# ODNR Fishing Report 4/19/06



## Big Daddy

WildlifeNews 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

April 19, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO

Delaware Lake (Delaware County)  Excellent fishing opportunities exist here for crappie anglers in one of Ohios top crappie lakes. The best fishing is around woody shoreline cover now through early June. Use small marabou jigs, plastic grubs and minnows suspended beneath a bobber in these areas. Keeper crappies must measure at least nine inches. This is the best time of year to take white bass as the spawning run moves upstream in the Olentangy and Whetstone portions of the lake. Fish for saugeyes in the tail waters below the dam and on the flats south of Cap Cole Bay.

Hargus Creek Lake (Pickaway County) - A good population of largemouth bass measuring eight to 15 inches, with some bigger individuals, can be found at this 132-acre lake near Circleville. Largemouth bass must be 15 inches or larger to keep. Anglers should fish woody cover with a minnow or plastic crappie grubs suspended by a bobber for crappie in the seven to nine inch range. Channel catfish can also be taken using chicken liver, cut bait, shrimp, or night crawlers fished on the bottom. Electric motors only. 

NORTHWEST OHIO

Maumee River (Wood and Lucas Counties)  The water temperature is 57 degrees and the water is slightly turbid. Anglers can easily wade to Blue Grass Island. Anglers are taking walleye and white bass. Early morning times have been best. Walleye in the 1825 inch range are being caught from Orleans Park to Waterville with the best areas around Ft. Meigs, White Street, and Orleans Park. Smaller walleye are being caught around Buttonwood, Blue Grass Island, and Jerome Road. Anglers are using floating jig heads with bright colored twister tails  red, green & yellow. Outlook for this week is excellent.

Sandusky River (Sandusky County)  The water temperature is 60 degrees and the river is low and clear. Anglers are taking white bass using minnows under bobbers. The best area is around the Sand Docks. Anglers are also taking some walleye using lead head and floating jigs with bright colored twister tails. The best area is around Roger Young Park. Outlook for this week is good.

Reminder: 15 minimum size limit for walleye for entire season. The daily bag limit has increased to 4 this year from March 1 through April 30. The limit increases to 6 after April 30 when the prime spawning period is over for walleye. Single hook restrictions have changed in Maumee Bay and Sandusky Bay. Map showing the boundaries for the single hook regulation may be found on the Division of Wildlife web page at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/default.htm or simply do a search for Ohio Division of Wildlife. See the 2006-2007 Ohio Fishing Regulations brochure for a complete listing of all fishing regulations. New 2006 fishing licenses are required as of March 1, 2006.

For Walleye Run reports on the Maumee and Sandusky rivers, visit: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/fishing/freport/walleyerunreport.htm

Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County)  The water temperature is 54 degrees and the water is clear. The water level is low. Walleye in the 15-18 inch range are being caught in the early morning. Nightcrawlers and leeches are the best bait. The area around the island seems to be producing the best results.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Killbuck Creek (Wayne County) - Anglers are catching northern pike up to 36 inches long in the feeder streams and log jams of Killbuck Creek. While pike are hitting in the creek throughout the wildlife area, the whole course of the stream proves to provide successful results. The best baits are large, live minnows or chubs and there is no bag limit these long, slender fish. Anglers are encouraged to determine if a stream bank is on public land or private before fishing outside the wildlife area. If private, please obtain written permission before fishing. 

Beach City Reservoir and tail-waters (Tuscarawas County)  Bluegill, saugeye, crappie, and bullhead catfish are all keeping anglers very busy at this nearly 200-acre lake located on U.S. 250, one mile west of S.R. 21. Earthworms and wax worms are the baits of choice for bluegill, live minnows for crappie and saugeye, and stink bait or chicken livers for the bottom-dwelling catfish. Ten to 15 inch saugeye are also found on the bottom and fishing with jigs of any color seems to be best when tipped a minnow or nightcrawler. Bluegill (ranging 5 to 8 inches) and crappie (ranging 7 to 10 inches) are associated with woody cover like dead branches underwater. Anglers are best focusing on the tail-water area below the dam, as the reservoir has been completely filled in with sediments for a number of years now. The boat ramp, as a result, is not officially open. Boaters should proceed with extreme caution. Horsepower limit is 10. 

