# central Ohio crappie lakes



## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

Im from SW Ohio.....do alot of crappie fishing in my neck of the woods year round (eastfork, cowan, paintcreek, rocky fork).....visited Indian & deer creek last year and had a great time....was thinking buckeye or loramie this year....any other ideas?......just looking to see some more "new" to me water this year, really love crappie fishing, but enjoy the occasional bass fishing also.....any input or advice appreicated....have a great one all, God bless.


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## walleyejigger (Sep 29, 2009)

cjbrown has big crappie and a good population of bass lm and sm


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## Joshb (Feb 1, 2011)

clear fork lake is a great lake in late march and the first 2 weeks of april. Has tons of crappie and really good size.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Grand Lake St. Mary's seems like you can get them about every cast sometimes. I'm sure its about equidistant from you compared to Indian Lake.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

Northern1 said:


> Grand Lake St. Mary's seems like you can get them about every cast sometimes. I'm sure its about equidistant from you compared to Indian Lake.


Just don't touch the water, you're liver might fall out...

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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Griggs and Oshay produce MONSTER Crappie. I've had numerous non-stop days on both reserviors where you couldn't get anything under 10". Fishslim has spots on Oshay that produce 12-16"ers on the regular. Alot of the Bass guys will tell you they often catch 17" Slabs on big tubes when fishing for Bass.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

haha, that is true. as they say over there, dredge baby, dredge


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## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

Awesome info so far.....some of these werent even on the radar......question....is griggs or oshay limited hp or electric motor only.....didnt see anything on the OGF lake maps/info.....thanks for the info so far


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

jeepguyjames said:


> Awesome info so far.....*some of these werent even on the radar*......question....is griggs or oshay limited hp or electric motor only.....didnt see anything on the OGF lake maps/info.....thanks for the info so far


Thats the thing, nobody thinks about the Scioto when it comes to Crappie, they all head to Alum or Delaware. Tons of big Slabs in Griggs/Oshay, just nobody fishes for them.

Both Griggs and Oshay are unlimited HP I believe.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

Stay out of buckeye, just a nasty mud hole. But seriously, send me a pm and I can help you out on here, I live here. I pre fished last year and had a 17 incher pop off while pad fishing. I've seen you on crappie.com and know Yates, hillbilly, and some of those guys


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## KeithOH (Mar 26, 2010)

Kiser lake has a lot bigger crappie then Loramie. You can expect to catch some over 12" on most outings. But this is a no motor lake.


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## britton1989 (Feb 14, 2010)

Delaware seems to have some good ones

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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

Fish the OGF crappie tournys with us. You will hit Delaware and Alum if you win your trip is paid for... http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=221509


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## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

KWaller said:


> Stay out of buckeye, just a nasty mud hole. But seriously, send me a pm and I can help you out on here, I live here. I pre fished last year and had a 17 incher pop off while pad fishing. I've seen you on crappie.com and know Yates, hillbilly, and some of those guys
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


ha ha mudhole......I know better.....I got pretty solid plans to do buckeye this year.....will pm you when time gets close, appreicate the offer a ton.......oh and watch out for that yates cat, he can warp a young mind.......



Bonecrusher said:


> Fish the OGF crappie tournys with us. You will hit Delaware and Alum if you win your trip is paid for... http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=221509


 fished alot of tourneys and kinda got burnt out..........but maybe getting the bug again.....thanks for the heads up.....if you like tourney fishing crappie check out the buckeye crappie challenge (if you dont fish em all ready)....thanks again, will check that info out


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## BassBoss (Mar 5, 2011)

Well since everybody's hating on suckeye ill come to its defense. throw a chartreuse curly tail and you can catch about every specie in the lake.


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

Guess i ll have get the kayak out on o shay this spring. Nice that its a mile from the house. If anybody wants to yak oshay this year, look me up.


