# Wishes Ohio had good bass lakes



## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

Seems like the only good bass waters are the farm ponds I fish. I've gone to several lakes around here and it's the same thing, no bass! I don't think we have enough people who practice catch & release or our DNR doesn't stock our lakes with bass. Does anyone else agree??


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## big red (Feb 4, 2010)

i know what you mean.at indian lake there is some type of bass tourney every weekend on it from mid-april till about the first of oct.that doesn't count the local club tourneys during the week.it usually only take a few pounds of bass to win one of these tourneys.at times there are so many bass fisherman on the lake you can't even put a boat in at the state launching ramps.no parking space.i've seen as many as a dozen boats hit the same channel within an hour.you don't see the cover around the lake as much as you use to,like when they(state) put in brushpiles for the crappies which really helped the bass.it's more of a suageye and catfish lake and pleasure boating lake anymore.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

WLAngler said:


> I don't think we have enough people who practice catch & release or our DNR doesn't stock our lakes with bass. Does anyone else agree??


ODNR does not stock Bass into any Ohio lakes or streams.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

try knox lake, or the scioto or olentangy. i usually get some every time i go to theses places.


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

This is the dog days of summer right now. Its tough all over. You just got to work harder to find them. These bass a feeding heavy on shad right now and with water temps up I am sure they are deeper. Just don't give up.

Don't blame the tourney's ... If you are finding the parking lots full you are not getting up early enought... (#1 reason for not getting any bass) 




Good luck
GarryS


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

> there is some type of bass tourney every weekend on it from mid-april till about the first of oct.that doesn't count the local club tourneys during the week


they release all the fish, and you can actually catch the release fish just a short time later if you tried for them.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Danshady said:


> they release all the fish, and you can actually catch the release fish just a short time later if you tried for them.


Prove it.


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

Thats why in my tournament the release area was voted off limites. I have seen guys not even fire up the big motor and win a tournament. If there is any kind of structure those fish might hold there for awhile. I feel everyone should have to go find bass. All release areas should be off limites during tournaments.

GarryS


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

GarryS said:


> Thats why in my tournament the release area was voted off limites. I have seen guys not even fire up the big motor and win a tournament. If there is any kind of structure those fish might hold there for awhile. I feel everyone should have to go find bass. All release areas should be off limites during tournaments.
> 
> GarryS


If that is the case then it sounds to me that tournaments during spawning are detrimental to bass reproduction. Do they hold bass tournaments during spawning?


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

I catch plenty of bass in the local reservoirs. I don't typically fish for them, and some days can't keep them off. This time of year is tough for all fish. Food is plentiful for them right now. Now it won't be like Bill Dance, but more like Oneill outdoors in most of ohio. I think the problem is fishing in highly pressured water. Fish become conditioned to lures they see constanly (in my opinion). Like others said, getting out before or after the rush, can make a big difference. We do,however, have one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the world, just to the north of us.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Indian Lake is a great bass fishery, why do you think they have so many tournaments?
If it wasnt any good they would hold them there
Yes Indian gets alot of pressure but still produces alot of bass.
Farm ponds are easier to catch fish in becuase you have a captive audience, alot less water to cover to find them and they arent under as much fishing pressure.
The fish are in our inland lakes you just have to put your time in on the water and learn to catch them


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

JamesT said:


> If that is the case then it sounds to me that tournaments during spawning are detrimental to bass reproduction. Do they hold bass tournaments during spawning?


Yes they do. Thats part of the reason I dont bass fish anymore, at least competitively. Most bass guys will slam someone for keeping a bass for the table yet everyone of them will pull a bass from a bed and put it in a livewell. Wonder what happens to those young? Sounds a little hipicritical to me!!


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## Rybo (Jul 23, 2009)

There are far more good bass waters, than there are good bass anglers.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

I've seen the small weights that it takes to win a tournament there. 2010 FLW BFL results, the winner had 5 fish weighing a total of 11 pounds 15 ounces.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

WLAngler said:


> I've seen the small weights that it takes to win a tournament there. 2010 FLW BFL results, the winner had 5 fish weighing a total of 11 pounds 15 ounces.


Hey thats just fishing, you can be on any body of water and get skunked on anyday.
I believe Salmoides last tourny on Indain was just under 16lbs and big bass was close to 5 1/2 lbs.
Not to shabby for a dead, empty lake with no fish??


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## TAG24 (Sep 29, 2005)

I agree with many of the replys here. We have good bass lakes, they just get a lot of pressure. This time of year is tough all over, although year-to-date I've had one of the best years over all in size and numbers. Maybe I'm just getting better at it... or maybe just more lucky!!!


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## TDFleischer (Apr 5, 2010)

farm ponds are easier because fish cant hide. Lakes are more difficult because you can fish areas with (literally) no fish. Lakes take more time and practice.