SOUTHWEST OHIO

ADAMS LAKE (Adams County)  Anglers are catching trout by using waxworms, Berkley PowerBait, or corn as bait on a #4 or #5 long-shanked hook. Cast into areas with submerged trees and brush. Keep the bait about two to three feet deep. 

GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS (Mercer and Auglaize counties)  Channel and flathead catfish are being caught using a long-shanked hook baited with chicken livers, cut bait, and earthworm. Fish in areas near the shoreline and keep the bait near the bottom. Let the bait drift with the current or use a slip bobber. Bluegill are being caught using a #10 sized hook baited with redworms or wax worms or jigs with chartreuse plastic bodies. Fishing is good on the south side of the lake. Cast into channels, along the pier, and from the shoreline into areas with rocks or brush. Keep the bait about one to two feet deep. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Salt Fork Lake (Guernsey County)  Water levels are back to normal and temperature has been in the upper 50 degrees over the weekend in this 2815 acre lake. Now is the perfect time of year to fish for crappie around submerged brush piles and structure using pink and chartreuse twister tails tipped with a minnow. Most crappie are in the nine to 10 inch range with some fish up to 14-inches being taken. Anglers reported good catches of crappie along with some walleye and saugeye when fishing from the Morning Glory Ramp toward the dam and at the covered bridge. A few channel cats up to 20 inches are also being taken on minnows and night crawlers fished near shore. 

Wolf Run Lake (Noble County)  The crappie bite is starting to pick up at this 220-acre lake near Caldwell. Try small spinners in six to eight feet of water around submerged structure. Structure location is marked with orange paint or tags along the shore. Successful anglers reported catching crappie in the seven to nine inch range. Wolf Run Lake has a 10-horsepower limit.

LAKE ERIE 

The walleye daily bag limit is 4 fish through April 30. A 15" minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. Lake Erie black bass (smallmouth and largemouth bass) are closed to possession (catch and release only) May 1 through June 23. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 5 before May 1 and after June 23. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14". See the 2006 regulations brochure for specific hook restrictions and closed areas pertaining to tributary and bay fishing during the walleye runs in March and April. The steelhead trout bag limit is 2 through May 15 and increases to 5 on May 16. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.

Limits of walleye have been caught on jigs in Maumee Bay, nearshore from Crane Creek to K can of the Camp Perry firing range, and on the reefs of the Camp Perry firing range. Purple hair jigs and chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows have been productive. Large walleye have been caught by trollers from A to C cans of the Camp Perry firing range and NW of Kelleys Island. Most trollers are using minnow-imitating stick baits behind inline planer boards fished in the top half of the water column, but worm harnesses are also starting to catch some fish.

Yellow perch fishing has been excellent. Limits of perch were caught south of Kelleys Island towards Marblehead and Cedar Point. Most perch have been 8 to 10 inches with many up to 13 inches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most perch.

For Steelhead fishing information visit: http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Fishing/fairport/steelhead.htm

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 43 to 51 degrees.

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

Greenup Dam (Scioto County)  Just below the Greenup Dam fishing access, anglers are having success fishing for hybrid striped bass and white bass. Try white, yellow or green grubs; two and a half to three inch artificial shad; or small live shiners and shad. Cast into current and bounce bait along the bottom of the river from the shoreline  the access walkway and the rip-rap are both good spots. Many anglers caught hybrid stripers and white bass in the 10 pound-range last weekend. River temperature is nearing the 60 degree mark, and water levels remain high with current rainfall conditions.

Racine Dam (Meigs County)  Anglers had great success over the weekend fishing for crappie, sauger, white bass and channel catfish. For crappie and sauger, try using lead jigs with yellow rooster tails fished shallow from the shore at night below the tailwaters. White bass are hitting on inline spinners and metallic jigs. For catfish, fish cut bait on the bottom near the sandbar. Access the tailwaters off State Route 338, five miles south of Racine.


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