# ODNR Fish Report 10/4/06



## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Wildlife News 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report
October 4, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO

Griggs Reservoir (Franklin County)  Largemouth bass fishing has been improving as water temperatures decline. Fish can be found on downed trees along the shoreline or on structural breaks that occur off the bank. Green pumpkin tube baits and jig-and-pigs are a good bet, as well as small crankbaits and spinner baits. Smallmouth bass fishing is often good in the upper end of the lake using tube baits. Bluegills and green sunfish can be caught along the shoreline in water three feet or less. Some crappies can be taken along brush and docks at this time of year, using live minnows beneath a bobber or by vertically jigging small jigs. Saugeye can be caught on a variety of artificial baits and minnows. 

OShaughnessy Reservoir (Franklin and Delaware counties)  Largemouth bass fishing is expected to be good along the weedy shoreline and numerous brush piles and downed trees. The presence of gizzard shad in the area will improve success, as bass are attracted to this baitfish. Use tube baits, creature baits, small crankbaits and spinner baits. Smallmouth bass may also be taken in the upper end of the reservoir at this time of year. Saugeye can be caught on a variety of artificial baits and minnows, most often on the structural breaks that occur in the reservoir. Bluegill and green sunfish can be taken along the shallow shoreline using wax worms and pieces of night crawler. Channel catfish can be taken on the shallow mud flats above the power line using chicken livers, minnows and night crawlers. 

NORTHWEST OHIO

Van Wert Reservoir (Van Wert County)  Anglers are catching smallmouth bass by casting top water crank baits along the west dike. Bluegill are being taken in the morning hours, using wax worms and night crawlers fished under a bobber.

Paulding Reservoir (Paulding County)  Channel catfish are biting on night crawlers during the evening hours in six to eight feet of water.

Pleasant Hill Reservoir (Richland County)  Saugeye are being taken by casting curly-tailed jigs or jigs tipped with night crawlers.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Mohican River (Ashland County)  This is an excellent location and time of year for fly fishing in the beautiful Mohican River. Brown trout ranging from 12 to 19 inches in length are hitting on a variety of flies within the slow pools. Excellent fishing can be found from Pleasant Hill reservoir downstream past the bridge for about a mile. Anglers may catch a few smallmouth bass as well. 

Mosquito Reservoir (Trumbull County) -- Anglers fishing at night are catching crappies off of the State Route 88 causeway. Fish eight to 12 inches in size are hitting on minnows suspended five to seven feet under a bobber. In late August, fish concentration devices were placed in the west side of the lake below the causeway to improve fish habitat and allow anglers to focus on areas where the fish are most abundant. Shore anglers and boat anglers should target this area for these tasty pan fish. Follow State Route 88 to State Route 46 (Mecca). Unlimited horsepower is permitted at this 6,550-acre lake.

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Cowan Lake (Clinton County) - Anglers are fishing for crappies using a minnow. Fish the bait from shore and about 18 inches deep. 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. White bass are being caught by anglers using white Rooster tails as bait. Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using chicken liver or cut bait as bait. Fish the bait on a #2/0 sized hook and along the bottom. Muskies are being caught by anglers fishing from the shoreline using lures with orange colored bellies. 

Acton Lake (Preble County) - Bluegills are being caught by anglers using wax worms or night crawlers as bait. Bluegill fishing is bountiful in water that is eight to 10 feet deep. Crappies are biting on minnows or PowerBait's Crappie Nibbles fished about eight to 10 feet deep. 

East Fork (Clermont County) - Crappies are being caught by anglers using wax worms, tube, jigs, or medium to large sized minnows tipped on white or chartreuse colored jigs. Fish the bait three to six feet deep, 10 to 14, or 18 to 22 feet deep. Also look for good crappie fishing on the points and back into the cove areas. Bluegills are hitting on wax worms or redworms on a #8. Keep the bait under a bobber and about two to three feet deep. Cast anywhere around the docks, standing wood, or downed trees.

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Blue Rock State Park (Muskingum County)  This Wednesday, October 11, Blue Rock State Park will be the first in line to receive any of the 2006 fall catchable rainbow trout. The Division of Wildlife will be stocking approximately 25,000 rainbow trout into 25 of Ohios waterways this fall. Try using orange, chartreuse, or rainbow colored PowerBait fished near the bottom. For more information including directions to waterways that will be receiving trout this year, visit http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/trout/falltrout.htm or call 1800-WILDLIFE.

Tuscarawas and Muskingum Rivers (Coshocton County)  While river levels are still a little high in most areas, saugeye ranging 20 to 21 inches are being caught. Most saugeye are hitting live bait. Use jigs and twister tails tipped with minnows or try crank baits of shad-raps in silver or black. Fish the pools below the riffles.

Muskingum River (Morgan County)  Carp and catfish are most active right now as water levels begin to return to normal. For carp, try casting dough balls or corn. Catfish prefer night crawlers, chicken liver, or cut bait fished on the bottom in the current. Use a heavy sinker to hold the bait on bottom. Saugeye fishing should be picking up. Use a variety of jigs and fish below the McConnelsville Dam.

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 two. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**

Western Basin

Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers have switched to perch fishing. Some success has been reported on Kelleys Island Shoal. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers, and crankbaits.

Yellow perch fishing has been fair in the Western Basin. Over the past week the best areas have been D can of the Camp Perry range, northwest of Green Island, from Lakeside to Kelleys Island, northeast of Ballast Island, and northeast of the Marblehead lighthouse. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Yellow perch are averaging 8 inches long.

Smallmouth bass should start moving shallower as water temperatures drop heading into fall. Fish rocky drop-offs and reefs around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island along with nearshore areas from Catawba Island to Sandusky Bay to find active fish. Tube jigs and drop shot rigs with goby imitations are the most popular set-ups for smallmouth. 

Central Basin 

Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken in open water W of the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, and around the 30 north line between Cranberry Creek and Vermilion. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits. Best spoon colors have been patterns with red or purple. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 25 to 40 feet.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from one to three miles north of Huron to Lorain, three miles northeast of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 43 feet of water, two to three miles north of Euclid in 42 feet of water, two to three miles north-northwest of Fairport in 40 to 45 feet of water, and two to three miles north of Ashtabula 45 to 50 feet of water. Fish have ranged from seven to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. 

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good 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. 

Steelhead fishing has been good in the Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River, Geneva State Park, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Arcola Creek, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west break wall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. 

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 60 to 64 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

Scioto County  Anglers who fish the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio rivers have been catching channel catfish, striped bass, white bass and hybrid striped bass. For white, striped and hybrid striped bass, successful lures have been a crappie-type set up using jigs with one and a half to two inch twister tails, tipped with a minnow. White or clear with speckled twisters have been the most successful. For catfish try cut baits or night crawlers fished tight line off the bottom. At the Greenup Dam, anglers have been reeling in hybrid stripers ranging from two to ten pounds using jigs with crappie size twister tails that are clear with sparkles. Temperature along the southern tip of Ohio is 72 degrees and slowly falling with river conditions that are slightly cloudy.


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