# Ravenna Area fishing



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

hello, im new here and i was wondering if anyt one knows some spots not too far from ravenna for some fishing.... im not really that good at fishing as far as presenting lures but i still like to try. basically when i fish it calms be down.

i heard the cuyahoga has some pike which i didnt know... hows the hiram/mantua/streetsboro areas for that? anything else in there?


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

oh yeah and my family also has a cabin on leesville lake that i frequent on the weekends.. again no serious fishing from me but i try... our cabin is with the palermo dock club like right around the bend from the petersburg marina( we can see just a little bit of it from the docks) so if anyone wants to help a 22yr old rookie who has been trying to stray away from worms and bobbers learn how to fish... id greatly appreciate it


----------



## heyjay (Mar 22, 2005)

TheSonicMarauder said:


> hello, im new here and i was wondering if anyt one knows some spots not too far from ravenna for some fishing.... im not really that good at fishing as far as presenting lures but i still like to try. basically when i fish it calms be down.
> 
> i heard the cuyahoga has some pike which i didnt know... hows the hiram/mantua/streetsboro areas for that? anything else in there?


Fishing calms me as well . It's not always about the fish , it's about the whole experience . We've all had to be beginners at some point , so don't let that discourage you .

For the first couple weeks of April , Lake Hodgson will be the hot spot for the stocked trout .

I fish a couple spots on the cuyahoga with moderate success for both pike and smallmouths . One is on Infirmary Road , take it North past the Jail . When you get to the stop sign that's 303 . Cross it and another couple of miles you'll cross the cuyahoga . Park right by the bridge .

The other is just downstream from there off of the Coit road bridge . It's across from the Bill's and Sons car dealership .


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

^^^^ thats not too far at all... i live about 3 minutes from infirmary road. if that.


----------



## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Near Ravenna? Hodgson... I think they open the beginning of April. Another lake is West Branch. You can camp there at the State Park, good bass, crappie, musky, pike, walleye... Tough lake to figure out, but it is relaxing there, bald eagles, osprey, lots of wildlife to see too.. Mogadore is pretty close to you too, lots of access, boat rentals, great bass and pan-fishing...

That should get you something to work on over the next few months! Good luck and welcome to the site!


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

thanx BD.

ive lived in ravenna my entire life and i have yet to go fishin on hodgson lol
i have been fishing the branch for as long as i can remember and im 22 now and i still havnt figured it out... then again when it come to presenting lures and using the right tackle..... im better off with worms/minnows and a :F 

like i said earlier, the family has had a cabin on leesville for about 5 years... ill tell ya what.....i hear its a big muskie lake but its also dynamite for bluegill/crappie when ya go back to basics 


btw since you work here.... i found some fish animated gif's and am in the process of making some of the fish i havent found and was wondering if the sight might wanna use them for smileys or avatars?





































and the ones im making, im going to cartoon and animate the drawing from the odnr website  and i can adjust the size accordingly


----------



## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

I was born and raised in Ravenna but now live further south but still go to Hodgson for the early trout.It's also good for bass and eyes.I'm sure you know where breakneck creek is,this time of year can be really good for some nice Pike.I'll be coming up for the trout and will pm you before that if you want to give it a try.Oh yea i live close to Leesville now .


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

i like this place... lots a people willing to catch more and much bigger fish right next to me  nuttin says learning curve like a big ole bass next to a fingerling bluegill lol


----------



## snake69 (Sep 26, 2005)

I'm surprised that no one mentioned either Mosquito or Berlin, you're fairly close to both. And both are prime walleye lake with an assortment of other fish mixed in, including but not limited to:both lg and smallmouth bass, white and black crappie, carp and catfish, musky and northerns, perch and white bass just to list a few!! Welcome to the site, by the way.


----------



## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

Got to love them! Fish them all!!!!  Hit the full ones! They hold the easiest bite.


----------



## kernal83 (Mar 25, 2005)

When do they stock trout in Hodgson?


----------



## chuckie (Nov 12, 2004)

Sometime just prior to the opening day of April 1st!!(at daybreak)


----------



## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

is it shoulder to shoulder on the opening day at hodgson? is it even possible to rent a boat that day, or is it too crowded?? ive heard that it gets pretty tight there, but ive never fished it opening day, or even opening week for that matter.