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## kdubb (Feb 12, 2013)

Ski...I have a canoe and tricked out pro-v alum boat i'm game anytime!!I'm in delaware

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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Just a note on Oshay and Griggs--Both are restricted to boats 22' or less, and they have a 40mph speed limit, even though they're unlimited HP.


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

Alum is full of crappies. Find drop offs and brush and fill your freezer. Great bass fishing too as well as saugeye, cats, and muskie


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## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

fished-out said:


> Just a note on Oshay and Griggs--Both are restricted to boats 22' or less, and they have a 40mph speed limit, even though they're unlimited HP.


Good info FISHEDOUT thanks........so I guess Ill leave my big Lund pro V full windsheild with my 250 Honda 4stroke.....in my................dreams 
.......one of these days Ill dig enough change out of the couch.......


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## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

Appreicate all the info so far.......looking very fwd to seeing what else this year holds for my fishing......def doing indian & buckeye.......oshay and griggs have my attention.....


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

If you wanna jump on the boat and jig some crappies at Alum ever youre more than welcome to. We fish it a ton and usually do well. Usually fish til dark then flick on the lights and do some fish shootin!


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

jeepguyjames said:


> .......oshay and griggs have my attention.....


Not sure about Oshay, but don't hesitate to fish Griggs when it's up, and I mean WAY up. Those crappie will stack up in the numerous brush piles during high water (when the water is down they aren't really that appealing). Hit the edges of those brush piles with bright baits, maybe a minnow or two. Even in nasty muddy water those Owl-Eyed Crappie have no problem finding the bait. Floodstage is actually preferred conditions for some of the major Crappie lakes down South, not much different up here on Griggs.


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## LipRipper05 (Mar 5, 2013)

acklac7 said:


> Griggs and Oshay produce MONSTER Crappie. I've had numerous non-stop days on both reserviors where you couldn't get anything under 10". Fishslim has spots on Oshay that produce 12-16"ers on the regular. Alot of the Bass guys will tell you they often catch 17" Slabs on big tubes when fishing for Bass.



Any time i fish for crappies i usually head for delaware...but i always catch myself wondering what the fishing is like on oshay when i drive down that way. Do you target those fish in the brush and wood structure during the spawn period like you would a lake like alum or delaware...or are those true river fish handled differently?? Thanks a bunch for any info


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

LipRipper05 said:


> Any time i fish for crappies i usually head for delaware...but i always catch myself wondering what the fishing is like on oshay when i drive down that way. Do you target those fish in the brush and wood structure during the spawn period like you would a lake like alum or delaware...or are those true river fish handled differently?? Thanks a bunch for any info


Catch them right off the bank in 2-5ft of water during the spawn, all of them up in the wood. Like I said the higher the water the better (usually). Also Griggs has a pronounced "ledge" about 15 yards off the bank that drops to deep, deep water. Like it goes from maybe 2-7ft straight to 20. During both Pre and Post spawn those Crappie will usually suspend half way down in the water column (about 10ft) right at the drop off. So they don't move far at all until it gets really hot. If you find them early on you often can simply follow them inshore (like 20 yards) to spawn, then back follow them back off to that drop off when they're finished.

If you really want to focus on the pigs (like I tend to do) cast-net some big bait, like 3-4" shiners,chubs etc. Those little crappie won't touch em, however those big slabs (13"-17") inhale em. I lol @ all these guys using these teeny tiny crappie jigs, those monster crappie can and often do eat like 4" shad.

My PB (14.5") from Griggs caught on a 3" Striped Shiner (Keep in mind I don't target them that often as im always chasing S-eye), lost several that were noticeably bigger. Buddy of mine got two that went 16" & change last year.


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## moto (Jan 16, 2011)

My vote goes to Hoover I love that place not to mention it has huge crappie. 


