# ODNR Fish Report 9/13/06



## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Wildlife News  
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife

The Fish Ohio Report

September 13, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO
Griggs Reservoir (Franklin County)  Bluegill can be caught throughout the reservoir on worms fished under a bobber. Both below the dam and above the dam to OShaughnessy, anglers are catching some rock bass and smallmouth bass. Try using spinner baits and shallow running crankbaits. As the water gets cooler, the fishing will pick up. Most bass will measure between 12 and 16 inches. Try the east shoreline when seeking channel catfish. Use night crawlers or chicken livers fished on the bottom.

Rush Creek Lake (Fairfield and Perry counties) - Plenty of carp are available, look for weed beds to hold the most fish. Largemouth bass are becoming more active now and will continue to do so as the water cools. They can be caught on spinner baits and jerk baits fished near shoreline wood and weeds. Crappie can be caught around heavy wood cover using minnows under slip-bobbers. Channel catfish can be taken using night crawlers and cut baits fished near the lake bottom. There is a 10 horsepower limit at this lake.

NORTHWEST OHIO
Pleasant Hill Reservoir (Richland County) - Crappie and catfish fishing has been very good. Anglers are using minnows fished under slip bobbers in eight to 12 feet of water near downed trees. Channel catfish up to 20 pounds are being caught on shad or shrimp, and drifting in a boat across flats.

Charles Mill Reservoir (Richland County) - Fishing for channel catfish has been very good for shore and boat. Night crawlers or cut baits have worked the best. The best area has been Mud Lake area, around the marina.

Killdeer Reservoir (Wyandot County) - Walleye reaching lengths of 15 to 18 inches and hitting on night crawlers or leaches, fished around the islands in the early morning. Channel catfish are hitting on night crawlers along the west shore.

Sandusky River (Seneca and Wyandot Counties) - Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in the Sandusky River during morning and evenings. Any of the deep pools or overhanging bank will probably be holding smallmouth. Anglers are using floating crawdad spinner baits or ¼-ounce jigs with twister tails.

Huron River (Huron County) - Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent in the Huron River in the morning and evenings. Any of the deep pools will probably be holding smallmouth. Anglers are using small jigs and spinners and casting.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Ladue Reservoir (Geauga County)  While fishing for most species has been slow in this 1,475-acre lake located one mile east of Auburn Corners on U.S. Route 422, channel catfish are keeping anglers spirits up. As a matter of fact in 1992, the 38-pound state record channel catfish was actually caught in this northeast Ohio lake! Good numbers of catfish are being caught on a wide variety of baits such as shrimp, chicken or beef liver, worms, and cut bait for bottom fishing, or throw in some stink bait for the cats to bite, whether homemade (form a mixture of cheese, decayed meat or minnows, animal blood, oats, flour, and anise into small balls) or commercially prepared. Remember, catfish are opportunistic feeders so you can try night crawlers, animal entrails, frogs, grasshoppers, clams, crayfish, and also artificial baits such as plugs, spoons, jigs, spinners and plastic worms. Catfish have small eyes and a keen sense of taste/smell compared to many other fish, so think big, colorful, and smelly. Always keep your bait geared to the size of fish that you would expect to catch and get your hook close to the bottom where catfish spend 90 percent of their time. One more thing: catfish like to get their mouths on the bait, so youll likely feel some nibbling before the fish takes the bait. Have patience and youll land a mess of keeper-sized fish or maybe a new record! A total of 5,770 channel catfish averaging nine inches were stocked in 2004. 

Shreve Lake (Wayne County)  Channel catfish are keeping anglers reels busy all over northeast Ohio right now and at Shreve Lake, this is no exception. Although this body of water is small (60-acres), shoreline access and catfish are abundant. Channel catfish have been stocked in good numbers during alternate even-numbered years. Approximately 1,500 yearling catfish are to be stocked this fall, following the last stocking of 1,518 yearling fish in 2004. See LaDue Reservoir above for details on fishing for catfish. Shreve Lake is located one mile west of Shreve, north of State Route 226. A boat launching ramp is accessible from Township Road 316 on the southeast corner of the lake (electric motors only please). A fishing pier, designed for people with disabilities, is located near the boat launching ramp. 



SOUTHWEST OHIO
Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize and Mercer counties)  Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using night crawlers, cut shad, or chicken liver as bait. Fish the bait along the bottom of the lake. Anglers are having great success with #2/0 and #4/0 sized circle hooks. Keep the bait along the sides of underwater structure such as stumps. Bluegills are being a caught by anglers using wax worms as bait. Keep the bait under a bobber and near the bottom. Fish the bait along the shore, near any type of structure including the rocky areas and seawalls, and into the channels. Crappies are being caught in the shallow channels by anglers using wax worm or minnow jigs as bait. Yellow perch are being caught with a minnow on a hook. Fish the bait six-inches off of the bottom. Largemouth bass are being caught by anglers using worms, spinner baits and crankbaits in the back of the bays. Shad colored variations, chartreuse, glitter green, or pumpkinseed colored lures are working well.

