# Best Bodies of Water for Crappie in Ohio



## VW Angler

I am trying to figure out where some of the best spots to fish for Crappie are in Ohio.After reading alot of posts on OGF the last year or so I would have to list Alum Creek, Delaware Lake, Misquito Lake, Pleasant Hill Lake. What are some of your favorite bodies of water for crappies and why?


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## Salmonid

In SW Ohio , year in and year out, 2 come to mind, Cowan and St Mary's, easy access, lots of numbers and about every 3-4 years, both lakes have a surplus of really big fish. At St Marys, structures are easy to find in every canal, dock and brush. Cowan has lots of downed trees to easily see and set up on.

Just my Opinion...
Salmonid


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## Buckeye Ron

VW,
I like Deer Creek in the early spring, they load up around any timber that is laying in the water and also off the points. I caught my largest last year up at Indian Lake weighed 2.6 lbs. 14 3/4 inches. Lots of different things to fish around there. Lilly pads, docks and rocks along the bridges that go over the lake. Look to the pads first.  
Ron


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## wave warrior

dont forget salt fork!!! spring time is very good for slabs!!!


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## crappiedude

Some of my best in Ohio have come from Ceasars Creek. It's not always the easiest lake to fish but it's got some big fish in it. CD


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## Fish4Fun

I am not the biggest crappie fisherman but do get the kids out and in central ohio you have 3 prime spots alum, delaware, hoover.

One that should not be left off the list from what i hear is lake erie marinas when the bite is on i have seen some slabs come from there. I plan to hit it in the spring and always make a trip to alum and delaware. And will hit hoover with good ol misfit of coarse.


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## fishslim

Overall in my opinion the best crappies fishery in Central Ohio. Can catch slabs there from early spring to late late fall. Was catching 14-15" pigs in mid August Dog Days in shallow water!


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## Smallmouth Crazy

I will second Deer Creek in the spring, I have always had good luck around timber and old road beds with minnies.


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## starcraft

If u can find them erie has some nice slabs. Lucky enough to catch a few that where really nice size. Noticed that the crappies colors are greener than inland. O shay has always had slabs in it. Delaware, and of coarse hoover which i fish the most. Huge poplation of small ones there now that will provide some great fishing in the coming years. Hope the slabs come out and play next spring.


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## Big Daddy

Delaware is great... Mosquito has some BIG slabs in it... Portage Lakes, if you can find them... Atwood in the Spring is good too. So is West Branch...


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## Lewzer

BD, I can't believe you left out the hawg crappie capital of Ohio. Ohio River in winter. Harold's home.


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## Big Daddy

I may want to go visit Harold's relatives later on towards Spring, and if I do, I want them to ALL be at the reunion!  

Ohio River is "fair" for slabs...LOL!!! :B


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## angelus40

i live in the colerain area where can i go for crappie fishing?


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## liquidsoap

Skeeter... I often catch more crappie bass fishing then I do bass...
Alum creek the same thing happens....
How come people left erie out?? Some of the bays hold a lot, along with the marinas...


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## Big Daddy

I know it's been several years, but I gotta share Harold the Crappie's picture with you all.

I had NEVER caught a giant like him, and he hangs on my wall to this day. I've had great days of fishing, for several different species, but Harold was my first REALLY big crappie. And that's why I'm hooked to this day. 

Thanks Dan, wherever you are.


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## crappiedude

Harold is a good looking fella. I know what you mean about being hooked.


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## FISH OR DIE

If the weather is right and the water warm up in the spring I think hoover is the best if you know that body of water ! next alum


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## puterdude

holy crap big daddy,did the lake level go down 6 inches when you pulled Harold out? Nice crappie man!!!!!


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## Big Daddy

LOL! I hear you man! I think it changed the weather pattern!

Remember, I'm no small fry myself, at 6'3 and 350ish... Though back then, I was a svelt 330...  Harold is a MONSTER!!!


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## Guest

north end of pymatuning also, bennett bay and black jack bay to be precise


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## iam20fan

in the dayton area, Lake Loramie at the lilly pads. is a dam good spot.


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## steelheadBob

im gonna have to say my best is west branch


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## crappies4ever

i would say delaware is the best spot in cental ohio


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## DanAdelman

i am going to WB this year i seen tons of people out there after them...this will be my first year after crappie


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## Hetfieldinn

I never really targeted crappies, but I fished Mosquito for years, and caught plenty of them trolling for walleyes. I didn't want to keep all of the ones I caught, so I put a self imposed minimum limit of 14 inches on them before I would keep them, and I still managed to put a dozen or so on the stringer each time out.

Go up one day and watch the guys wade around Pikie Bay for a while. They'll go out for an hour or two and come back with a stringer of unbelievable slabs.


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## PHATE

i've caught the most at salt fork, but my biggest always come while walleye fishing at westbranch. i'm going to have to actually target them one day this year. i've said that before, but the walleye bite is always too tempting.


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## steelheadBob

wading up in pikebay for crappie is the best, u can get into the willows and jig a minnow were boats cant, not to forget about the size of the slabs that come out of there, and theres a bunch of places to wade for them on berlin too.


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## peple of the perch

I would say Mosquito also. There are pleanty of numbers and size. Pymatuming is also expose to have some big crappies in there too. The ODNR fish nettings had a average length of 12 inches for crappies.


