# Hamilton dam - access to west side



## zooks (Feb 4, 2011)

Is there an easy access point for the west side of the lower dam? I can't think of any place to park that isn't nearly a half mile hike to get there. I would like to try the west side some time.Closest I can think of is by the boat ramp next to the bowling alley. Am I missing something?


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## GarrettMyers (May 16, 2011)

Nope, that's the best access. 


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Dandrews or some other Hamilton old timer (jab) will correct me if I'm wrong, but to be legal you either need permission from someone on Biscayne Dr., or walk down from the boat ramp.

Or you could do like I do and park on the east bank and swim across. (not really)


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

I think the accepted local way is to shoot your way down to the dam...


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

I walk across the river.
Like a boss.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

deltaoscar said:


> Dandrews or some other Hamilton old timer (jab) will correct me if I'm wrong, but to be legal you either need permission from someone on Biscayne Dr., or walk down from the boat ramp.
> 
> Or you could do like I do and park on the east bank and swim across. (not really)


Got me with that one&#8230; 

Way back in the day there used to be parking right next to the dam on the west side but the residents over there got a little unnerved by some of the nonsense going on so the levy was blocked off; yet another example of a few knuckleheads spoiling it for everybody. Even after that parking lot was closed you could still park next to the Champion/Smart Paper Wastewater Treatment Plant and walk to the dam, but at some point that was closed to the public too; that was only a fraction of the walk from the ramp. The Bowling Alley has put some sand volleyball pits where I used to park so now the ramp is the only public parking over there. 

I wade back and forth across the river all the time, that&#8217;s an option too.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

the wade across isn't bad at all. My aunt lives in one of those houses right there by the dam so that is where I go through most of the time unless I'm already in the water from the East side. She used to let others pass through until someone tried stealing her grill. Bunch of jackrabbits.


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## zooks (Feb 4, 2011)

Well, I'm not much for wading or swimming in hip boots, so I guess I'll probably stay where I'm at. Just curious, though, if the west side is as full of snags as the east side (assume so)? And what about the area above the dam - I never seen anyone there.


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

I usually find myself snagging more often on the East side. I snag less and catch more fish on the West side, so for me it is worth the walk from the boat ramp.


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## fish fry (Sep 24, 2011)

I usually just walk across the dam!


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

I always launch my kayak on the east and paddle to the west. 


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## pat8228 (Feb 11, 2007)

I always park at boat ramp and walk down. Some people park at the tennis club, but you take a chance on getting towed. If it was easy to get to everyone would be there and it would be hard to find a good spot. And there are a lot of snags. I usually lose a few lures everytime I go.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

that's the exact reason I go to that side so much more often. The same fish and good holes can be found on both sides of the dam but on the WS you don't have to deal with as many milk duds or park panthers. Its even better when you get away from the dam and find those killer holes downstream they stack up in. Even less people want to walk that far


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## jmpmstr1998 (Jun 19, 2009)

A couple of years ago I used to park by the water plant. It was allowed, I don't know about now. Just a quick 2 min walk to the water.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

treytd32 said:


> that's the exact reason I go to that side so much more often. The same fish and good holes can be found on both sides of the dam but on the WS you don't have to deal with as many milk duds or park panthers. Its even better when you get away from the dam and find those killer holes downstream they stack up in. Even less people want to walk that far


Idk the west side can be just as sketchy. I think it also has more trash and just as many needles laying around. I might be done with the dam for a while since its getting all this attention and it's kind of gross. Spring is so close...


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

kingofamberley said:


> Idk the west side can be just as sketchy. I think it also has more trash and just as many needles laying around. I might be done with the dam for a while since its getting all this attention and it's kind of gross. Spring is so close...
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Bravo, as soon as the weathers nice I'm guiding you to a great out in the middle of nowhere spot for some smallies


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

oldstinkyguy said:


> Bravo, as soon as the weathers nice I'm guiding you to a great out in the middle of nowhere spot for some smallies


Deal. I've been tying clousers like its my job, I can't wait to throw them at some real native Ohio smallies.


