# Lima/Delphos Area



## catsnbass (Mar 18, 2010)

I have been fishing around the Lima and Delphos area most of my life. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good cat spots around here...primarily Delphos, though. I usually hit a few ponds and the rivers around here but would like to find a spot where the cats are....well...bigger.


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## bigfish83 (Sep 14, 2009)

Assuming you fish the Auglize, you need to head north. The river is much bigger after the ottawa and blanchard join it, so are the catfish


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## Lynxis (Sep 21, 2009)

Biggest cats around your area that i know of is Bressler Reservoir.

North west side is deeper than the rest of the north side by about 5-10 feet.

Seen many big cats taken on the north side.

See alot of people fish the north east side.

If I were you and after big cats, id hit the Northwest side with some shad or mountain oysters.

I know you were asking about ponds or rivers but, i guess you take what you can get.


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

I forget the road where I caught a couple of 6 pounders last year. I know the road follows the auglaize....it had a little pulloff where the road that followed the river dead ended into another road. OK I remember it was dogleg road heading south where it crosses piquad rd. I left bresslers with a 5 pounder because the wind got to strong and headed to the river to get out of the wind. My first cast I caught a 6 pounder, 30 minutes later I caught another 6 pounder.


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

I primarily fish bresslers for big cats and have the best luck on the northeast side because the wind is usually coming out of the west. They are usually always 3 pounds and larger. Cats love the wind churned water!


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## catsnbass (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks pretty helpful...and I know exactly the spot on piquad and dogleg...in fact me and a buddy of mine were down there last friday...just checking it out...mainly to see if we could get our small jon boat in the water down around there. I actually used to fish that when i was just a boy...can;t really remember how good it was though.


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## catsnbass (Mar 18, 2010)

anybody know how deep that part of the auglaize is approx. anywhere around this area (Delphos/Lima)...just curious if its even worth trying to get the boat out in it


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## bigfish83 (Sep 14, 2009)

The river around that area varies a lot in depth, the piquad rode hole runs up to 8 ft deep. Some of the areas are a riffle/pool pattern and some are just long pools that usually run 1 1/2'- 3 ft. I have a 10' flat bottom john boat and have trouble with the trolling motor hitting the bottom when its all the way up against the boat. Usually i stick to smallies and rock bass around the lima/delphos area and head north for the bigger cats.


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## carterfish (Sep 9, 2007)

catsnbass said:


> I have been fishing around the Lima and Delphos area most of my life. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good cat spots around here...primarily Delphos, though. I usually hit a few ponds and the rivers around here but would like to find a spot where the cats are....well...bigger.


 Try Bresslers. Here in a few weeks. I catch way too many fishing for walleye from the bank with leeches.


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

Bresslers is by far the best place in the Lima/Delphos area to fish channel cats.
Don't be afraid to try live or cut bluegill either. As someone also said earlier leeches can do the job as well. Poor weather = cats + eyes.


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## Curly (May 15, 2006)

Yah...in a month or so, I use nothing but cut suckers and creek chubs.....they love them! I have better luck with chubs then cut bluegill....but thats my style....lol.


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## Funovit (Apr 2, 2010)

There are several pretty deep holes in the Auglaze where they mined the limestone to form the bridges years ago... A couple that I can think of are 1/4 miles south of the State Route 30 bridge, just before you get to the weed beds, and the other is to go to Ft. Jennings, take SR 190, then take the first right after the hard left... I think the hole is just north of the bridge. Both spots are much better later in the season, right after a really hard rain, when the water is muddy and up a couple of feet!


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## Spidey2721 (Apr 6, 2005)

yea dont just happen upon one of these holes while wading. not fun.


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## Funovit (Apr 2, 2010)

Spidey2721 said:


> yea dont just happen upon one of these holes while wading. not fun.


LOL! I remember when I was a kid, wading at night looking for frogs north of Ft. Jennings... Stepped off the edge and went straight down! Had to be at least 10' deep!


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## bigfish83 (Sep 14, 2009)

Funovit said:


> LOL! I remember when I was a kid, wading at night looking for frogs north of Ft. Jennings... Stepped off the edge and went straight down! Had to be at least 10' deep!


I know that exact hole, a buddy and i actually fished about a 100' upstream of it yesterday. He was watching me get a bite on one of my poles and not his own, next thing i know i see his pole fly through the air then rocket through the water. We were both more disappointed he lost the fish than losing his pole.


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## Dolemite1973 (Apr 13, 2010)

There are several spots in Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, And Putnam counties to fish.

The rock quarry next to the columbus grove pool is said to have some of the largest catfish in this part of the state. That quarry is over [ 90 FEET ] in depth. I caught some creek chubs from the creek next to it one night. I put a twelve inch chub on a huge hook on a twelve inch float bobber. I caught a 7" long channel cat on it. The cat was on the hook right next to the chub. A friend of mine said he had a catfish on the line that was over four feet in length. When the big monster got near daylight , it turned and snapped his line and pole and went straight to the dark depths. If you go there, snag some chubs from the creek and fish the north side of it. BEWARE--There are huge four inch diameter pipes shooting out of the walls under neath the steps, and the big fish my friend had on the line was over in that area. The friend said he used a red and white striped spoon bait and dropped it to the bottom and started reeling up slow when he hooked that whale.



Bresslers is one of the best spots for public fishing. If you go to the water department on east north street and ask them for the under water map of bresslers you will see the deep ends and the sand bars. On the south side of bresslers to the left of the pump house where the bank bends is the best spot I have found yet. It is about twenty feet of water with a sand bottom that arches outward and goes deeper, it is a huge ledge that drops off. If you can park over that ledge in a boat you will be very busy reeling them in. The water temp sunday was 51 degree's so they are starting to stir.

Ferguson's is a very good spot to get some cats. On the east to the right of the cat tails is all sand bottom and I have pulled ten pound plus blue cats from out of there on a blue gill live rig, the one with the brass and glass beads. If you walk the divider between metzgers and ferguson's and the right hand turn is a good spot. Stop at the turn and fish due south, but beware there is a lot of stumps still out there as it looks deep it is shallow around like eight feet of water. Those stumps will test your patience, it is like playing vegas craps with your line. 

The dam in Defiance,Ohio is where all the big boy catfish are around here. Mainly flat heads with live rig in excess of thirty pounds. Go to the dam and catch some silver shad, or ( Scunion ) as my friend Asa calls them, and then head south of Independence Dam for you your fishing. BEWARE--The current is very strong and somewhat deep and there are large trees and other debri that will snag you. I use a egg sinker and steel leader for that river.

BAIT

you have several bait choices but I always bring at least five. I start in this order:

1.-Shrimp-Frozen UNCOOKED shrimp is the best bait I have found yet. If you let it sit in the sun for 3 hours, then hit it with some hot sauce and limburger cheese dip, you cannot go wrong. Plain shrimp works well too. The best thing I think is you can buy a bag from pick-N-Save in Van Wert for 8$, and get a tupperware container and put ten frozen shrimp in it, when you get to the fishing spot you simply throw some water in the container, get your gear set up and by that time the shrimp only takes 5 minutes to be fully thawed and ready to go.

2.Chicken Liver- Panty hose and treble hook, enough said on that one.

3.Worms-Several things fall into this category. Slugs, snails, red worms, maggots, etc.

4.Live Bait- Anything like bluegill, creek chubs,etc.

5.Bubble Gum- Hubba Bubba Banana strawberry has worked well. 


I plan on going this weekend if the weather is nice up to the dam. Those flat heads are to much fun to fight with.





Dolemite:G!$


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