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## steelheadBob

Dude, my girls grandpa has a pond in medina that was stocked and hand fed sense the pond was made, he bought it from the guy who owned hinkley taxa. till this day her grandpa still feeds them, my hand to the man upstairs, he has bluegill avg. of 9", largemouth a avg. of 5-7 lbs and the crappie are the size of car bumbers, these crappie make the ones in cabelas tanks look like minnows, i know darn well he has to have a state record in there. :B :B
I told gobyoneganoby i would take him up there one day


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## dcross765

One name says it all MOGADORE. Read this months edition of OGF magazine. Dave


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## lurer

I like East Fork and in Indiana Brookeville. Angelus, the colerain area is tough, but you can go down to Miamitown and the whitewater is right there and has good sized crappie with some saugeyes as well.


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## ncraft150

I dont fish for crappie, but Ive caught monsters while fishing for bass at West Branch, Nimisila, and Mosquito.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU

this berlin had huge crappys form march to june caught most crappys rangeing from 8-17 inchs most were in the 10-14inch range though but i would say berlin


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## Ultralight

Casting pond at Park of Roses in Columbus had 3 17" crappie taken by my friend last year. All were released - 1 was seen as late as october in the shallows....

Go get em...!!


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## tcba1987

Tappan has a TON of small fish that dont make the 9 inch size limit, but if you just want to catch alot of crappies for C&R then it is a good lake to try in the spring. Clendening has decent crappie fishing and i catch alot of fish in the 10-12 inch size range from tree tops on the tippecanoe end of the lake in the spring (GO SHALLOW for them). Atwood has ALOT of crappie also but not many EATERS (10-12 inchers) most are small just like at Tappan. 

I know these lakes arent some of the best in the state these are just afew that ive fished regularly for crappies !!! 

Salt Fork is the BEST ive fished but its alittle longer of a drive for me so i dont get down there that much. Ive done AWESOME in the stumps in the bay with the covered bridge in it !! 

Oh yeah im stuck fishing from the bank so my opinions COULD be different from some of the boaters !!! 

If anyone needs a partner at any of these lakes for a day of crappie fishing from a boat let me know, only thing is i talk too much. LOL !!


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## true2plue

Franklin Flats area in the Huron River is not a bad place to catch crappie. Usually early spring/late winter, after the ice breaks and melts!!!


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## LyleStyle

I was never a real big crappie fan. Since I got my boat it has become my main target when boating. I live in Delaware and fish every weekend with my dad who doesn't like to drive. So we hit Delaware reservoir alot. I fish Alum some and you can get good numbers of crappie there, but Delaware is a great crappie lake. About fifty percent we catfch are over 10 inches.


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## knapier

Hi , I'm Brand New To This Site But Its Good To See All The Fishermen. I Don't Live Around Any Good Close Fishing I Must Drive A Hour In Any Direction To Find Fish


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## Big Daddy

What about Shreve Lake? Tusc River? Charles Mill? Pleasant Hill? 

Welcome to the site!


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## crittergitter

In central Ohio Delaware is tough to beat. Over the past 5 to 6 years it has been very consistent. Last spring I was down on this lake, but that is just because it is not in it's prime. I kind of took it for granted how good the crappie fishing was there 4 and 5 years ago. When size limits for crappie were first introduced in Ohio the ODNR placed a 10" limit on this lake for 3 years and then dropped it to the optimum 9". So, as you can imagine there were a ton of fish in that lake in the 12-14" range for a long time. It's not quite like that now, but it is still a very consistent crappie fishery. Alum Creek is hot and has a great population of slabs in it. Though, I think the spawn last year was lost due to low pool early then, right after spawn time the lake level came up about 5 feet. If Alum continues to have these wild fluctuations in lake level in early spring then it will become more inconsistent. Hoover can be good but it has off year classes as a result of often having a wild lake level fluctuations in the spring.

Kyle


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## misfit

i firmly believe in the cycles of size on most lakes.they all go through it to some extent.all the central ohio lakes experience it to some degree.some more than others.i feel hoover is due for some catches of numbers of good size fish in the next year or two,after the past couple bad years.
various factors influence the phenomona,but it is a common occurance.


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## GoneBassin

I like long lake in the early spring and also pleasant hill at any time of year. If you get into the stumps and mud at the far end of the lake, you may have to deal with some channel too. However, the crappies are in good numbers here too.


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## RiverRunner88

early in spring i always have good luck at the mentor lagoons, hanging around the cove and varies docks


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## WISH IT WAS YOU

for monster crappys that are legal i like skeeter they have some if biggest along with .berlin last year was my best year at berlin i took tons of crappys that were 13+inchs. for quanity but not much size i like milton . for stream crappy i like the legal part of meander creek the one that drains in to it way up about meander is a great place for big crappys. milton i had one of my best two days of fishinf for crappys me and my dad were fish a dock and slaying crappys the fist day we got 74 crappys in two hours on minnows. the next day was at the same place the next day we ended up wth 87 crappys in 2 and ahalf hours non of much size but ere in the 9-12 inch range . allso i would go with leessvile every one goes their for muskie but their is a ton of crappy in their in the 10+ range i have caught a ton out of their on minnows


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## steelheadBob

to tell you the truth, my best body of water is good old lake erie. i love fishing in the marinas at night for crappie in the spring, i use a green tube light and slipbobber and minnow and there ya go. theres nothing like catching 12-15" slabs all night, plus some good blues. some of the best are the marinas out in sandusky bay, and whisky island.


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