Rush Run (Preble County)  Channel catfish are biting on night crawlers or chicken liver fished on a floating rig  just a hook, sinker and a bobber. Set the bait about eight to 10 feet deep and fish during the late evening or early morning hours. Fishing for channel catfish is productive anywhere in the lake. Bluegills are being caught by anglers using wax worms as bait. Fish the bait about eight feet deep. 



SOUTHEAST OHIO

Lake Vesuvius (Lawrence County Anglers have had some success fishing for largemouth bass in the early mornings and late evenings using buzzbaits, crankbaits and four to six inch pearl or white worms.

Muskingum River (Muskingum County)  Catfish have been reeled in at the Y-bridge, Riverside Park and Putnam Landing using gold fish, cut baits and chicken livers.

Dillon Lake (Muskingum County)  Anglers have had success catching for largemouth bass in the 14 to 16 inch range using crankbaits or jigs with black and yellow worms. 

Hanging Rock (Lawrence County)  Fish for largemouth bass in the early mornings or late evenings using four to six inch plastic worms or Rapalas. Fish for bluegill near cover or weedbeds. Bluegill up to eight inches have been caught on night crawlers or meal worms. 

Monroe Lake (Monroe County)  fish for bluegill using wax worms suspended under a bobber at three to four feet. Average bluegill catch has been fair with many fish measuring six to eight inches. Largemouth bass have been hitting soft plastic baits and crankbaits. Largemouth in the 12 to 14 inch range were caught over the weekend.

LAKE ERIE 
**The walleye daily bag limit is six fish. A 15-inch minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is five. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14-inches. The steelhead trout bag limit is now two. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12-inches.**

Winds and rains have caused the lake to become muddy. Fishing should improve as the lake settles down and the water clears.

Western Basin

Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers are switching to perch fishing. As the lake recovers from dirty waters, walleye fishing should improve. Some success has been reported north of B and C cans and north of Rattlesnake Island. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the Western Basin and should improve as we head into fall. Over the past week the Toledo water intake, B and C cans, Niagra Reef, Green Island, Rattlesnake Island, the Bass Islands, and Kelley's Island have all produced some limit catches. High winds and turbid waters could affect catches. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Yellow perch are averaging eight inches long.

Smallmouth bass should start moving shallower as water temperatures drop heading into fall. Fish rocky drop-offs and reefs around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island, along with nearshore areas from Catawba Island to Sandusky Bay, to find active fish. Tube jigs and drop shot rigs with goby imitations are the most popular set-ups for smallmouth.

Central Basin 

Poor weather and rough lake conditions during the past week limited fishing activity.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. A few walleye have been taken at the north end of the sand bar between Vermilion and Lorain. Fish have been caught eight to 10 miles northwest of Fairport in 60 to 70 feet of water, nine to 10 miles northwest of Conneaut in 60 to 70 feet of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in scarlet and gray, purple and black, or white and red with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50 feet.

Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin from one to three miles north of Huron to Lorain, two to three miles north of Bratenahl in 40 to 43 feet of water, two to three miles north of East 55th Street Pier in 42 to 46 feet of water, two to three miles north of Fairport in 51 feet of water, and two to three miles north of Ashtabula 48 to 52 feet of water. Fish have ranged from seven to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. 

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 20 feet of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits. 

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile north of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 67 to 70 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
Columbiana and Jefferson counties  Flathead catfishing is on rise in the Ohio River so anglers are encouraged to go after these shovelheads in deep pools with slow current and nearby cover, such as submerged logs and drift piles. Unlike channel catfish, flathead catfish rarely feed upon dead or decaying matter. Primary food items include live fish like creek chubs or crayfish. Most flatheads in Ohio are 15 to 30 inches in length and weigh anywhere from five to 40 pounds, but some have been known to reach five feet in length and weight over 80 pounds! Anglers do need to use heavy tackle when fishing for flathead catfish and again, live bait is best. Flatheads are also often caught on trotlines. Access in Columbiana County is best at the East Liverpool boat ramp or in Jefferson County, one mile south of the Columbiana County line; access is located at the New Cumberland Lock and Dam. For more information, ask for the free Ohio River Fishing Guide at 1-800-WILDLIFE. 

Monroe County - Flathead catfish have been hitting cut baits, chicken liver, and night crawlers fished on the bottom. For smallmouth bass try tube baits or crankbaits. Hybrid striped bass have been caught using a jig and twister tipped with a minnow.

Belmont County  Late afternoon and into the evening are the best times to fish the Pike Island Dam area. Fishing is good for flathead catfish, channel catfish, and striped bass when using chicken liver fished on the bottom. Striped bass are also hitting crank baits or heavy spoons.

Gallia County Both flathead and channel catfish will be hitting on chicken liver, worms, or cut baits fished on the bottom. Fish for hybrid stripers using cut bait fished on the bottom at and below K.H. Butler.


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

thanks bigD for the report. u seem to get the report before they even post it on there site.


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## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

We get the reports sent to us before they are posted. They are on their site also. We (OGF) post these as an extra bit of info for our members.


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