# ODNR Report 7/27/05



## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Here you go. Catch a bunch.
Wildlife News 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

July 27, 2005

CENTRAL OHIO

Hoover Reservoir (Delaware County) - Hot surface water is now moving fish deeper towards the cool water near the thermocline. Watch your depth finder to see how deep the fish are holding. Try casting and trolling deep diving four to six inch shad imitating crankbaits at this level. The best activity is usually at sunrise and sunset. This is a great time to try tubes and plastic worms deep for largemouth and smallmouth bass. 710,000 saugeye fingerlings (one and one-half inches long) were stocked last year. 10 horsepower limit.

Rush Creek Lake (Fairfield and Perry counties)  July is an excellent month for channel catfish. Over 1,300 yearling channels were stocked in 2004. Fish around downed treetops with night crawlers, cut shad, or prepared baits. Fish these same areas with tube baits or plastic worms for largemouth bass. Crappie will be holding just above the thermocline in the deeper woody cover. Redworms and larval baits can be used to take bluegills that measure up to eight inches. Try fishing for carp around any existing weed beds with doughballs. 10 horsepower limit.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Auglaize River (Paulding County)  The water temperature is 83 degrees. Sheephead are being caught during the day time on night crawlers. Oakwood Park and the Five-Span Bridge are the best spots. Channel catfish are also being taken in the river during the day time. Night crawlers are working the best. The Fort Brown area seems to be the best spot.

Metzger Reservoir (Allen County)  Bluegill in the six to eight inch range are being caught on wax worms under a slip bobber. The best catches are on the north side of the boat ramp.

Paulding Reservoir (Paulding County)  The water temperature is 82 degrees. Bluegill are being taken during the daylight hours on wax worms fished under a slip bobber. Saugeye are also being caught during early morning or late afternoon. Leaches fished under a slip bobber will work for these as well.

Bellevue #5 (Huron County)  Crappie are being taken in the late afternoon. Minnows fished five to six feet under a bobber are the best bet. White or chartreuse jigs are working well to by casting and balloon fishing. The east side is where they have been hitting the best.

NORTHEAST OHIO

New Lyme (Ashtabula County) - Channel catfish are going after night crawlers with bobbers set about one to two feet off the bottom of this 40-acre lake. During even-numbered years, stockings of yearling channel catfish occur, sending 1,000 to 3,000 small catfish into these waters. The outlook is excellent for some late night or early morning catfishing, but if bluegills float your boat, reel some in from the Dodgeville boat ramp or from the channel between the island and shore. Wax worms seem to be the best bait at this time. This lake is located one mile east of New Lyme off of State Route 46, electric motors only.

Beach City Reservoir and Tail water (Tuscarawas County) - Catfish is the name of the game at this 196 acre impoundment and its associated tail waters. Six to 10 inch Bullhead catfish are hammering night crawlers and cut bait in the tail waters close to the rip rap shoreline. Survey results show that bullheads in the reservoir can reach 14 inches and the population as a whole is excellent. Bluegills, six to nine inches, are being taken by boat anglers using worms, curly tailed grubs, and jigs.

SOUTHWEST OHIO

C. J. Brown Reservoir (Clark County) - Walleye are being caught by anglers using crankbaits, jigs with plastic bodies or curly tails, small spinners, or live minnows, leaches, or nightcrawlers on a #6 long shanked hook as bait. Good curly tail color choices are white, orange, pink, or chartreuse. Fish by slowly jigging, trolling or drifting baits in 10 to 15 foot depths. Anglers report that the most successful method has been jigging. Anglers report walleyes are being caught in the main lake river channel, around structure, and over humps. Fish in the early morning and early evening hours. Most walleye are undersized fish but some legal fish are being caught. REMEMBER all walleye less than 15 inches long must be immediately released back into the lake. Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using shad, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken livers in the upper end of the lake. Fish the bait tight line or slowly drift the bait along the bottom in three to six foot depths.
East Fork Lake (Clermont County) - Located east off of 275 to 32 east to Half Acre Road exit. Hybrid striped bass are being caught by anglers trolling or jigging shad colored crankbaits or spoons in five to seven foot depths. Also, try slowly trolling with live gizzard shad. Shore anglers have been successful using night crawlers and chicken livers. Best area to fish is around the main state park public swimming beach. Anglers are catching good numbers of sublegal fish with some fish caught up to 19 to 22 inches in length. REMEMBER all hybrids less than 15 inches long must be immediately released back into the lake. Also, anglers can only keep a daily limit of four hybrids. Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using crawdads, live minnows, or earthworms as bait. Cast into the areas under undercut banks or near submerged trees and brush. Keep the bait off of the bottom and about five to eight feet deep. Use a #1-3 sized baitholding hook.

