# Lake Hope?



## optimalj (Jun 2, 2006)

Camping at park and bringing canoe...Anyone been there? I thought about checking below the spillway,too.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

optimalj said:


> Camping at park and bringing canoe...Anyone been there? I thought about checking below the spillway,too.


Try to contact noodle8177. I think he fished it a few times about a month ago.


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## optimalj (Jun 2, 2006)

Thank you, sir. Will also report how I did when I get back.


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## optimalj (Jun 2, 2006)

found two 9-10 inch bass, and two bluegills...2 tough days of fishing the lake. didn't make it below dam.


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## Guest (May 11, 2008)

I took my boat out on Lake Hope for the first time ever yesterday afternoon. I only caught two small bass. I did some exploring and wasn't very impressed with that lake at all.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

traphunter said:


> I took my boat out on Lake Hope for the first time ever yesterday afternoon. I only caught two small bass. I did some exploring and wasn't very impressed with that lake at all.



I've only fished it once myself. It was several years ago. And I just can't put my finger on it; but I wasn't impressed either. And, I haven't heard stories about any giants coming out of that place.


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## maggot (Apr 12, 2008)

I used to go to Lake Hope every year back in the 60's when I was a kid. My father and I belonged to South Cuyahoga Sportsman Club in Medina Oh. and they had a outing there every year put on by The League of Ohio Sportsman.
At that time the lake was a weird green color that I was told was due to sulpher and copper runoff from area strip mining. At that time there were no fish in the lake...I guess that the sulpher and copper depleted the lake of oxygen and made for poor Ph balance to support fish. Over the years the lake has cleaned up quite a bit but I don't think it will ever be good lake for fish....just my opinion!


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## optimalj (Jun 2, 2006)

That's true, but I'll tell ya, I was the only one out there one day and 1 of 3 the second. I saw loons, owls, pileated peckers...fishing-not so great, overall trip-nice. May go back for camping, but not specifically to fish.


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## AthensAssassin (Sep 5, 2005)

I personally love Lake Hope. I have always caught fish but never caught anything huge in this lake but have seen pictures of big ones coming out of there. A few years back I lost the biggest bass of my life way back in the lilly pads at the far end of the lake.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

I don't know what is up with Lake Hopeless either! I can speculate that it is still suffering from the effects of mining, but that is just a guess. I believe we did well on catfish at one of the roadside pulloffs....and a few bass during the day.


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## riggerson (Apr 14, 2004)

Don't overlook panfishing at Lake Hope if you're looking for a tasty meal while camping. There are slab bluegills - they tend to sit fairly deep straight out from weed beds, and 10"-14" crappie, often hanging very tight to downed trees.


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## dtigers1984 (Jul 24, 2007)

riggerson, I'm right there with you. When I was at Hocking College we caught a bunch of bluegills and crappie from Lake Hope. Our experience was that they were usually holding tight on downed trees. We usually started back by the lilly pads, working downed trees. Usually in a boat, but you can get to the same spots from shore. I never had any success out there with bass, though.


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