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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

The trash in the GMR is bad enough, but it down right looks like a landfill at the dam sometimes. It's very sad, but any spot that has such easy access is going to attract a lot of lazy, littering good for nothing's. That spots been well known all over southwest Ohio since it was built, no chance of keeping it quiet. All that can be done is promote catch and release and taking out all that you bring.


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## jmpmstr1998 (Jun 19, 2009)

You want a good dam to fish. Pm me and we'll talk. Don't want to tell everyone yet


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

the trash does seem to grow every time I go out. I always try to pack some out with me when I leave. I'm not so much worried about publicity for the dam. As stated it is no secret spot lol not sure that most of this is good publicity anyhow. Whenever people ask me for holes around the dam I encourage them to explore downstream, but to someone who just walked the mile from the boat ramp that might not seem very appealing.


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## SmallmouthMaster (Jul 16, 2012)

A Boss...?


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

kingofamberley said:


> Idk the west side can be just as sketchy. I think it also has more trash and just as many needles laying around. I might be done with the dam for a while since its getting all this attention and it's kind of gross. Spring is so close...
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Don't forget the dead cats floating. I only made three trips to the dam and saw a dead cat floating every time on the west side.


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## meyers9163 (Apr 1, 2010)

Not that I'm above doing it myself but does anyone have kids or a group that needs a service project? It'd be so easy to stay far enough from the water and pick up loads of trash..... Easy community service and a help to that spot......

I spoke with an wildlife officer about this the other day..... They can't organize it but the city if Hamilton can..... He said he'd love to see groups help pick it up and assist in keeping the living trash out as well......


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

meyers9163 said:


> Not that I'm above doing it myself but does anyone have kids or a group that needs a service project? It'd be so easy to stay far enough from the water and pick up loads of trash..... Easy community service and a help to that spot......
> 
> I spoke with an wildlife officer about this the other day..... They can't organize it but the city if Hamilton can..... He said he'd love to see groups help pick it up and assist in keeping the living trash out as well......


Maybe the wildlife officer should do his job and prevent some of the crap that goes on at the dam. Life as a gov't worker pass the problem down the line.


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## meyers9163 (Apr 1, 2010)

imalt said:


> Maybe the wildlife officer should do his job and prevent some of the crap that goes on at the dam. Life as a gov't worker pass the problem down the line.


Fish and game has the job to regulate the laws of such.... Not their job to be there at the Hamilton Dam 24/7..... That's a local issue needing to be addressed...... He can't even do anything to stop the vehicles from driving all over that area...... Kind of an impossible job to do when there's so few of them for such large areas.....

Knowing many in Indiana personally their power though great is restricted by the few officers they have and the large areas they are forced to cover..... I'd say the issue there in Hamilton has more to do with the greater issues going on locally that the dam isn't their biggest concern.....

Again I'm more then willing to get a group together once a month and walk that area and pick trash up..... I won't do it alone however........


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

meyers9163 said:


> Fish and game has the job to regulate the laws of such.... Not their job to be there at the Hamilton Dam 24/7..... That's a local issue needing to be addressed...... He can't even do anything to stop the vehicles from driving all over that area...... Kind of an impossible job to do when there's so few of them for such large areas.....
> 
> Knowing many in Indiana personally their power though great is restricted by the few officers they have and the large areas they are forced to cover..... I'd say the issue there in Hamilton has more to do with the greater issues going on locally that the dam isn't their biggest concern.....
> 
> Again I'm more then willing to get a group together once a month and walk that area and pick trash up..... I won't do it alone however........


I realize they have a lot of area to cover. But most abuse of regulations happens at dams and spillways. I always laugh when I see them on the main lake checking the boats on the lakes. I am not saying all boats are running legal but I would say you would have a higher chance catching a bank fisherman doing something illegal than anyone in a boat. Example beign there was a post on here last week about a game warden watching the cowan spillway. Now that they dredged the spillway and destroyed the fish that were down there they decide to watch it. They never worried about it when guys were keeping everything they caught back when there was a hole there. I realize they have a lot to try to do but it isn't that hard to find law breakers if you know where to look. And I would hope they would be smart enough to know where to look.