----------



## Fishinmagician (Jun 1, 2004)

Try the Cuyahoga. It is the most promising this time of year in my opinion. I was born and raised in Kent. There is a lot of river to cover there. Try a spot just down from Hodson due north on Lakewood rd for some possible Pike. Good Luck. 50 plus bass out of a farm pond in Kent this past weekend, so they are biting.


----------



## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

Being in Ravenna I'd be hitting Mosquito very soon. Buy yourself a decent set of waders and bring along a medium spinning rod/reel rigged with 6 or 8 lb test, a handful of leadhead jigs in both 1/8 and 1/4 oz size, some twister tails in various colors and a minnow bucket. Mosquito is a terrific place to wader fish the shallows for walleyes in the spring.


----------



## heyjay (Mar 22, 2005)

whjr15 said:


> is it shoulder to shoulder on the opening day at hodgson? is it even possible to rent a boat that day, or is it too crowded?? ive heard that it gets pretty tight there, but ive never fished it opening day, or even opening week for that matter.


We've had a boat stake there for 25 years . We don't go the first week because of all the people fishing in the bay . With both shores packed the lines stretch almost all the way across the bay .

The night before people park there cars in front so that when they're dropped off prior to 6am . They can be first in line . It's chaotic .


----------



## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

geeez.. well there goes that idea! i want to get out there for sure sometime. i dont know why, but its one of my favorite lakes -- even though ive never caught anything of size there....

for example:










haha..... but when does it usually calm down -- enough to where you wont have to fight to the death to rent a boat??


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

fishing line question....................... so i let my cousin borrow my fishing gear to go fishin on the ohio down south.... when i get it back theres a mossy green fishing line on my rod and could possibly be used to build a 6 lane suspension bridge and a spool in my tackle box that says 25lb. spriderwire moss green......................even with my lack of experience i know this is pointless overkill.... which my cousin is VERY good at doing whenever the chance presents itself

so whats a good line to replace this cable with?... up untill this i havent had to replace any line since i first spooled it on when i bought my spinner reel and that was like 6 lb spiderwire clear awhile ago.....soooo seeing as i no longer have the line i was using (which worked fairly well) and i dont plan on catching makko sharks with the line thats on it now... whats a good line to replace this with since im sure theres been some technological advances in line since i bought like about 10 years ago...


----------



## Cheesehead Cory (May 16, 2004)

It really depends on the kind of fishing you'll be doing. But for all purpose fishing on a medium spinning reel, my current favorite line is 8 lb Suffix Siege in low-vis green - very limp, small diameter, and pretty tough for 8 lb.

I've got an extra kayak, if you want to hit the Cuyahoga with me.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

ill prolly take ya up on that offer sometime... but it'd have to be after next weekend because all my equip is down at the cabin and im going down there next weekend so ima swap lines and do some fishing down there and then bring all my equipment back up with me


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

rattletraprex said:


> I'm sure you know where breakneck creek is,this time of year can be really good for some nice Pike.I'll be coming up for the trout and will pm you before that if you want to give it a try.Oh yea i live close to Leesville now .



yeah i know where breakneck is... you can catch it on lakewood and again on powdermill roads right?


----------



## jiggin'fool (Dec 18, 2005)

about the line, if you want to stay with good castability and not give up strength go with fireline!6lb test has like 2 lb diameter! it is great stuff! casts far and is tough!


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

^^^ gotcha i was just thinkin about that today when i was snoopin around wally world


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

i really hope it warms up by this weekend... i have the itch really bad LOL


----------



## heyjay (Mar 22, 2005)

TheSonicMarauder said:


> yeah i know where breakneck is... you can catch it on lakewood and again on powdermill roads right?


From my understanding Lakewood rd. is where it's at .

I heard you hang a big shiner off a bobber and let it float downstream towards the bend . I've seen a couple pictures of HUGE pike being caught there this way . 

To me it looks like a glorified ditch so I'm kinda skeptical .


