# ODNR Fish Report 5/23/07



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

May 23, 2007

CENTRAL OHIO
Hargus Creek Lake (Pickaway County) - Crappies are active in coves and around woody cover at this 140-acre lake. Use minnows suspended under a bobber or small jigs. A good number of bluegill and redear sunfish up to eight inches can be caught on wax worms in shallow areas this time of year. A large population of largemouth bass measuring from 12 to15-inches inhabits this lake with fish over 20-inches present. Largemouth bass can be caught on crankbaits, plastics tubes and creature baits. Note: there is a 15-inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass and only electric motors are allowed. 

Kokosing River (Knox County) - Ohios first water trail, this scenic river offers paddlers and anglers access to 28 miles of river fishing. Smallmouth bass and rock bass can be caught on small crankbaits and jigs. Sunfish, crappies, and catfish are present and offer good fishing. Maps and information are available from the Division of Wildlife at www.wildohio.com. 

NORTHWEST OHIO
Van Wert Reservoir #1 (Van Wert County)  Rainbow trout are being taken during the mornings. Fishing minnows on the bottom is working the best. The northeast corner of the reservoir is the hot spot for these trout. Bluegill are being taken during the mornings as well. Still-fishing with wax worms or night crawlers fished five to nine feet under a bobber is working great. The southeast corner of the reservoir is the best spot to get into these bluegills.

Charles Mill Lake (Richland County)  Excellent catches of crappie are being reported. Fishing minnows below bobbers is the best method. The hot spot is near the docks. Good catches of channel catfish have been reported as well. Fishing worms or night crawlers on the bottom is the preferred method.

Maumee River (Lucas and Wood Counties)  The water temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit and the water level is low. Fishing effort is light. Anglers are catching good numbers of white bass and a few walleye using 1/8 ounce jigs with bright colored twister tails or minnows. The best location to fish is the Buttonwood area in the deeper holes and faster water. The outlook for catching white bass is very good. Walleye should be in the river until around the end of May, but their numbers will continue to decline.

Sandusky River (Sandusky County)  The water temperature is 66 degrees Fahrenheit and the river level is low. The water is clear. Fishing effort is high. Anglers are catching fair numbers of white bass using small jigs or hooks tipped with minnows fished under bobbers. The best area is from the State Street bridge to the north in the deeper water. The best time seems to be the last two hours before dark. The white bass fishing should be great this week.

Reminders:

-Black bass season is closed, from May 1 through June 29, 2007; any caught must be 

released. 

-Walleye have a 15-inch minimum length limit for the entire season.

-Walleye daily bag limit is four (4) from March 1 through April 30, and six (6) from 

May 1 through the last day in February.

-Other Fishing Regulations pertaining to the walleye run are listed in the 2007-2008 

Fishing Regulations publication available where ever fishing licenses are sold or they

may be viewed at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/default.htm or simply do a 

search for Ohio Division of Wildlife.

-New 2007 fishing licenses are required as of March 1, 2007.

View sunrise/sunset table http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calend...;-5;1&month=3&year=2007&time_type=0&use_dst=1

NORTHEAST OHIO

Tappan Lake (Harrison County)  Angler fishing this 2,131-acre lake located on US 250 are catching mostly white bass and bluegills. White bass measuring 13 to 14-inches in size are biting on minnows. A large number of bluegills measuring seven inches or more are biting on wax worms and maggots in about seven feet of water. Please be advised there is a 299 horsepower limit and wheelchair accessible shoreline fishing facilities are available. 

Tuscarawas River near Massillon (Stark County)  Northern pike and smallmouth are being caught in this river. Pike are biting on larger shiners and baits under bobbers and smallmouth are biting on a wide variety artificial lures. 

Berlin Lake (Mahoning, Portage, and Stark counties)  This 3,280-acre lake is producing large catches of walleye mainly on the points and mud flats. Anglers using jig and crawlers are seeing good results. Larger fish are being caught by anglers using crankbaits on the points and near downed trees. Large crappies measuring up to 13-inches or more are still being taken near the feeder rivers and creeks in two to four feet of water

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Caesar Creek Lake (Warren County)  Muskie anglers patience is paying off - anglers reported catching a 45 and a 48-inch muskie last week. Try casting large bucktail spinners or jerk baits around standing or fallen timber in coves or along mainlake shorelines. If you catch a muskie, please report it to the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club using the envelopes located at the state park office, local bait shops, or contact the Wildlife District Five office. Crappies are being caught by anglers fishing four to six foot depths near woody cover. Best baits are live minnows fished under slip bobbers, small jigs with plastic twister tails, or tube jigs. Bluegill are beginning to spawn in the coves. Try using wax worms or red worms fished under a bobber. 

