# Central Ohio spotted bass question?



## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Has anyone caught any spotted bass in the reservoirs around the central Ohio area? I've caught a few small ones in big walnut Creek, just wondering if they are anywhere else?


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

funny thats the only place ive caught any either. 10-13"


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

I don't know of any reservoirs where you could target spots on a regular basis. The only place I know of that has a good population of spots near central Ohio is the Muskingum River.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Ya I've only ever caught them in the creeks as well. Another place with a good population is paintcreek the actual creek,near Washington courthouse. Very pretty creek to...


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## jetboatbass (Dec 5, 2014)

Scioto I have never caught one over 15 inches


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Ya I've only ever caught them in the creeks as well. Another place with a good population is paintcreek the actual creek,near Washington courthouse. Very pretty creek to...


Have you floated it? Does it have decent access points?


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I catch them in some ponds that I fish. I do not like them. They don't get very big.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

look at the DNR waterway maps


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

There's a few in the lower-end of the Darby.

Blacklick Creek has a population too.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

acklac7 said:


> There's a few in the lower-end of the Darby.
> 
> Blacklick Creek has a population too.


Seems like it's mostly Scioto tributaries that have them in them.....just wondering where they were coming from, most likely the Ohio River.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

OnTheFly said:


> look at the DNR waterway maps


Can you send me a link?


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

supercanoe said:


> I catch them in some ponds that I fish. I do not like them. They don't get very big.


They somehow got introduced and overran a private pond I fish up in Mansfield. You can catch fifty in an afternoon, but they all run about a foot.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

Deazl666 said:


> They somehow got introduced and overran a private pond I fish up in Mansfield. You can catch fifty in an afternoon, but they all run about a foot.


Yep, that has been my experience as well.


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## CrappieTacos (Jun 22, 2010)

claytonhaske said:


> Seems like it's mostly Scioto tributaries that have them in them.....just wondering where they were coming from, most likely the Ohio River.


Yes, they are in the Ohio river and its tributaries. The closer you get to the Ohio, the more you'll likely find in the scioto. They're in Caesar creek reservoir too


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Clayton I havnt floated it. I was fairly young when I fished it...


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

I was able to catch a few consistently in the slack water created by a particular lay-down in one of my creek stretches. That tree has since washed away and took the spots with it.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

streamstalker said:


> Sounds like these ought to be considered pan fish. I'm sure I catch my share on the creeks, but I usually just classify them all as "green" bass and toss them back. I don't know anyone that's really excited about them.


Other than it being kind of a novelty, I agree; they're just not worth getting excited about this far north. Down south, however, with the different subspecies of spots and the fact they're more of them and bigger, I get it. Here's a pic of the Alabama subspecies:


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

claytonhaske said:


> Can you send me a link?


http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/where-to-boat/rivers-streams/sc/paint-creek


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## fishmeister (Jul 29, 2004)

Its a beautiful fish. Lots of fun on 4lb ultralight, and always willing to bite. Some parts of the Hocking River have very healthy populations of spots, with far greater numbers than smallies.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

post deleted


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## Foremanscotty (Aug 15, 2014)

Lake st Joseph near thornville has spots in it


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

streamstalker said:


> I've read reports on other sites where people believe the spots are crowding out the smallies on some flows.


I read the same thing, that's another reason I'm asking....I know they are not as prevent here as they are in the south, but know they are around. And it's crazy too, because, down south they seem to be a lake fish. But up here, they seem to be more of a creek/river fish.....


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## greatmiami (Feb 4, 2014)

A few winters ago I caught what I thought were largemouth out of the Hocking, thought it was odd catching them in current in the middle of winter. . . I'm thinking now it was spots. Anyone know if they are more active in the winter than largemouth?


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/spotted-bass/spotted-bass/


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

supercanoe said:


> I catch them in some ponds that I fish. I do not like them. They don't get very big.


I used to think the same thing. I have only caught them in ponds around me as weel. However, a local public pond was stocked half and half with spots and regular bass when it was built about 5 years ago. 

It was obvious to me that the spots were much more agressive than the regular bass and they grew much much faster, probably as a result of being more aggressive and eatimg everything in sight, IMO.

The spots were hitting the 2lb mark a year ahead of the regular bass. (That is observational info only). It was easly to guess what you caught before you even got it out of the water just judgimg by fight and general size for a while. However, as the pond is starting to mature some I have noticed that there is less difference between the larger (thinking older) bass. Bass over 2.5 lbs can be either but more often than not they are not spots and none of the the largest bass are spits that I have found. 