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

heyjay said:


> To me it looks like a glorified ditch so I'm kinda skeptical .


so is the cuyahoga north of hiram... and according to the maps i was looking at.. breakneck dumps into the cuyahoga just northeast of kent so thats probably how the pike got in breakneck oh well.. if they are there , ill try to catch them


----------



## soua0363 (Jun 10, 2005)

There is Lake Milton not too far away. There are some decent crappies and there are also muskies down at the dam. You can fish the spillway where there are usually some decent size crappies, largemouth bass, carps, muskies, tiger muskies, and bluegills. You can also fish at the causeway too on Route 18 I believe. There is also Berlin Lake and West Branch. You can also fish at Mogadore which is about 20 mins away from Ravenna depending on where you live. You can rent boats there too. Mosquito is about 30 miles from Ravenna too. You have plenty of options without having to drive across the state. If you're adventurous, you can venture to Yorkville and fish at the dam on the Ohio which is also a great spot to fish for saugeye, crappies, hydrid stripers, carp, catfish, and basses. Writing this makes me wish I was still living in Akron to fish these spots.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

then move back


----------



## soua0363 (Jun 10, 2005)

I would but I have a good paying job and my wife has a pretty good job here in Cincinnati. The only thing bad is that there are not as many lakes available nearby to fish like in the Northeast part of the state but I do still have family living in the Akron area so you can definately count on me coming back up that way to fish.


----------



## snake69 (Sep 26, 2005)

Aren't you close to the Ohio River in Cincy? Like Pike or Cumberland, good fishing over that way also!


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

^^^ good call


----------



## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

I think thats Meldahl and Markland down that way. Pike and Cumberland up north aways. Good fishin in both.


----------



## soua0363 (Jun 10, 2005)

Yeah, I live right by the Ohio but there are limited shore fishing spots that I know of except directly downtown at the public landing and at Meldahl. Cumberland is a decent drives away and I would have to get a Kentucky fishing license and it would be quite expensive as it would be an out of state fishing license. In Northeast Ohio, there are so many fishing lake options within a 20-30 min drive or sometimes even less. We used to live in Manchester and it was like 5 mins to the Portage Lakes and Nimisila, 30 to 45 mins to Lake Milton, Berlin, West Branch, Mogadore, Spencer, Mosquito, and the Cuyahoga River. All these places offer access for your shore fishermen. Down here in Cinci, the lakes that we have is East Fork which is about 30-45 min from where I live but it does not really offer any good spots for shore fishing. There are also Cowan Lake and Caesers Creek which is about an hour away and that is pretty much it unless you count the county parks which I fish pretty consistantly. The other next closest place is Brookville Lake in Indiana and I have never been there. Well enough of my B!^$&*#! LOL. I still love fishing no matter where I gotta go to do it.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

heyjay said:


> To me it looks like a glorified ditch so I'm kinda skeptical .


i just found something that actually suprised me.... i was siftin through the ODNR stream guide and on page 4 of chapter 7(recreation) it has a pictures and a list of fishes in ohio streams and breakneck creek is on top of the list under northern pike 
:B


ohio stream guide, ch. 7


----------



## Boathead241 (Oct 4, 2005)

Wow lots of information here! How about Walborn Lake or Deer Creek just south of Ravenna off of 44? I have not stopped fishing all winter below the dam at Walborn. Deercreek is just east of Walborn, it is all electric. Both of these lakes have excellent shore fishing access and an abundance of all of the aforementioned fishes. Also the Mahoning river flows into and out of West Branch. It is not the easiet to fish but woa nellie they stack up in there just the same.


----------



## walleyewilly (Jan 26, 2006)

wow, i didn't know milton had tiger muskies....that's a beautiful fish!!!! i've caught musky but never a tiger musky there :B


----------



## snake69 (Sep 26, 2005)

My mistake, I omitted the word "just" in my sentence. It was supposed to read"just like Pike and Cumberland, there is some good fishing over in the Cincy area". Also, someone commented on Milton, but I saw no mention of the walleye and there are a good number of them.


----------



## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

deer creek is electric you can have a gas on your boat but it,s still elec. only. at walborn it,s a 9.9 lake you can have a bigger motor on your rig ,but don,t use it then it,s electric for you. snag..


