# ODNR Fishing Report 5/3/06



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

May 3, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO

KNOX LAKE (Knox County)  This 468-acre Knox County lake is among Ohios finest largemouth bass lakes. The areas with woody shoreline cover and vegetation produce good fishing success for anglers using a variety of plastic baits, live baits, spinner baits, Carolina rigs, crank baits and artificial lures. Excellent bass fishing opportunities are forecast for this year. There is an 18 inch minimum length limit. This is also a good channel catfish lake. Over 5,000 yearling channel catfish were stocked in fall 2005. Some fish weigh over 10 pounds. Use traditional baits such as night crawlers, chicken livers, shrimp and prepared baits. There is a catfish bag limit of six fish, only one of which can measure 28 inches or greater. This lake has a 10 horsepower motor limit.

GREENFIELD LAKE (Fairfield County)  There is no boat ramp on this 12-acre Fairfield County lake, but anglers may use electric motors on car-top boats. This is a great lake for beginners, so take advantage of Free Fishing Days on May 6th and 7th and try it out. Fish the face of the dam and near fallen lakes with small worms and larval baits for bluegill. For channel catfish, use night crawlers and chicken livers fished along the lake bottom. In 2004, 340 catchable sized channel catfish were stocked.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Maumee River (Wood and Lucas County)  The water temperature is 59°, and the river level and pressure are both low. Anglers are catching limits of walleye (15 to 16-inches) and white bass (eight inches) using floating and lead head jigs with green colored twister tails. Early mornings continue to be the best time. The best areas are Buttonwood and around Bluegrass Island. The outlook for this week should be good, giving anglers the opportunity to catch both white bass and walleye.

Sandusky River (Sandusky County)  The water temperature is 57°and the river is low. Anglers are taking white bass using minnows under bobbers. The best area is around the Sand Docks.

Anglers are still catching walleye using lead head and floating jigs with chartreuse and pink colored twister tails. The best area is around Roger Young Park. The outlook for this week should be good, giving anglers the opportunity to catch both white bass and walleye.

Huron River (Huron County)  The water is clear and the water level is low. Smallmouth bass in the eight to 12 inch range are being taken on small spinners. The deeper holes near Monroeville south to Troy Mills Road are the best spots.

Willard Reservoir (Huron County)  Bluegill are being taken on waxworms in the late afternoon. Casting and slip bobbers are working well near the boat ramp.

Van Wert Reservoir #2 (Van Wert County)  Bluegill are being taken in the afternoon by still fishing nightcrawlers under a bobber. The northwest corner of the reservoir have been producing the best results.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Shreve Lake (Wayne County)  Crappies are being caught on small shiners in this small 60-acre lake located one mile west of Shreve. This body of water is also excellent for catching channel catfish since it has been stocked with yearling channel catfish during alternate even-numbered years. A total of 1,518 yearlings were stocked in 2004. Electric motors only please and wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities are available. 

Mosquito Lake (Trumbull County)  It is the time of year when crappie fishing is at its best and Mosquito Lake is proving such a statement to be true. Anglers are catching large numbers of crappie in six to eight feet of water on simple minnow and bobber setups. Most female crappie are full of eggs, so anglers should expect these papermouths to move into shallower waters soon for spawning. Small numbers of walleye are biting as well with leeches serving as the choice bait. Drifting, trolling, and jigging are all good methods. There is unlimited horsepower on Mosquito Lake and wheelchair accessible shoreline facilities are available. 

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Lake Loramie (Shelby County)  Bluegill and crappie are being caught using small jigs with plastic bodies, red worms, live minnows, earthworms, waxworms, or meal worms as bait. Choose artificial lures colored black, green, white, pink, green, or chartreuse. Keep bait one to two feet deep under a bobber. Choose a long-shanked fine wire hook sized between #6 to #4. Cast from a boat or the shore. Good fishing opportunities are near submerged trees and brush.

