# AEP letdown



## 2004 SRT-4 (Jun 26, 2011)

Went to AEP with myself and four buddies... fished Friday night and all day Saturday. We caught about 9-10 fish total, only one over 1lb. Such a disappointment. Not sure why, but the bass payed no attention to anything we threw. We did not have a boat, but we did also hike to some decently deep woods ponds. So was it weather, pressure, shorefishing, or a combo of all three that turned the fish off?


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## meisterdog (May 10, 2004)

amish have fished out all the AEP ponds. they keep EVERYTHING..... good luck and try another body of water. I've seen them walk 4 miles into a pond to fish it out. kept 2 inch bluegill to eat.


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## pastorchris (Mar 19, 2007)

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the statement that all the ponds are fished out. I have caught really good numbers of really good fish very recently from ponds that are easily accessable from the roads. Some are even right along the roads. So there is no way the Amish can have fished them out. As a matter of fact, just last nite my friend and I caught about 35 Bass in a little over 2 hours in a pond right by a major road. Dont want to be argumentative, but there's just no way the ponds are fished out.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

I havent been over there in several years but can attest that it seems like the best off the beaten path ponds that look the best, semed to not hold much fish while others across the trail would fish really well??? I would say that some ponds are fished out from constant pressure. I would say if your not doing well, move to another lake, keep moving till you find some fish. thats the beuaty of the place, lots to choose from and i also agree that some of the most obvious ponds have done very well for me at times.

Dont give up, lots of pressure fronts and bass are probably starting to bed down now so that may have hurt you too. 
Salmonid


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## liveblue23 (Jun 8, 2010)

yeah. i find it hard to believe that its all fished out with that many bodies of water you have the chance to fish. ive yet to get up there but after hearing so much about it i plan to make a trip up there and spend a weekend fishing. im pretty excited about it actually. i plan to get a game plan about where im going to fish but i may just get up there and wing it. ive got a thread about needing advice so if you guys have any please post it in my thread. thanks


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## 2004 SRT-4 (Jun 26, 2011)

I MIGHT make another trip sometime this summer, but just a big bummer I guess. Or I am just used to fishing private farm ponds, so that could be an issue too LOL


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## BigLunkerSOB (Jan 10, 2006)

A couple buddies and I were in "gods country" this weekend and caught several decent fish. Saturday night I caught about 10 LM, the biggest being around 4lbs. The fish weren't exactly jumping in my kayak and they made me work for it, but they were there. Most were caught on a green lizard dipped in chartreuse and the bigger ones on a Zara spook walking the dog. I was surprised to see no fish smacking the top really at all in the mornings or evenings. They were hitting topwater, but not as aggressively as they have in the past. Had a great weekend down there, it seemed pretty packed also.


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

AEP is my favorite place to fish in the state. I've about 4 weekends a year at AEP since the summer of 2003, and have over 70 lakes marked that I've been in. Some lakes are better than others. You just have to get the hang of what makes a good lake, and then find more that look equally exciting (like similar structure, or way off the beaten path, or so buried that only a float tube can make it in - hopefully without thorn punctures). 

Also, expect to catch your fair share of 9-12 inch bass. This really is about the standard AEP fish size. I've found a few lakes that will run a 14-inch average or so, but that is pretty high for AEP.

You can also find a lunker in almost any lake, but some are more consistent at producing the big ones. My two biggest this year run 22.5 inches and 23.5 in. I have a good friend with a 21.5, 22, and a 22.5 on the year, and FishJunky has a 23.5, 24, and 24.5 bass, plus a couple "smaller" fish ohio AEP bass. The number and size of fish ohio class bass at AEP seems to be improving year over year, at least for the group of people I fish with. I believe catch and release is a factor for that observation. 

I believe that a float tube makes all the difference. I've caught a few big bass from the bank, and I know that some people are crazy enough to drag a canoe or kayak a half mile or more, but float tubes make it way easier. 

good luck next time.


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## bug713 (Apr 11, 2011)

Got there early fished for about 5 hours,caught all blue gills not one bass,didn't even hit.One blue gill was about pound n half.Very disapointed.:


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## Canoerower (Jun 28, 2011)

Seen someone say about the aep ponds and amish. Asround ashland here alot and I mean alot of private ponds wont let you fish anymore becaue of the amish. Been alot of farmers tell me stories bout them netting them or just plain ol sneak fishing them.Even the public lakes you see droves of amish at them with way over there limit on fish. Or just being plain greedy(3 coolers of crappie is a bit much). So its possible they have taken alot of the fish just doubt all of them. lol


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## fishwhacker (Jul 16, 2010)

I agree that the best way to catch fish at AEP is by using a float tube just can get too so much more structure and find more fish. I fish it AEP every year and the more i go the better it gets


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