# Musky / Pike



## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

I haven't been able to fish for musky or pike in decades. It doesn't help that there isn't much around Cincinnati where you can go and fish for them. I see where some people are catching pike north around the Dayton area, and I struck out a couple years ago fishing for musky at Caeser's Creek.

Can anyone tell me where there might be spots to check out fishing for these fighters around or close to the Cincinnati area? Or are my best bets still the GMR (around Dayton) and CC?

And also, when are the best times of year (and day) when to go fishing for them? Is it too late in the year to go after them or is it best to wait until spring?


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

I caught a pike last fall in the GMR north of Dayton, I lost another one that same day. I go up that way every once in a while hoping to hook into one. I&#8217;ve been up that way maybe twice this year with no luck as far as pike goes, I did ok with other species though. I doubt if go up that way any more this year but I&#8217;ll give you a holler if I do.
As far as muskies go, Caesar Creek, Alum Creek, maybe East Fork, maybe maybe Cowan and Brookville over in Indiana are the only places that I'm aware of where there&#8217;s any chance of seeing one.


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## 14shadow (Apr 1, 2006)

I caught my first muskie a couple of years back at Cave Run Lake in Kentucky. I think that is your best bet if you live in Cincinnati. As for pike, I don't know. I have caught a couple of them in the GMR.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Can't help with the muskie, but if you want pike locally spend time on GMR in spring and fall staying north of I-70. Find places where little creeks dump into the Great Miami River.


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

East Fork has muskie.


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

Campbell Lakes In Harrison, Hamilton County Parks


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I would say the ones in campbell are long gone. The lake they were stocked in now connects to the whitewater river and I think its been a while since they actually stocked any. My buddy caught one a few years back.


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## Mason52 (Aug 21, 2009)

Weatherby said:


> East Fork has muskie.



Got this off the web

Based on the fishery development rate in other program lakes, it is expected that East Fork will start regularly producing 30-36&#8221; muskies during the 2011 season and give up its first huskie during 2013.


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

I saw several over 30" this year there.


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## firedog978 (Aug 2, 2010)

For anyone in greater Cincinnati looking to hook up musky, the two best locations are (IMHO), Ceaser's Creek and Cave Run.

CC has been stocking the longest time of any lake local and is producing a good number of musky 40" - 50". It's less than an hour drive from downtown Cincinnati.

Cave Run has been well known for producing numbers and size for years. Often called the 'musky capitol' of the U.S. That, in response to the long standing fry production in the area for stocking all over the U.S. Cave Run is 2 1/2 hours from downtown Cincinnati.


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

Is there still time to fish for them this year or would it be best to wait for spring?


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

You can fish for them until it ices over. I would try eastfork or brookville though cc hasn't produced in quite a few weeks. The early season flooding might of sent cc into a little bit of a down turn for now.


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## chrsvic (Apr 20, 2005)

I'm not a musky fisherman myself, but think it would be interesting to catch a large one out of a kayak. Here's some info that was posted on Jim Morris' fishing report (Dayton outdoor writer):

Here is a musky report from Mr. Musky, Calvin Pyle: Musky fishing is best now til Christmas. Caesars will be drawn down to winter pool in about 3 weeks and fishing will be the best. Flatt Fork, just west of Wellman (boat ramp) is good, also the mouth of Jonahs run and treetops east of Wellman are good. Throw big in-line spinners ... 8-12 inches. Fish mid-morning, and look for pockets of big shad or carp. Thats where the muskies live. There is also a good place just north of the campground beach.

http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-dayton/area-fishing-report-4


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I am telling you avoid caesars right now. The guys in S.o.m.a. havent had any action there in almost 2 months. And those guys are out there almost every day. The flooding seems to have sent everything out of whack this year. Last year at this time those guys were drilling them.


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## cincinnati (May 24, 2004)

Brookville is now (since the Cowan program ceased) the longest musky stocking program locally. 

Cave Run is called the Musky Capital of the South & I believe that almost all hatchery production goes to KY's program lakes - Cave, Green River & Buckhorn.


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

Cave Run is too far for me to go right now (I don't trust van to make it). If I were to go to Brookville, where would be the best spot there to fish from the shore? For that matter, the same for East Fork. I don't have a boat, so where would be good shore spots?


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## Ol'Bassman (Sep 9, 2008)

If you are looking for muskies, try Lake St. Clair at the mouth of the Detroit river. That is about the closest place around you will stand a good chance of catching one. This is not a typical fall for musky fishing in SW Ohio. I don't think the rest of Ohio or Kentucky is doing much better. SOMA56 members didn't boat a musky the last two outing on CC. Two years ago, we had one outing where 11 muskies were boated. There is a lot of theories on what has happened from bad shad spawning conditions in the spring to muskies being washed down stream. Alum Creek Lake lost a lot of muskies down stream. The musky club retreived 165 musky from below the dam and put them back in the lake above the dam. Although CC has a different dam system, we still lost some muskies downstream but not in huge numbers like Alum. But who knows for sure? The best thing to happen on CC this year was in the spring when Mason caught the first 50" musky ever caught on the lake. All I know is the musky fishing really sucks around here right now!


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I guess on the plus side if there was a bunch get washed downstream the river musky fishing should be good come spring. I have never bank fished brookville but the rip rap by the dam and the cove at the boat ramp by the dam would be good places to start. I have seen two musky in that cove and idnr when they were netting walleye for there spawning netted a 50" by the dam.


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