Since they've been mixed for several years now I don't bother checking to see which is which with the bass under 2lbs but IMO, I noticed that the spots often cruise in schools almost all the time. They also chase moving lures more so than the regular bass do. 

If I am tossing a crankbait, swimbait, or something similar, it will be a spot that hits it more often then not. The regular bass seem to like frogs and slow moving baits. 

What I do not understand is the top water preference. Buzzbaits and wakebaits seem to get regular bass moving. While the spots seem to like poppers and twitch baits? (My theory is that the Spots are in roving wolf packs and won't chase something down if its moving away from the pack, but a popper or twitch bait is sitting there and they'll smash it if it's not too far from the pack.)

There are exceptions to every rule, but thise are just my personal observations....


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

OK, so I was fishing the rip rap this morning at a well known central Ohio lake and was throwing a lip less crank bait and yo-yo'ing it back when I caught my PBS spotted bass. No measurement but I was say it was pushing the 3.5# mark....


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## fishmeister (Jul 29, 2004)

streamstalker said:


> Have you fished those areas for many years? I've read reports on other sites where people believe the spots are crowding out the smallies on some flows.


Yep, I've fished those areas on and off for the past 30 years. I've always caught spotted bass in the hocking river, especially from nelsonville down. I do believe I catch fewer smallmouth now than I used to. It's difficult to tell why though.


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

I've caught dink spotted bass in the Scioto south of Columbus and also at Caesar Creek Lake.

I love catching large spotted bass and have caught my biggest on KY Lake and Guntersville. I plan to someday head south to fish one of the Coosa River impoundments that have high quality spotted bass fisheries. 

Mr A-that's a largemouth and not a spotted bass.


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## jetboatbass (Dec 5, 2014)

I can't wait to get to the coosa river some day my self.I also think that looks like largemouth


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## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

Not to stirr up a debate but Mr A. Thats a largemouth with some nice color. Fyi for all. Some largemouth have a rough patch on their tongue. So its not the best way to determin whether it is a spot or not. In clear water its real easy to tell by color of the fish. Spots have more than a rough tongue. They have two distinct dark tooth patches.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

If I suspect a spot, I look for this patch on the tongue...


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

post deleted


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

OK, maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not. But that bass has a shallow notch between the dorsal fins, a tooth in the tongue (which I checked several times), and has dark spots on the scales below the lateral lines. Oh, and the back of the mouth did not extend beyond the back of the eye. What am I missing that tells you it's not a spot?


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

Mr A-not trying to insult you at all, but that is 100% not a spotted bass and is 100% a largemouth bass. Rather than point out any specific features that a spotted bass has, the best thing for you to do is google "Coosa river spotted bass" and "Guntersville spotted bass". Do both as they look a little different-different subspecies of spotted bass. The Guntersville variety will look close to any spotted bass that live in Ohio. Another google rec: "Barren River Spotted Bass". 

Finally, someone recently caught and posted a nice photo of a decent spotted bass he caught in an Ohio stream. Possible the lower Mad River or the Miami River. You'll see the differences between your largemouth and all of the spotted bass you'll see pretty quickly.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

i think i have caught 8-10 mostly wading the darby or paint creek. My largest though came from a quarry that was sometimes flooded by the darby. It was years ago about 2.5lbs on a shakey head worm. As was mentioned earlier most all of them I have caught are near wood or brush cover rather than rock.


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## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

bman said:


> Mr A-not trying to insult you at all, but that is 100% not a spotted bass and is 100% a largemouth bass.[\QUOTE]
> 
> I agree that it is 100 % largemouth bass even if it has a tooth patch or shallow gap on the fin. I also agree that there will be 10 pages of people arguing whether its a spot or largemouth. Lol. I always love the pike or musky threads.
> Mr A. I enjoy reading your posts so dont take this the wrong way but u caught yourself a nice largemouth. In 20 years of tournament fishing inland lakes across ohio i can only remember one spotted bass weighed in. It was at griggs. The spotted bass is as rare in central ohio lakes as the remainig walleye in hoover if there is any.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

post deleted


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## jetboatbass (Dec 5, 2014)

This is a scioto river spot from Ross county


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

jetboatbass said:


> This is a scioto river spot from Ross county


Yep. Nice one too! They are pretty fish and fight like crazy to boot


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