# Salt Fork



## keith772 (Apr 19, 2014)

Have not been down that way since end of june. Has anyone been there recently? anyone do any good? Might head down that way this weekend


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## deadbetty01 (May 17, 2004)

Just a heads up...Water is about 4ft low. They are having problems with the dam again...a lot of stuff that is normally fishable is out of water.

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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

I just booked a campsite at salt fork for this weekend and will be heading up that way with the kayak. Anyone have a general direction Might want to focus in if I am bass fishing and leaving the ramp from the campground area? Also any recommendations for a good bank fishing spot for cat fishing with my daughter. 

Not looking for specifics I have never been to the lake before and in a kayak probably won't have the time to feel out the lake due to the size of it. Also how has the water being down affected the fishing?


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## turkeyt (Apr 13, 2006)

The cabin area is good area for most species plus no wake for a good ways up past to behind the lodge. You can put in by the cabins also. Check maps for the no wake zones so you won't get swamped by the full throttle crowd.


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## Fish Tale (Apr 12, 2004)

does anybody know if the ramps at the camp grounds would handle an 18 ft. boat with the water being so low?
or are the other ramps any better?


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## casual_observer (Dec 14, 2012)

You shouldn't have any trouble launching Fish Tale. The water was not 4 foot down. It was only a foot low and now is only like 3/4 of a foot low with the rain. I live close and was at the park today and talked to someone at the office.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

turkeyt said:


> The cabin area is good area for most species plus no wake for a good ways up past to behind the lodge. You can put in by the cabins also. Check maps for the no wake zones so you won't get swamped by the full throttle crowd.


Thanks for the info. I looked up the cabin area and s found the boat ramp. It looks like there is a few different access points so that is nice.


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## shroomhunter (Aug 6, 2004)

I was there 2 weeks ago and the lake looked normal pool to me, never left cabin bay and caught fish pretty much all day. Nothing big, perch, gills, a smallie, a couple largemouth, perch and some very young saugeyes. The bonus of the day was the 33 inch muskie that hit a crankbait, it was released unharmed....darn those things smell.

So is it true they are having issues with the dam again?


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

shroomhunter said:


> I was there 2 weeks ago and the lake looked normal pool to me, never left cabin bay and caught fish pretty much all day. Nothing big, perch, gills, a smallie, a couple largemouth, perch and some very young saugeyes. The bonus of the day was the 33 inch muskie that hit a crankbait, it was released unharmed....darn those things smell.
> 
> So is it true they are having issues with the dam again?


Now that sounds like fun! I have always wanted to catch a Muskie out of a kayak!


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## casual_observer (Dec 14, 2012)

shroomhunter, they said they lowered it a foot for an inspection at the dam and spillway. They said there are no problems, except not enough rain to bring it back up to normal.


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## shroomhunter (Aug 6, 2004)

casual_observer said:


> shroomhunter, they said they lowered it a foot for an inspection at the dam and spillway. They said there are no problems, except not enough rain to bring it back up to normal.


Took me awhile to track down the Smallies after the last big drawdown a few years back. Thanks again for the reply, much appreciated.


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## BABS (Feb 4, 2005)

I guess I will put in my "two cents" here regarding the lake level. I fished tha lake on 8/14/14 and was going to launch at the cabin area. I have a 16' Polar Kraft fishing boat and when I went to back down the ramp I would have had at least a 4' drop to get in and or 4' climb to get out of the boat to the ramp. I ended up using the Sugar Tree Marina ramp. I fished the lake a few weeks ago and it may be about 1' higher yesterday. Cambridge supposedly got 4" of rain earlier this week. If this is true the lake should have been at least 2-3' higher then what it was yesterday. There is no doubt that the lake is at least 3-4' lower then normal at this time of the year. I am not sure what is going on with the dam but someone is letting water out of the lake for one reason or another.

Just my opinion. Good luck fishing.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

Well I went out with my daughter this morning for a few hours and launched by the cabins. Ii will say this it absolutely gorgeous however I got skunked big time and never even got a nibble. I was dealing with her a lot but man it looked like that place should have had some fish. Still had a blast taking my 8 year old out in her new yak though. It was only her second time out but she did excellent.


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

No one can seem to find the truth about the lake draw down. Everyone I talk to has a different story. Well the fishing spots I fish all summer has it of bank exposed. So I was curios in how much the lake was down. Everyone said 1 ft. I thought there is no way. So I did a measurement with a tape measure and a piece of Dacron line. Figured out the angle of the bank. What I came up with was around 2.5 ft low. I spend a lot of time at salt fork fishing through the year. The water is usually up to the weeds there. .










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## buckeyebrian26 (Nov 10, 2013)

I spoke with Mike Greenlee of the odnr and he said they lowered it no more than two feet and it was supposed to come back up. Which it has. On a side note, saugeye are not doing as well there compared to Seneca and Piedmont and they think it may have to do with shad production. It has been getting leftover saugeye plantings is what he told me. Fyi


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

To many shad or not enough?


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## buckeyebrian26 (Nov 10, 2013)

Not enough was what he told me. I mark big bait balls all the time so I don't know.


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

Me to. Kinda weird. 


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

I can't possibility see how there aren't enough shad in salt fork, I was there in May for two days and every inch of shoreline boiled over with shad. Must have been millions easy.


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## buckeyebrian26 (Nov 10, 2013)

They should just go back to walleye. They are stocked in the northern and southern part of the state, but central ohio gets saugeye. I don't understand it.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

the saugeye fishing was great this year. Our club tournament had big bags, it took a 25lb bag for first place. I saw a lot of quality fish this year fishing that lake.


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## G3guy (Feb 21, 2013)

buckeyebrian26 said:


> They should just go back to walleye. They are stocked in the northern and southern part of the state, but central ohio gets saugeye. I don't understand it.


Where in southern Ohio are walleye stocked??


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

There used be walleye in salt fork years ago. I haven't seen any caught in a long time. 


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

G3guy said:


> Where in southern Ohio are walleye stocked??


Not really southern ohio, but CJ Brown has Walleye stocked.


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## Search4eyes (Sep 16, 2013)

We had a cabin at the lake this weekend. Didn't find a bunch of toothy fish but we managed 2 small 10" saugeye, one 16" saugeye, and one NICE 22" walleye! Also caught a mixed bag of bass and cats.


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## Search4eyes (Sep 16, 2013)

All fish were released after pictures and swam off!


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