# Bass ponds in Meigs county-HELP!



## JOE B (Nov 3, 2009)

Hey all SE fishermen! My family bought a house down on the river in Syracuse. Other than the river and Forked Run, any other public places to catch some SE hawg? I've been google satellite searching for bodies of water, and it looks like the pickings are slim. There looks like there is a huge quarry on 338 past Letart. Is that a public body of water and has anybody ever fished there? Thanks for any help! 
Joe B


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

JOE B said:


> Hey all SE fishermen! My family bought a house down on the river in Syracuse. Other than the river and Forked Run, any other public places to catch some SE hawg? I've been google satellite searching for bodies of water, and it looks like the pickings are slim. There looks like there is a huge quarry on 338 past Letart. Is that a public body of water and has anybody ever fished there? Thanks for any help!
> Joe B


That close to Racine, I hope you'll be fishing the dam some. It can be a grab-bag, but you can catch a lot of fish there. Smallies, white bass, hybrids, sauger, cats, and other species can all be had there. Hybrids can be very big, I've seen a lot of them over 6-7lbs caught down there. Do you have a boat to fish from?

As for largemouth, Forked Run has them, but it is not easy catching that lake when it's not muddy in the spring, in my experience. It gets ugly pretty fast with rain. If you are willing to drive a little, Burr Oak, Dow Lake, and Lake Snowden more around Athens all have good bass fishing.


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## JOE B (Nov 3, 2009)

Thanks for the info, Lake Snowden looks very promising. We have fished quite a bit at the dam and have caught plenty of white bass. I had a huge striper hooked on a rattletrap last year right by the dam past the walkway on the rocks, and he got near the shore and ripped off . Watching those surf casters with their home made 2 oz spoons is cool! Our property in Syracuse doesnt hold a bunch of fish, we've caught smallies and saugers, cats of course, and a couple of nice whities and only 1 hybrid. But 10 houses down on a small bend, they catch 5-10lb stripers all the time. What a fickle deal that is. Never had any luck from shore at Forked Run, but have done really well under their spillway. Caught a 3lb spotted bass last year, and in the spring walked that creek all the way to the culvert near that church and caught over 100 small white bass. We live down the street from the Maplewood campground. Ever hear of nice bass in the lake up in the hills behind that place?


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## smash (Jul 13, 2009)

JOE B said:


> Thanks for the info, Lake Snowden looks very promising. We have fished quite a bit at the dam and have caught plenty of white bass. I had a huge striper hooked on a rattletrap last year right by the dam past the walkway on the rocks, and he got near the shore and ripped off . Watching those surf casters with their home made 2 oz spoons is cool! Our property in Syracuse doesnt hold a bunch of fish, we've caught smallies and saugers, cats of course, and a couple of nice whities and only 1 hybrid. But 10 houses down on a small bend, they catch 5-10lb stripers all the time. What a fickle deal that is. Never had any luck from shore at Forked Run, but have done really well under their spillway. Caught a 3lb spotted bass last year, and in the spring walked that creek all the way to the culvert near that church and caught over 100 small white bass. We live down the street from the Maplewood campground. Ever hear of nice bass in the lake up in the hills behind that place?


What are you using to catch the white bass?


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## JOE B (Nov 3, 2009)

in the river under the dam we use small rattletraps and jigs heads with small (1-2inch)grubs, chartruese or white, and in that spillway creek small inlines-rooster tails and mepps


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Snowden is not the easiest fishing in the world, but I like it. I just bought a fishing kayak a few weeks ago, and plan to use the heck out of it there. I fished bank only with my fly rod last year and caught a lot of bluegills, redears, crappies, and bass. The best thing about Snowden is that it never muddies up. No matter how much rain, it stays clean, which was why I fished there a lot last spring. I wanted to fish the Hocking for sauger and smallies in the spring and it was not fishable for about a 5 week period.


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## JOE B (Nov 3, 2009)

On google maps, looks like there are 2 distinct open areas for shore fishing, near parking lots. Did you fish both spots? A kayak would be killer for getting back in those fingers. Do you live in Athens? Ever fish Lake Hope?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

JOE B said:


> On google maps, looks like there are 2 distinct open areas for shore fishing, near parking lots. Did you fish both spots? A kayak would be killer for getting back in those fingers. Do you live in Athens? Ever fish Lake Hope?


Actually have never fished Lake Hope, it's on my list of places to go with the kayak. There is a decent amount of shore access at Snowden, I have fished about all of it. The problem with shore fishing there is that later in spring the weeds along the shore get really thick and extend way out in the lake. Especially with my fly rods I have trouble casting far enough from shore. From the kayak, I'll be able to go wherever I want and fish parallel to the weedlines, so it should work out well.

And yep, I'm from Athens.


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## saugeye2 (Feb 15, 2009)

i believe the quarry's are off limits, there is some back up water just south of the first quarry that holds some crappies.


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## saugeye2 (Feb 15, 2009)

forgot to add there is also shore access at shade river where it meets the ohio


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## Fish G3 (Jul 16, 2008)

I've fished Snowden just about all the way around it except for the back side. We've walked/waded all around that lake and in the spring when I bring the boat down to school its going to be one the first places we go. It holds some good fish. Hope is a good sleeper lake IMO. There is quite a bit of decent shoreline fishing also. Burr Oak and Dow aren't bad either. I love the fishing down here compared to SW OH.


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