Caesar Creek Lake (Clinton, Greene, and Warren counties) - From Interstate 75 take State Route 73 east about 17 miles, or from Interstate 71 take State Route 73 west about seven miles, or from State Route 42 take State Route 73 east about five miles. Saugeye anglers are catching a few 15 to18 inch fish from six to 15 feet depths, but most fish are small. Troll medium or deep diving crankbaits along submerged points or underwater humps. Cast or drift with live night crawlers on a bottom bouncing harness rig, or use a lead head jig tipped with a piece of worm. Fish in the early morning and early evening hours. Bluegill and other sunfish are being caught by anglers using curly tails, jigs with plastic bodies, live minnows, earthworms, or waxworms as bait. When using an artificial lure, good color choices are white or chartreuse. Fish from the shoreline and keep the bait under a bobber between two to 10 feet deep. Cast into areas with wood debris and submerged trees or brush. Also look for good fishing opportunities in areas with rocky bottoms. Use a #8 fine wire hook for live baits. There is also a Kids Fishing Pond just north of the beach. Channel catfish are being caught by shore anglers using nightcrawlers, shrimp, and chicken livers in Caesar Creek above the lake. Fish the bait tight line along the bottom in five to eight foot depths. Access the creek from the bridge on Roxanna New Burlington Road which is two miles west of State Route 380. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Muskingum River (Washington and Morgan counties)  Catfish anglers are still active and are successful with some quality catches of fish during water rises after rainfall events. Anglers continue to catch flathead catfish using live suckers, goldfish, and sunfish. Channel catfish anglers have been most successful using night crawlers, chicken livers, and cut bait. The Muskingum River has individual flathead catfish up to 50 pounds as indicated from past netting surveys. Known catches this week were primarily in the under 30 pound value. The most productive sites continue to be at any of the low-head dams and at the mouth of larger tributary streams. Water conditions are low and clear with a temperature of 85 degrees, but are subject to location and watershed events due to variable thunderstorms.

Salt Fork Lake (Guernsey County) -Water temperature is 84 degrees with clear conditions at below normal pool elevation. The only functional, user-friendly motorboat access sites would be at the campground launch ramp and the old marina, with recommendations to use the far end ramp within the old marina area. Largemouth bass up to six and one-half pounds were reported this week, but most catches are less than 15 inches. The preferred lure color is white and would include a jig ' n pig and spinner baits where known above and underwater structure occurs. Catfish anglers have caught fish in the half-pound to eight pound range. The norm is fishing from shore by tight line using chicken liver or night crawlers. The most success areas have been in the shallow upper region of the lake and at creek channels. White bass have been an added attraction for anglers with individual fish being up to 15 inches. White and chartreuse jigs were the most commonly used lures. Catches of sunfish have been reported, although quality is only fair. A 44-inch muskellunge was caught using Monster Shad crank bait while trolling in the dam and cabin areas.

Burr Oak (Morgan County)  Water temperature is 85 degrees with clear conditions and normal water elevation. Largemouth bass continue to be caught on black plastic worms, motor oil-colored tube lures, pearl to white crank baits, and most recently with various black-colored top water baits. A productive site for largemouth would be the shoreline east of the Twin Bays area and any areas where visible structure can concentrate prey and predator fish. Individual fish up to 20 inches have been reported this week. Channel catfish are being caught using the tight line method with on night crawlers fished at the bay across from the dam towers, off the point on the west shoreline south of Twin Bays area, and at creek channels. Channel catfish from 16 to 24 inches have been recorded. 

LAKE ERIE 

Western Basin

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been slow. Expect fishing to improve as the large 2003 year class begins to surpass the 15 inch minimum size limit. The best walleye fishing has been west of West Sister Island, around the Toledo water intake, south of F can on the Canadian border, and along the northern border of the Camp Perry firing range from A can to C can. Drifting or trolling worm harnesses and trolling spoons produce the most fish.

Yellow Perch
Perch fishing has remained slow, but occasional decent catches have come from northwest of Kelleys Island and south of F can on the Canadian border. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up.

Smallmouth Bass
The best smallmouth bass fishing has been around the Bass Islands, Kelleys Island and Sandusky Bay. Largemouth bass have been caught in Sandusky Bay, East Harbor and West Harbor.

Central Basin

Walleye
Walleye fishing has been good in eastern Ohios waters of the central basin. The best fishing has been around Ruggles Reef west of Vermilion, on the sandbar northwest of Lorain, 10 to 15 miles north of Geneva in 70 to 72 feet of water, and 10 to 15 miles north of Ashtabula in 70 to 72 feet of water. Trolling 30 to 50 feet down with spoons or crawler harnesses using planer boards, dipsy divers or jet divers, have produced the best catches. The best spoon colors have been confusion, watermelon and black/silver. Fish have ranged from 15 to 28 inches.

Yellow Perch
Yellow perch fishing has been best one mile north of Eastlake in 25 to 30 feet of water, two to four miles north to northeast of Fairport Harbor in 35 to 45 feet of water, and two to six miles north to northeast of Conneaut in 40 to 65 feet of water. A perch spreader tipped with shiners is the most popular set-up. Fish have ranged from seven to 11 inches.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good around breakwalls and rocky drop-offs from Lorain to Avon point. Tube jigs and drop-shot rigs with goby imitations have been the most productive lures.

Steelhead
Steelhead have been caught by walleye anglers in the same areas mentioned in the walleye report. Fish have ranged from 22 to 30 inches.

White Bass

The best white bass fishing has been from shore at the Eastlake CEI wall and in Cleveland on the East 72nd and East 55th Street piers. Anglers are using agitators with small spinners and twister tails. Fish have ranged from eight to 14 inches.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are between 76 and 82 degrees.

To view the predicted weather forecast for Lake Erie visit: http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS61.KCLE.html

OHIO RIVER
Meigs and Scioto counties - Water temperature is 85 degrees and conditions are clear and low. Channel catfish success is quite variable, but results are primarily at dusk, through the night and in the early morning hours before daybreak. Most channel cats are being caught on the bottom using tight-lining techniques with cut bait, night crawlers, and chicken livers. Flathead catfish up to 34 pounds were reported from anglers fishing from midnight to dawn using goldfish as bait


----------