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## norseangler (Jan 8, 2009)

Like Slippy said, this is a tough time for about everything. And we may not have a lake to match Lake Fork, Barkley, Kentucky, etc., but we have some pretty good lakes. Try Piedmont, Knox, Burr Oak, Rush Creek, Hoover, Delaware, Pleasant Hill, Clear Fork, Leesville, Tappan and the AEP ponds. For lots of aggressive spotted bass, hit the Muskingum in the fall.


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Disagree, many good rivers, streams, lakes, just have to get to know the body of water and fish it. Ponds are a little easier to fish than a lake. I do agree with Rybo.


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

WLAngler said:


> Seems like the only good bass waters are the farm ponds I fish. I've gone to several lakes around here and it's the same thing, no bass! I don't think we have enough people who practice catch & release or our DNR doesn't stock our lakes with bass. Does anyone else agree??



Do your homework, learn the lakes and learn different lures and how to work them.... It took me long time to catch public waterway bass, once you do your homework and get it down then there will be no more homework.....


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

I don't know where WLAngler has been fishing but he's obviously not timing it right.I catch bass at several different places,it's the crappies that eldude me more often than not.I think Ohio has very good bass lakes,just gotta fish 'em.Like it was already stated,this is the tough time of the year.Everywhere I fish seems like the shad has had one hellava spawn.There's a ton of food to be eaten by all the top predators.Just wait til fall & be amazed at all the lil piggies that'll be caught.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

I'm curious too! Just where have you been fishing besides farm ponds? Or you fishing for easy locations?


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## Mykidsr1 (Mar 19, 2009)

Rybo said:


> There are far more good bass waters, than there are good bass anglers.




I have noticed that as well...


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

I was watching a fishing show and the guy caught a musky about 28" inches or so. When he unhooked it he dropped his twister tail into the water. He very gently released the musky. The musky hesitated a couple of seconds and BAM it hit that twister tail instead of swimming off. It wasn't a bass but after seeing this I was convinced the same fish can be caught over again.


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

Dog days of summer, fish are harder to catch. Go out to hoover, griggs or oshay in the spring and you realize how many bass there are. Slippy said it right, the pressure of all the bass fishing, conditions them to certain lures. Truth be told we are not in the southern states either.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

I've tried places like Clark Lake, 40 Acre Pond, Kiser Lake & O'Shaughnessy Reservoir. I'm hoping the fall brings me some bucket mouths.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

Maybe it's the algae blooms that have made it difficult this year.


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

Hey guy's I have switched to walleye but use to fish bass exclusivley for over 30 years and fished my fair share of tourneys. I am originally from Louisiana and have fished all over the US for bass mostly largemouth. 

One thing I can tell you on how to catch some big heavy stringers this time of year is to find the comfort zones of the bass. They like 68-72 degree water, cover/structure and food and oxygen. Find all of those and you will catch fish.

Where to look? If you fish a lake that has a thermocline you need not fish deeper than that because there is no oxygen below it and therefore no fish until the lake turns over which won't happen till the surface temps hit in the 60's usually. So you need to identify that level in your lake and not fish any deeper than that. Ok lets say it is 15' on a particular lake with max depth of say 28'.

What I would look for is channel banks around this depth of 15' which will hold bait, cooler water, oxygen and bass as well as structure and should be some cover too. Baits that I use this time of year are my favorite texas rigged plastic worms in 7" up to 10" sizes usually darker colors like purple, junebug, black/blue etc. Or jigs if you prefer them. Bass get lethargic at this time of year due to low oxygen and therefore won't move much usually to feed so go to them and give them a meal not a snack. Most shorline bangers are not even close to where the fish are. They are offshore on humps and channel breaks maybe primary points. 

Try some of this and see if you don't catch some very nice fish this time of year. PM me if you like I'll give you any information that I can offer I am more than happy to share information that I have learned over the years. 

FYI from 1974-1977 I was 14-17 years old and finished in the State top 6 in Louisiana every year those years. They called me "the Kid"  My original membership # to BASS was 521 I joined in 1972. I still love the fight of bass but I love to eat fish so I have switched to walleye


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

very impressive and great tips there iowa dave.

something to add to that.. in smaller lakes without a thermocline bass will go as shallow as possible if there is ample cover availible. the oxygen levels are higher in the shallows in most cases, especially around *growing* plantlife.


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

Newbreed that is correct and this is a favorite time of mine on those small lakes to fish buzzbaits and frogs over that "growing" grass cover. If the grass is dead move on and find green it does give off oxygen. In this scenario it is an early and late bite or even night bite that works best. Love the explosions on top  Heck even if you miss them it is fun. Don't forget trailer hooks on buzzbaits they are necessary as most fish will be caught on the trailer hook. Man I might have to go hit a farm pond or two getting me thinking of all that green slop on top.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

This has been one of my lucky topwaters this year. 
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Stanley_Buzz_It_Frog_/descpage-SBIF.html


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

Iowa Dave,

I learned to plastic worm fish on Vernon lake in LA, I've never seen so many 12" bass in my life. But, once in a while you could catch a hawg.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

some awesome bass fishing in the rivers, here's a real nice hole : [ame="http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.875734,-83.222691&spn=0.000724,0.000963&t=h&z=20"]Google Maps[/ame]


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

@littleking, how do you get to that hole??? Looks like you have to hike to get in there. I'm glad I joined this forum, you guys have a lot of great info & tips.