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## nturner (Mar 11, 2012)

Big James said:


> The trash in the GMR is bad enough, but it down right looks like a landfill at the dam sometimes. It's very sad, but any spot that has such easy access is going to attract a lot of lazy, littering good for nothing's. That spots been well known all over southwest Ohio since it was built, no chance of keeping it quiet. All that can be done is promote catch and release and taking out all that you bring.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




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## rcjohnson (Dec 11, 2008)

First time I fished the west side of the dam it was possible to drive right up to it. Next time the gate was closed and the sign read "Area Resting" Have no idea what that was all about. Really I shame that us old guys can't drive right to the dam.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

rcjohnson said:


> First time I fished the west side of the dam it was possible to drive right up to it. Next time the gate was closed and the sign read "Area Resting" Have no idea what that was all about. Really I shame that us old guys can't drive right to the dam.


How long ago was that? I didn't even know there was a road that went to the west side of the dam.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

imalt said:


> How long ago was that? I didn't even know there was a road that went to the west side of the dam.


Its less of a road and more of a dirt track. Its definitely not for the use of Joe Public.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

I mentioned that way back in post #6 in this thread. Back in the 90s you could park next to the dam on the west side. There was a gravel road, it's overgrown now.
I know people that live in the neighborhood behind the dam and Ive had permission to use someones yard to access the river for the past few years. We were talking back in the fall; they said there were a lot of people in the neighborhood that used to let fishermen use their yard but it got to be too much trouble. There were guys that had the nerve to take their 4 wheelers through someones yard, that only happened once or twice before the folks over there put a stop to it. 
I pack garbage out of there all the time. When guys fish at night there a lot of times theyll build a fireat the very least why not throw your garbage in the fire? Better yet, pick up some of the other garbage laying around and throw it in the fire too.


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Dandrews said:


> Better yet, pick up some of the other garbage laying around and throw it in the fire too.


That'd be too much like work. If you're going to have an illegal fire, you might as well trash the place up too, I always say.

I never understood how people get away with that, isn't a fire like a beacon to authorities saying, "Hey I'm blatantly breaking at least one law; if you walk over here and check I bet you'll find I'm breaking several more."


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

deltaoscar said:


> That'd be too much like work. If you're going to have an illegal fire, you might as well trash the place up too, I always say.
> 
> I never understood how people get away with that, isn't a fire like a beacon to authorities saying, "Hey I'm blatantly breaking at least one law; if you walk over here and check I bet you'll find I'm breaking several more."


The east side of the dam is in Hamilton, the west side is in St Clair Township; I think you can have an open fire in St. Clair Twnshp. People build fires on the east side too; I guess the police have other things to do than to site guys for building a fire on the river bank.


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

Dandrews said:


> The east side of the dam is in Hamilton, the west side is in St Clair Township; I think you can have an open fire in St. Clair Twnshp. People build fires on the east side too; I guess the police have other things to do than to site guys for building a fire on the river bank.


Meeeh...I got cited in 2006 for having a fire on the east side. I'd be careful!


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

@Treytd32 Wow, as much as it has rained and snowed lately that is surprising, and it looks like that land is in a low spot making it even wetter.

Is that a pig in the middle photo?


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

that's my dog lol she looks shiny and does look like a pig now that you mention it.

(better picture, coonhound/greyhound/harrier according to the dna test)








the ground was soaked, which is why only the one brush truck could get up with our help, but the grass was dry as a bone. The land sits in between the 2 highest points for miles so it is relatively low I guess but my land runs all uphill and this is the top field which is ~35 feet or so higher than the lower fields.

REPOST OF PICTURES:


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

If they had a bid fire at the B street dam the dollar figure might be big. Who knows it might do several hundred thousand dollars in improvements...


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

oldstinkyguy said:


> If they had a bid fire at the B street dam the dollar figure might be big. Who knows it might do several hundred thousand dollars in improvements...