Stillwater and Great Miami Rivers (Miami and Montgomery Counties)  Anglers observed catching good numbers of eight to nine inch rock bass and bluegill along rocky, rip rap shorelines in both rivers. Try using small jigs, minnows, or wax worms. Anglers are also catching good numbers of 12 to 14-inch smallmouth bass on softcraws in both rivers. On the Great Miami River, try fishing below the lowhead dam above State Route 41 in Troy or below the lowhead dam in West Carrollton. On the Stillwater River a 15-inch minimum size limit and daily bag limit of one smallmouth bass is in effect in Miami County from State Route 718 downstream to Frederick-Garland Road.

Rocky Fork Lake (Highland County)  Crappies are being caught in 10 to 20 foot depths around brushy shorelines or fallen trees. Use minnows under slip bobbers for crappie. Bass fishing has been excellent this year. Try using spinner baits, jigs, or plastic worms around weed beds, fallen trees, or rocky shorelines in three to five foot depths. Anglers are beginning to catch saugeye. Anglers should see good numbers of 13 to 18-inch fish. Try casting or trolling crankbaits along dropoffs adjacent to flats. Also, try drifting with jigs tipped with minnows or bottom-bouncing night crawler rigs. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Lake Snowden (Athens County) - Largemouth bass have just moved off of spawning beds and anglers are beginning to have success catching bass using jig n pig and spinner baits. Redear sunfish have also been on and off the beds. Anglers using wax worms, meal worms and night crawlers fished under a bobber have been successful fishing for sunfish over submerged brush.

Hocking River (Athens County) - Below Whites Mill anglers have been catching good numbers of crappie by floating minnows under bobbers. For channel catfish try the tight-lining off the bottom with cut bait. 

Forked Run (Meigs County)  Channel catfish angling has been excellent in this 107-acre lake. Try tight-lining off the bottom using cut bait, chicken livers and night crawlers. Crappie have been caught in the six to nine inch range using minnows fished under a bobber about two feet from the bottom over and near submerged structure. This lake is stocked annually with catchable-sized rainbow trout. For trout fishing try brightly colored power bait or kernel corn fished on the bottom near the dam. 

LAKE ERIE 

**The yellow perch daily bag limit on Lake Erie has been reduced to 30 fish per day. The change in yellow perch bag limit occurred after the printing of fishing regulations brochure. The 2007-2008 fishing regulations brochure incorrectly lists the Lake Erie yellow perch bag limit as 40 fish per day, which has now been changed to 30.**

**From May 1 through June 29 black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass) are illegal to possess on Ohio waters of Lake Erie. It is legal to fish for black bass during the closed season, but any that are caught must me immediately released.**

**The walleye daily bag limit is six fish. The minimum size limit for walleye is 15-inches.**

**On May 16 the steelhead trout bag limit returned to five. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12-inches.**

Western Basin

Walleye fishing has been excellent in many areas of the western basin. In the far west the best fishing has been west of the Toledo shipping channel turnaround buoy and around K and L cans of the Camp Perry range. The islands area has also been excellent. Fish have been caught west of Green and Rattlesnake Islands, on Kelleys Island shoal and Gull Island shoal, from the west side of Kelleys Island to Mouse Island, and along the east shore of Kelleys Island. Worm harnesses have been very effective drifted behind bottom bouncers or trolled with inline weights or jet divers. Trollers have also had success with spoons on jets or dipsys, and with crankbaits.

Although most of the angling effort has been directed towards walleye plenty of opportunities exist to catch yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Remember that we are currently in the catch and release only season for smallmouth bass and the yellow perch daily bag limit has been reduced to 30 for the entire season.

Central Basin

Walleye have been caught trolling in 10 to 20-feet of water off Eastlake, Cleveland and Rocky River and along the piers at Eastlake and Cleveland at night using surface rapalas. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses, crankbaits and spoons.

Yellow perch fishing has been best in 30-feet of water off of Fairport Harbor and Chagrin. Perch have also been caught off of the piers in Lorain. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in harbor areas and in 15 to 25-feet of water along the shoreline in Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva and Fairport Harbor. Fish were caught on jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, tube jigs, or by trolling crankbaits.

Surface temperatures range from 57 degrees Fahrenheit off of Toledo to 55 degrees Fahrenheit off of Cleveland.

Steelhead- For recent updates on the steelhead fishery visit the Division of Wildlife steelhead web page at: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

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

Racine Dam (Meigs County)  Most of the tail waters of the Ohio River dams are in excellent fishing condition and will remain that way until a significant rainfall event. Anglers have been using a variety of baits including minnows, Rapalas and rooster tails to reel in smallmouth bass. For sauger try fishing jigs tipped with pearl or chartreuse twister tails and a minnow. Anglers have been successful fishing for catfish and hybrid striped bass using cut baits. Fishing activity has been most successful in the mornings before noon.


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