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## trail_boss2 (Jul 30, 2010)

Lol I can see this spiraling out of control now.


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## jjkc (Sep 1, 2010)

I like getting in my belly boat and floating around and tuck my self back into all the little coves in alum creek the bass are there you just have to work for them. If you caught fish every time you went out it would be called catching not fishing


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

going to be a punk as usual, tournament fishing has never been proven to be detrimental to spawning fish. theres a reason they dont stock bass, because they succsefuly spawn. taking a tiny percentage from the beds in the spring isnt going to hurt the population. i could point to a number of examples in the realm of humanity to act as an analogy but most of them would seem heartless and i dont want to offend the ogf family on a mass scale. i guess, just think of birth control, we have it, we use it, yet the population still continues to grow. just like bass.

#2 ----"it only took 11 lbs to win at indian". start fishing tournaments and then you can say that without people laughing at you. thats a number thats good enough to win alot of tournament in alot of states. it may not compare to the giant bags your pulling from farmer joes pond during the bassmaster classic going on in your head but if you started fishing tournaments for real, 11lbs is a number that you would pray for 90% of the time.

sorry to be a punk


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

Yeah...I agree with lordofthepunks....more than 2# average is some big fish! Most don't even know the size of a 2# fish? Also I don't tourney fish but I've heard of some big numbers at some that would be around the 3 or closer to the 4# average. We have great bass lakes in Ohio...just get out there an fish.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

lordofthepunks said:


> going to be a punk as usual, tournament fishing has never been proven to be detrimental to spawning fish. theres a reason they dont stock bass, because they succsefuly spawn. taking a tiny percentage from the beds in the spring isnt going to hurt the population. i could point to a number of examples in the realm of humanity to act as an analogy but most of them would seem heartless and i dont want to offend the ogf family on a mass scale. i guess, just think of birth control, we have it, we use it, yet the population still continues to grow. just like bass.


I agree with you 100%. I dont think catching spawning bass in the spring hurts the population to a large degree, with the exception at Erie where the Goby's feast on the fry. My comment was simply posted because all the tourny guys will defend fishing the spawn just as you have yet most will blast someone who keeps a bass. I dont have a problem with either but I dont really see a difference in the two. How is it fair to say its okay to fish the spawn and pull those fish from beds and put them in a live well for 8 hours while the young are left unattended but its not okay to eat a bass if you choose?


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## Cavs1123 (Sep 2, 2010)

Lake erie!!!


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

BassBlaster said:


> I agree with you 100%. I dont think catching spawning bass in the spring hurts the population to a large degree, with the exception at Erie where the Goby's feast on the fry. My comment was simply posted because all the tourny guys will defend fishing the spawn just as you have yet most will blast someone who keeps a bass. I dont have a problem with either but I dont really see a difference in the two. How is it fair to say its okay to fish the spawn and pull those fish from beds and put them in a live well for 8 hours while the young are left unattended but its not okay to eat a bass if you choose?


there is a difference but its splitting hairs. i do agree that its all about opinion and i am one of those that believe in catch and release. to me the difference is the bass that end up in a frying pan are already survivors, they made it past the dangers of infancy.

its a lame argument, i get that, but a fully grown trophy is far more important to me then some frye that number in the billions.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

NewbreedFishing said:


> This has been one of my lucky topwaters this year.
> http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Stanley_Buzz_It_Frog_/descpage-SBIF.html


Looks like an old Herb's Dilly. I still have one--might have to dust it off.
http://basspundit.blogspot.com/2008/12/herbs-dilly.html


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## leenco12 (Sep 5, 2010)

timmyv said:


> Yeah...I agree with lordofthepunks....more than 2# average is some big fish! Most don't even know the size of a 2# fish? Also I don't tourney fish but I've heard of some big numbers at some that would be around the 3 or closer to the 4# average. We have great bass lakes in Ohio...just get out there an fish.



going to be a punk as usual, tournament fishing has never been proven to be detrimental to spawning fish. theres a reason they dont stock bass, because they succsefuly spawn. taking a tiny percentage from the beds in the spring isnt going to hurt the population. i could point to a number of examples in the realm of humanity to act as an analogy but most of them would seem heartless and i dont want to offend the ogf family on a mass scale. i guess, just think of birth control, we have it, we use it, yet the population still continues to grow. just like bass.


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## jignut (Feb 14, 2005)

I once caught a bass in august with a bloody tail from fanning out a spawning bed.
I asked an old time fisherman why it spawned so late and he said a bass will continue to spawn if interrupted by being caught. 
Evidently this one had been caught through several moon cycles that year.


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## jbm_11 (Sep 7, 2010)

NI have heard in very rare cases bass will spawn more than once, depending on how early they initially spawned and the water temp as it gets later in the year.


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