Thats funny.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

treytd32 said:


> Did anyone see the idiots that set the west side of the dam on fire in the last couple years? The entire log jam pile was ablaze. Lucky the hill and field didn't go up as well.. those houses weren't out of reach either. Maybe their plan was to burn them all down for easier access lol


It seems like I remember hearing something about that, seems like it was a while back though. Is there any wonder why the neighborhood isn&#8217;t as fisherman friendly as it used to be?


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## rcjohnson (Dec 11, 2008)

imalt said:


> How long ago was that? I didn't even know there was a road that went to the west side of the dam.


It was probably in the 90's. One day they chased us away from the dam because they were practicing water rescue. I moved downstream and found what became my favorite spot on the GMR.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

The instance I'm thinking of was sometime in the last 3 years, Chris and my sister were on the other side of the dam when it went up. It only takes a couple of yayhoos to ruin something for everyone else.


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## AnglinMueller (May 16, 2008)

treytd32 said:


> The instance I'm thinking of was sometime in the last 3 years, Chris and my sister were on the other side of the dam when it went up. It only takes a couple of yayhoos to ruin something for everyone else.


Yeah I was just sitting there downstream a bit that night with my line out just doing some relaxing catfishing when i noticed a bright glow out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and the whole thing was on fire across the river. I don't know if they ever caught who did it or not though.


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## Cincyghosthunter (Jun 4, 2008)

The best way to cross over to the west side:


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

Cincyghosthunter said:


> The best way to cross over to the west side:


_Show off..._


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## wrastlnfeesh (Mar 30, 2009)

imalt said:


> I realize they have a lot of area to cover. But most abuse of regulations happens at dams and spillways. I always laugh when I see them on the main lake checking the boats on the lakes. I am not saying all boats are running legal but I would say you would have a higher chance catching a bank fisherman doing something illegal than anyone in a boat. Example beign there was a post on here last week about a game warden watching the cowan spillway. Now that they dredged the spillway and destroyed the fish that were down there they decide to watch it. They never worried about it when guys were keeping everything they caught back when there was a hole there. I realize they have a lot to try to do but it isn't that hard to find law breakers if you know where to look. And I would hope they would be smart enough to know where to look.


Big areas to cover, I agree. Why mess with boaters so much you inquired? My prediction on that is pure revenue. Not all, but many of the boaters that are out there probably have the money and personal responsibility to follow through with a citation (e.g., life preservers, fire extinguisher, expired tags, and etc.). Citing lower dam frequenters in Hamilton of all places (I know, I live there), would amount to nothing but a waste of paper the ticket was written on because they are not going to pay. However, if they were in the business of tracking down people with warrants out for their arrest, the east side of the dam is not a bad place to look. The Cowan Lake scenario makes sense from a governmental control standpoint as well. They know that after dredging the spillway it will now attract many more people thinking the fishing will be better contrary to what you said. They post up with binoculars and wait to target people to write citations. Regardless of what the personal philosophies Fish & Game officers have of their job, they still have to report to the powers that be...and that is the government. Even though many may want to clean up the 'trash' so to speak, their job responsibilities are bound by the control of our government. This is just my humble opinion and I could rant for pages. I will spare the readers. 

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

I was at the lower dam on a picture perfect day a couple years ago, it was packed. Maybe 10 people on top of the dam and the whole bank was lined with people all the way down the rocks. The west side had even more people all crowded around the island with some on top of the dam. I like many others stayed until just after dark. At this point the wildlife officers and policia began walking down the bike path checking everyone's licenses and in some cases gear. A couple guys on the dam grabbed their ish and took a brisk walk in the opposite way on the bike path. I saw 2 different fisherman have every rod and all of their tackle taken. An officer stayed up in the truck and was spotlighting the west side bank while another officer walked through the mass of people on that side checking their licenses. Several people ran for their fishing (or legal) lives when the spot light hit them. I've never seen a spectacle like it before in my life but would enjoy seeing it again lol


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