# ODNR Fish Report 8/2/06



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report
August 2, 2006

Tip of the Week  Take your kids fishing at the Ohio State Fair. The Division of Wildlife has kiddie fishing, archery, and BB gun range to try your skills. The Natural Resources Park is located in the southeastern corner of the fairgrounds. For more information on fishing, check us out on the web at www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife. 

CENTRAL OHIO
Deer Creek Lake (Madison, Fayette, and Pickaway counties) - Use cut shad or night crawlers in the upper creek channel when fishing for channel catfish. Most fish will measure 12 to 18 inches. Channel cats and flathead catfish can also be caught in the tail water below the dam. Hot weather lends itself well to night fishing for catfish though they can be caught during the day as well. The rocky shorelines and drop-off points in the upper end of the lake are good places to fish for largemouth bass. Green pumpkin tube baits and shad pattern crank baits are excellent baits to try. Tick Ridge is a favorite area for anglers seeking white bass. 

Hoover Reservoir (Delaware and Franklin counties) - Night fishing for channel catfish will be popular this week to avoid the extreme heat of the day. Try the north end of the reservoir on flats using cut bait or shrimp. Also, try fishing at night along the causeway for white bass using a lantern to attract forage fish. Small jigs, spinners, and live baits should be suspended in the woody cover along the shoreline. Use a slip-bobber to check depths from three to 15 feet. Shady shorelines are your best chance for catching bluegill as well using small worms under a bobber. There is a 10 horsepower limit at this lake.

NORTHWEST OHIO
Metzger Reservoir (Allen County) - Channel catfish and bluegill are being caught using red worms fished under a slip bobber set five to 10 feet deep. Balloon fishing is another effective method of catching channel catfish at this reservoir. Best times have been during the afternoon hours.

Ferguson Reservoir (Allen County) - Crappie are being caught in the early morning hours. Anglers are using minnows under a slip bobber, set at a depth of 10 feet.

Huron River (Erie County) - Good catches of white bass are being reported at the Huron Pier. Anglers are casting spoons, jigs and spinners. 

Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County) - Walleye are being caught during the early morning hours around the island using night crawlers and leeches. Use caution in this area! Several navigational hazards have appeared since the water level in the reservoir was lowered. Channel catfish are being taken off the bottom of the west dike using night crawlers.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Pymatuning Lake (Ashtabula County) - The Pymatuning Lake Association, with the assistance of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, will hold the 15th Annual Pymatuning Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday August 5th to Sunday August 6th. This is an annual derby sponsored by the Lake Association and local businesses that is open to young anglers age 15 and under. Registration, awards ceremony, and fish measuring will take place at Espyville Marina & Boat Livery (10737 N Lake Rd, Linesville, PA 16424, Phone: (724) 927-2003). Registration times are 8:00 AM  4:00 PM on Saturday and 8:00 AM  12:00 PM on Sunday. Fishing Saturday night and early Sunday is permitted but kids MUST be in line at 1:00 PM on Sunday for their catch to be measured. The contest is open to all public waters of Pymatuning Reservoir (Ohio and Pennsylvania sides). Young anglers are divided into age groups (2  5, 6  10, and 11  15) and prizes will be awarded for the top catches of bass, bluegill, carp, catfish, crappie, perch, walleye, and total number of fish caught. Lunch will be provided to the registered anglers on Sunday, and the awards ceremony will begin roughly at 2:00 PM. Any additional questions can be directed to Matt Wolfe (Ohio Division of Wildlife- 330-644-2293) or Jeff Daniels (Pymatuning Lake Association- 724-927-6666).

Berlin Reservoir (Portage, Stark, and Mahoning counties) - Bluegills (five to seven inches) are hitting on wax worms or maggots along the shorelines in three to six feet of water or along the shallow humps between the Army Corps ramp and the railroad tracks. Anglers are catching nice channel catfish along the bridges and shoreline at night with night crawlers and chicken livers. Walleyes are slow right now, but a few are being caught by anglers trolling with crankbaits and crawler harnesses in 16 to 20 feet of water. Anglers are also picking up crappie, channel catfish, and perch with this method. Unlimited horsepower. 

