (Wood and Lucas Counties) - The water temperature is 58 degrees and the water level is low. Anglers are still taking some limits of walleye. Floating jig heads with bright colored twister tails are working the best. The best areas are Side Cut Metro Park, Buttonwood, and near the I-475 bridge. White bass are also being caught. Anglers should be reminded that special regulations (bag limit of 3) are still in effect through April 30 for walleye

Sandusky River (Sandusky County) -- The water temperature is 64 degrees. Good numbers of white bass are being taken on minnows under a bobber in the sand docks area. Large numbers of white perch are being taken using worms. Some large catfish are also being taken. Anglers should be reminded that special regulations (bag limit of 3) are still in effect through April 30 for walleye.


NORTHEAST OHIO
Grand, Conneaut, and Chagrin Rivers (Lake and Cuyahoga counties) -- Steelhead fishing is slowing down since the trout are making their way back to Lake Erie for the summer. These fish like to spend the hot summer months in the coolest part of Lake Erie and then return to the streams in September through April. For spring 2004, the Castalia State Fish Hatchery will be providing 90,000 trout for the Rocky, Chagrin, and Grand Rivers while Conneaut is scheduled to receive 75,000 from Ohio and 75,000 from the PA Fish and Boat Commission. These fish will be about 6 to 9 inches long at the time of release, but after only year, the fish may triple its size.

Silver Creek Lake (Summit County) -- This 95-acre lake is located southwest of Akron within the metropark system. On April 22nd, it was stocked with approximately 3,700 rainbow trout, each about 10 to 13 inches in length. Corn or various colors of crank bait has the anglers reeling them in. (The catch limit is five trout per angler.) Largemouth bass (ranging from 8 to 15 inches) can be caught on minnows (please note the 15-inch length limit) and due to the alternate-year stockings, the catfish population outlook is excellent. In 2002, 2,377 cats were released into Silver Creek Lake, averaging 9+ inches. Try shrimp, chicken or beef liver, or worms, but remember that catfish have small eyes compared to many other fish, so think big, colorful, and smelly. Keep your bait geared to the size of fish that you'd like to catch. Electric motors only and wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities available.



SOUTHWEST OHIO
Rush Run Lake (Preble County) - Trout are being caught using Berkley PowerBait, live minnows, small spinners, or wax worms as bait. Best color choices for artificial lures are green, white, orange, and chartreuse. Using a slip bobber, keep wax worms about 10 feet deep and use a #12 or #14 hook. Fish for trout along the bank areas by using rooster tail spinners colored white, yellow, orange, or chartreuse. Fish is good along the piers and shorelines.

Adams Lake (Adams County) - This lake is located off of State Route 41. Bluegills, largemouth bass, and channel catfish are being caught using chicken livers, earthworms, or wax worms as bait. Fish the bait under a bobber and on a #4 or 5 long shanked hook at about three to 4 feet deep. Fishing is good from a boat, pier, or shoreline.

Grand Lake St. Marys (Mercer and Auglaize counties) - Channel catfish are being caught using a long shanked hook baited with a crawdad, leech, shad, or an earthworm. Fish in areas near the shoreline. Using a slip bobber keep the bait about one to two feet off of the bottom or fish tight-line along the bottom. Let the bait drift with the current or use a slip bobber. Use a #8, 1/0, or 2/0 longshanked hook. Bluegills are being caught using a #10 sized hook baited with redworms or waxworms or jigs with chartreuse plastic bodies. Fishing is good on the south side of the lake. Cast into channels, along the pier, and from the shoreline into areas with rocks or brush. Keep the bait about one to two feet deep. Crappies are being caught using jigs with plastic bodies, curly tails, live minnows, or wax worms as bait. Good color choices for artificial lures are white, red, pink and chartreuse. Use a #8 fine wire hook when fishing with live bait. Fishing is good on the south side of the lake. Cast into channels, along the pier, undercut banks, and from the shoreline into areas with rocks or brush. Keep the bait about one to two feet deep. 



SOUTHEAST OHIO

Piedmont Lake (Belmont County) - Water temperature is around 61 degrees and water conditions are slightly high and clear. Anglers are catching crappies at the south end of the lake around brush piles. Use slip bobbers and fish at 6-foot depths with jigs tipped with minnows. A few saugeyes can be caught by vertical jigging.

Monroe Lake (Monroe County) - Water level is normal and conditions range from clear to cloudy. Water temperature is 63 degrees. A few bass 8 to 10 inches in length are being caught on night crawlers. Bluegills are hitting night crawlers, while catfish are hitting mostly Power Bait. Both PowerBait and chartreuse rooster tails are good baits for trout, although trout activity at this lake has slowed. Nice crappies are being caught on minnows. Fish are being caught both from the shoreline and from boats throughout the lake.

Hanging Rock Ponds (Lawrence County) - Water conditions are clear and temperature is 66 degrees. Bluegills 8 to 81/2 inches in length are being caught on red worms and worms fished in 4 to 6 feet of water. Largemouth bass are hitting live night crawlers, plastic worms, lizards, and white spinner baits.



LAKE ERIE 
Walleye - Anglers are fishing for walleye on the reef complex north of Camp Perry, the Bass Islands area, the Maumee Bay area, and between N. Bass Island and Kelleys Island south of the Ontario/Ohio border. Surface temperatures range from the mid 40's to 50 degrees. Over the past weekend (4/24) walleye were caught by jigging the reefs, Maumee Bay and the Turtle Creek area, and larger females were caught trolling near the reefs and NW of Kelleys Island. Popular spring techniques include jigging shallow reef areas with shiner-tipped jigs or trolling crankbaits in open water surrounding the reefs. When fishing the reef complex be aware that ODNR sampling will be taking place throughout the spring. Nets are clearly marked with yellow flags and floats. Please stay clear of areas with nets.

Yellow Perch - Yellow perch fishing has been good between the Marblehead ferry docks and the lighthouse, between Marblehead and the SE corner of Kelleys Island, off of the Vermilion River mouth, and within one mile of Lorain. Fish just off the bottom using perch spreaders tipped with shiners.

To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie visit: http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/...ZUS61.KCLE.html



OHIO RIVER
Water conditions along the Ohio River continue to be high and muddy. Very little activity along the river has been noted as a result of these conditions. As waters recede, catfish activity will be triggered and fishing will be optimal.
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