----------



## lilkev76 (Sep 6, 2004)

TheSonicMarauder said:


> oh yeah and my family also has a cabin on leesville lake that i frequent on the weekends.. again no serious fishing from me but i try... our cabin is with the palermo dock club like right around the bend from the petersburg marina( we can see just a little bit of it from the docks) so if anyone wants to help a 22yr old rookie who has been trying to stray away from worms and bobbers learn how to fish... id greatly appreciate it


Hey Sonic Welcome...seems like you got alot of posts on this, awesome site huh??? This site has turned me on to alot of new things thats for sure, just can't get any of my fishin buds to get on here for some reason, their loss not mine. Would loveto check out Leesville, never made it there and I heard there were some monster muskies too!!!! PM me if ya ever wanna lend out that invitation.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

lilkev76 said:


> Hey Sonic Welcome...seems like you got alot of posts on this, awesome site huh??? This site has turned me on to alot of new things thats for sure, just can't get any of my fishin buds to get on here for some reason, their loss not mine. Would loveto check out Leesville, never made it there and I heard there were some monster muskies too!!!! PM me if ya ever wanna lend out that invitation.



thanx i love this site so far...

as far as leesville goes.... im headin down there today in about an hour so i guess its kinda late to offer that invite lol but i try to get down there whenever i can so im sure ill have more oppertunities to invite ya down especially when we get the docks and the pontoon back in the water 

pontoon= PARTY BARGE WOOOOOOOOOOOO!! lol fishin party that is :B


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

if anyone cares.. im heading to breakneck creek in aboot an hour off of lakewood street if anyone wants to come join in since its a nice day


----------



## Urnso (Jul 13, 2005)

When does Hodgson open up?? April 1st or May 1st?


----------



## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

So Sonic, did you do any good in the creek?


----------



## lilkev76 (Sep 6, 2004)

how did ya do at breakneck? hod. opens up april 1st


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

couple of suckers... the pike just werent biting... theres was another guy with his wife and kid that were just killin suckers with worms 

im prolly gonna head down there again today


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

headin tyo breakneck off of lakewood rd again today if anyone wants to join me
ill be in a light blue shirt with a ksu hat


----------



## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

Urnso said:


> When does Hodgson open up?? April 1st or May 1st?


April 1st is when it starts,it's fun.


----------



## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

TheSonicMarauder said:


> headin tyo breakneck off of lakewood rd again today if anyone wants to join me
> ill be in a light blue shirt with a ksu hat


Used to fish it this time of year when i lived there and the pike were there even though it is just a big ditch.We also caught our suckers there for bait for catfishing.Use the ice rods and small hooks or jigs and a piece of corn for the suckers.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

^^^ if anyone needs company on saturday lemme know


----------



## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

what is the best species to go for (at hodgson) this time of year?? well, once it opens that is... ive never been there for opening week, and was thinking about going sometime... but have no idea on what tactics to use... i would really love to catch a couple eyes, since i hear all this talk about eyes at mosquito.... but i have no boat, so hodgson is my best option (easily rowable lol) 

so what is a good "gameplan" to get an eye or 2?? or 20 haha

and just incase that doesnt work..... are the bass "catchable" yet?? or are they few and far between?

thanks a lot :B :B


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

iono about that i know they stock trout in hodgson ever year... if i go with anyone this year it'll be my first time on hodgson so iono myself


----------



## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

This time of year at Hodgson is trout,some power bait or corn.small float or even no float works just keep it small and light.the largemouth can be caught from shore,have caught some really nice ones just by throwing a live crawler with no weight and letting it just sit.Eyes couldn't tell you ,have caught a few but never really fished for them.i'd try some vibes if i did though.


----------



## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

hows the fishing on the cuyahoga been so far this year....  cheesehead and I are going kayak fishing on sunday so im curious


----------



## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

Went to Hodgson today after work for a couple hours... Trout galore!  Which is fun, dont get me wrong, but it just didnt satisfy my "itch." I want to hook into a bass or two, or better yet; some 'eyes. 

For those of you are familiar with this lake: Is it worth renting a boat this time of year to go and try for bass?? If so, what depth range will they generally be?

And as far as the 'eyes go, I'm pretty much clueless... The only time I've ever caught one was on a charter on lake erie, so I dont really count those.

But everyone I've talked to said to fish by the aerator, but thats about as far as theyll go with their info. What depth will the eyes be? Lure or live bait?

Sorry if I sound redundant, I just really want to catch my first "real" walleye this year.... and I know you guys have the knowledge/experience to help me out with this..

Thanks a lot!

-Joe


----------