SOUTHWEST OHIO
Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize and Mercer counties)  Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using cut shad, chicken liver, shrimp or night crawlers as bait. Fish the bait off of the bottom or tightline along the bottom in deeper water or under a bobber in shallow water that is about two and a half feet deep. Keep the bait along the sides of underwater structure such as stumps. Use a #2/0 and up 4/0 baitholding hook, circle hook, or bass fishing off-set shank worm hook to keep the bait in place. Bluegills are being a caught by anglers using wax worms as bait. Keep the bait under a bobber and near the bottom. Fish the bait along the shore, near any type of structure including the rocky areas and seawalls, and into the channels. Crappies are being caught below spillway. Cast a small minnow and let it drift down into the area along the rocks.

Cowan Lake (Clinton County)  Anglers are fishing for crappies eight to 10 feet deep. Use a minnow or jig as bait. Bluegills are being caught by anglers using wax worms as bait. From the shoreline, fish the bait off of the bottom in two to three feet of water and around structure. Keep changing the depth until the bluegills begin to bite. Use a #6 long shanked hook. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Hanging Rock Ponds (Lawrence County)  Water temperature is in the low 80s and fishing pressure remains fair. Bluegill in the nine-inch range have been caught using redworms and wax worms fished near underwater structure at an eight foot depth. Largemouth bass up to 18 inches have been reeled in on red shad, plastic worms, and buzzbaits fished in the early morning and late evening. For catfish, cut bait or chicken livers fished tight line. 

Clouse Lake (Perry County)  Late night fishing for largemouth bass has been the most effective technique at this lake. Anglers are using top-water baits such as weedless frog imitations and un-weighted rubber worms skipped across floating mats of vegetation. Bluegill and other sunfish are being taken along the dam using small worms fished below a bobber.

LAKE ERIE 
**The walleye daily bag limit is six fish. A 15-inch minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is five. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14 inches. The steelhead trout bag limit is five. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Western Basin

Walleye fishing continues to be excellent with many limits being caught. The best fishing has been from Crane Creek to Michigan in 20 feet of water, southwest of Kelleys Island around American Eagle Shoal, and from Cedar Point east to Huron in 34 to 36 feet of water. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers. The best spoon colors have been patterns that include gold and purple or red.

The best yellow perch fishing in the western basin has been around the Toledo water intake and northeast of Ballast Island. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Central Basin 

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been good. Fish have been caught on Ruggles Reef, northwest of the Huron pier lighthouse in 34 to 36 feet of water, six miles north of Edgewater State Park (Cleveland Crib) in 50 to 56 feet of water, three to four miles north of Bratenahl in 51 feet of water, 12 miles north of Geneva in 72 to 74 feet of water, and 10 to 11 miles north of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or wonderbread, bloody nose, watermelon, killer bee and copper/back spoons trolled with dipsy divers or trolled with jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 30 to 50 feet.

The best yellow perch fishing in the central basin has been one to two miles north of Lakewood in 42 to 46 feet of water, four miles north of Edgewater State Park around the Cleveland Crib in 44 feet of water, and four to five miles north of Ashtabula in 62 feet of water. Fish have ranged from seven to 11 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. 

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits. 

White bass fishing has been very good one-half mile north of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are also reporting good catching of white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers, using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails and small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 75 to 78 degrees.

To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie visit: http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/great_lakes/le/lez160.txt 

OHIO RIVER

Lawrence County  Water temperatures are running around 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Channel catfish are being caught using night crawlers, shad, and minnows. Freshwater drum have also been hitting. Night angling has been the most popular time period for catfish anglers due to the high daytime temperatures.

Scioto County - Channel catfish and flathead are being caught below the Greenup Locks and Dam tail-waters using shad and skipjack herring fished tight on the bottom. Fishing during the night seems to be the best time to fish for channel catfish and flathead catfish. The confluence of the Scioto River and the Ohio River has been producing catches of flathead catfish, hybrid striped bass and white bass as well. Flathead catfish are generally caught using live bait such as shad and skipjack herring. Water temperatures are in the mid-80 degree range.

Gallia County  Fish for catfish in deep, slow pools using cut bait or chicken livers. Hybrid striped bass have been caught at the K.H. Butler Ramp in the early mornings using any minnow-type diving lures or live baits fished along the bottom.


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## Rick oliver

Does anyone have any idea how to set these fishing rigs up. Been looking for information on them. I seen them used on the resiviors in lima. I think they have a huge beach ball attached to the main line with three wiffle ball bats attached to the main line with different drops on them. Just would like to find what I need to do this I bought a pole at a yard sale last year. Any help would be appreciated


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