Paint Creek Lake (Highland County)  Crappies are being caught by anglers using tubes, curly tails, or live minnows. When using live bait use a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jig head and then tip it with a minnow. If fishing with just a minnow us a straight fine wire hook sized #6 or #4. For artificial lures selected chartreuse combined with black, blue, or yellow color combinations. Cast into areas with submerged trees and brush. Keep the bait under a slip bobber and about three to four feet deep. Saugeye are being caught using curly tails or live minnows. When using artificial lures for saugeye, good color choices include chartreuse with red glitter or pink. Cast into the tailwaters beneath the dam. Keep the bait about two to three feet deep and off of the bottom. Use a 1/16 ounce jig head with a #2 sized hook for the minnows. The best saugeye fishing is happening later in the day after 4 p.m. Largemouth bass are being caught by anglers using crankbaits and artificial worms as bait. Pumpkinseed is a good color choice when using artificial lures for largemouth bass. Choose a #1/0 or 2/0 hook size when fishing with live bait. Cast into areas with submerged trees and brush. Keep the bait about three to four feet deep. Bluegills are being taken by anglers using a #6 fine wire hook baited with a waxworm. Fish the bait near brush and stumps, around the dock areas and along the shorelines near brush, trees, and stumps. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Lake White (Pike County)  Catfishing has started to pick-up near the State Route 220 & State Route 552 access site. Successful anglers have been tight line fishing with livers and other cut baits, goldfish and night crawlers. Crappie fishing has been successful around structure piles at a depth of four to six feet using live minnows. Water temperature has been in the low 60s, and the water levels are normal. Anglers have picked up largemouth bass in the 15 to 16-inch range while using larger minnows and crankbaits.

Jackson Lake (Jackson County)  Crappie, sunfish, and largemouth bass fishing is excellent at this 242 acre lake. Successful anglers have been using spinner baits and motor-oil colored tube baits for largemouths. For sunfish and crappie, fish wax worms and minnows near submerged structure and off the points. Bluegill fishing has been great below the spillway  use a bobber/wax worm set-up for good catches. Water quality at Jackson Lake has been normal and clear.

Dow Lake (Athens County)  Bluegill fishing has been successful for boat anglers as well as shore anglers who are willing to walk the trails around the lake to reach the far embayment. Fish waxworms under a bobber suspended at a four to six-foot depth. Catfishing is also starting to pick-up at Dow, fish night crawlers and cut-bait along the bottom.

LAKE ERIE 

**The walleye daily bag limit is 6 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. Lake Erie black bass (smallmouth and largemouth bass) are closed to possession (catch and release only) May 1 through June 23. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 5 after June 23. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14-inches. The steelhead trout bag limit is two through May 15 and increases to five on May 16. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches. **

Walleye fishing continues to be excellent when conditions permit in Maumee Bay, from Crane Creek to K can of the Camp Perry firing range, and on the reefs of the Camp Perry firing range. Purple hair jigs, chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows, and blade baits have been productive. Large walleye have been caught by trollers W of the Bass Islands and N of Kelleys Island. Most trollers are using minnow-imitating stick baits behind inline planer boards, but worm harnesses are also starting to catch some fish.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. Limits of perch were caught south of Kelleys Island towards Marblehead and Cedar Point. Most perch have been 8 to 10 inches with many up to 13 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most perch.

For Steelhead fishing information visit: http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 49 to 55 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

Greenup Dam (Scioto County)  Hybrid striped bass and white bass have been hitting hard along the walkway and rip-rap at the Greenup. Cast into the current with a lead weight heavy enough to reach the bottom. Successful baits have been artificial shad-type or live shad that are two to three inches. Anglers were successful hauling in stripers anywhere from two to 13 pounds over the weekend. White bass in the eight to 12 inch range were reported. White bass fishing has also been good near the boat ramp in Portsmouth. 

New Cumberland Lock and Dam (Jefferson County)  Sauger are small but plentiful in the tail waters of the New Cumberland Lock and Dam off the shoreline of Jefferson County. Anglers are catching 10 to 12 inch sauger on smoky or silver twister tails or live minnows. A recent smallmouth bass tournament in this same area produced good results with anglers catching smallies up to three to four pounds or 15 inches. Gravel bars or near the islands are the best places to fish for smallmouths.


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