# Salt Fork & Belmont Lake Reports



## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

Hit these two lakes earlier this week. I didn't spend a whole lot of time at each. But I'll give a quick report otherwise.

Belmont Lake (at Barkcamp State Park):
- The lake is 117-acres and electric motor only.
- Slot limit of between 12-15 inches. The state encourages fishermen to take the smaller ones out due to slow growth rates in this lake.
- Water temps were in the mid to upper 60s.
- Water clairity was stained.
- Fished it two mornings and one evening and caught lots of smaller sized bass. Most were caught on medium running crankbaits. I only caught three in the slot limit and none over 15-inches in all three outings.
- The three biggest bass hit a buzzbait & a JignRageChunk. But believe me they measured only 14-inches or so.
Note - I've heard stories of some bigger bass coming out of this lake. But my guess is that they're few and far between. Several local anglers don't even fish it.

Salt Fork Lake:
My trip to this lake got cut short because I got sick. But here's the report anyway.
- It's got a 15-inch minimum lenght limit.
- This lake is pretty muddy right now. 
- Water temps in the mid 60s. I don't know if the bass have spawned yet on this lake. I certainly didn't see anything except for carp muddying up the shoreline.
- I threw everything at them except for finesse presentations and only landed one small bass.

I talked to an older local fishermen who wasn't having any more luck than I was. And he was finesse fishing.

Note - I'm thinking that there are some big bass in this lake. I don't know what the average tournament weights are. But I'll bet there are some 4s and 5s or maybe even bigger ones weighed in occasionally. 

Good luck guys. I hope I didn't bore you...


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## PontoonPappy (Nov 28, 2008)

Hey, really good reports, not boring at all! 

About 15 years ago, my bride and I were fishing Belmont Lake from our canoe, and I hooked a large fish out in the middle of the lake, on a 1/4 oz jig and twister tail. The fish fought really hard and I had visions of a big largemouth, or maybe even a northern pike. (we had never fished there before, and didn't know what was in the lake). After about a 10 minute fight, up came a ten or twelve pound carp! No Fish Ohio award that day!

Thanks for taking time to post your reports, and hope you're feeling better now.

Pappylachia


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## OSU_Fisherman (Mar 1, 2007)

Thanks for the report.... too bad you didn't have any better luck. I'm heading out in the morning with my Dad so hopefully we will get on them.


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## OSU_Fisherman (Mar 1, 2007)

Fished Saturday morning from 8 til 11:30 and was able to boat a decent number of fish. We caught 6 species.... Largemouth bass, white crappie, Saugeye, Pumpkinseed, White Bass, and sunfish. The bite was pretty hot for us from 8:30 til 10 and virtually non-existent through 11:30am.

The water temps in the places I fished were between 70 and 73*... I was very surprised to see them so high compared to the other places I fish.


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## WoodenShips (Aug 5, 2004)

JIGNPIG GUIDE:
Salt Fork drives me nuts too! I can't seem to find them out there.
BARKCAMP is one of my favorites.Sometimes I will get shunked but more often I can find them. Think deep out there


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## kickinbass (May 25, 2009)

I was out there last week and caught 5, it was the first time I had ever fished it but I think I will be going somewhat regularly now. All my fish came in shallow water and the biggest was a hair under 15 inches(another was 12 or so and the rest small). I didn't have any luck with topwater and never really tried to deep. Any suggestions or strategies you guys would suggest to catch more my next time out?


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## Robert Woodson (Mar 24, 2005)

Hey J/PGuide...et al, 
Thanks, I've been looking for that Salt Fork info...will be there next week for three days...I generally have the same problems fishing Salt Fork...that's why I was asking...anymore, I usually get a few, but I am sure that lake holds a lot more...interestingly enough, last time down there we picked up a really nice smallmouth in the dam area. My experience has been that, if they are being picky, it sometimes pays to downsize your presentations there...if nothing else, it opens the door to other species and seems to increase the catch rate.
Good Fishing, 
Woody in Akron
Portage Lakes/Coventry


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## Robert Woodson (Mar 24, 2005)

Hey All, 
Just returned from Salt Fork ...caught a fair amount of them, mostly small fish...my biggest all came on my last day (Texas rigged and hugging Bottom) topped out at 19" 3 1/2 pounds...already had a 7" Ribbontail; with a 3/0 hook and about 7" of line in his mouth. 
Good fishing, 
Woody in Akron


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