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## foton (Nov 25, 2012)

I think that if we could part the waters at the foot of Griggs we'd find a massive tangle of line and baits all rolled into a monster seine. I know I've pulled out pieces of it a bit downstream.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Someone previously mentioned GLSM as a crappie lake. You should take Grand Lake off your list. No crappies in that lake. No water in the lake either. Not any catfish, gills, bass, perch, walleye, or saugeye either. Don't go there to catch any of those species. And as someone else suggested, the water is nuclear. If you touch it your gonads will shrivel within 24 hours. 

And, if you check out the EPA fish consumption advisories for Ohio lakes, you'll find Buckeye, Indian, and OShaughnessy with advisories of no more than 2 meals per week of crappies. GLSM is on the list for no more than 2 meals weekly for eating largemouth bass. No warning for crappies at GLSM. Hmmm.......what species were you fishing for?

If you have unhealthy contaminants on your mind for consuming fish, low chances your next fishing trip will be within the Ohio borders.


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## foton (Nov 25, 2012)

zaraspook said:


> If you have unhealthy contaminants on your mind for consuming fish, low chances your next fishing trip will be within the Ohio borders.


True and it's just going to get worse as we ruin our waters with fracking.


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## Truegame (Oct 21, 2008)

jeepguyjames said:


> Im from SW Ohio.....do alot of crappie fishing in my neck of the woods year round (eastfork, cowan, paintcreek, rocky fork).....visited Indian & deer creek last year and had a great time....was thinking buckeye or loramie this year....any other ideas?......just looking to see some more "new" to me water this year, really love crappie fishing, but enjoy the occasional bass fishing also.....any input or advice appreicated....have a great one all, God bless.


My guess is go with what lake has the best water temp and clarity on the day you decide to go. All Central Ohio Lakes mentioned should be loaded with crappie this spring, especially in the shallows. That said, if the waters right this spring Galena will be hard to beat!:F


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## woodeye1 (Oct 18, 2010)

Are there any bait stores on Griggs or Oshay to get minnows ? Or should I stop at Old
Dutchman or Alum creek to get minnows?


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

zaraspook said:


> Someone previously mentioned GLSM as a crappie lake. You should take Grand Lake off your list. No crappies in that lake. No water in the lake either. Not any catfish, gills, bass, perch, walleye, or saugeye either. Don't go there to catch any of those species. And as someone else suggested, the water is nuclear. If you touch it your gonads will shrivel within 24 hours.
> 
> And, if you check out the EPA fish consumption advisories for Ohio lakes, you'll find Buckeye, Indian, and OShaughnessy with advisories of no more than 2 meals per week of crappies. GLSM is on the list for no more than 2 meals weekly for eating largemouth bass. No warning for crappies at GLSM. Hmmm.......what species were you fishing for?
> 
> If you have unhealthy contaminants on your mind for consuming fish, low chances your next fishing trip will be within the Ohio borders.


I just talked to a guy yesterday at the Celina Menards. I asked him how the lake was doing. He said crappie are "good to eat" according to the ODNR. So, for what it's worth, it sounds like they are good to go at GLSM. That lake is probably the "easiest" lake to catch crappie in West Central Ohio in my opinion.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Northern1.......I was being totally facetious in my post. The DNR and EPA have no consumption advisories for eating crappies at GLSM. Still guys make comments about eating the crappies there. Other lakes such as the ones I mentioned (Buckeye, Indian, and OShaughnessy) are on the list for crappie consumption, but never a peep or remark about those lakes. GLSM clearly has its problems. Eating the fish isn't one of them. If you want to catch crappies, GLSM is a great place to do it. If you don't want to eat them, that's your choice, but the State and EPA watchdogs say reports to the contrary are unfounded.

Almost every water body in Ohio has some sort of consumption advisory. The only advisory at GLSM is largemouth bass - no more than 2 meals per week. If I kept my bass to eat, I couldn't catch enough to supply more than 2 meals a week. The same largemouth bass advisory is common place at other lakes. If anyone is interested the EPA's official advisory is at this link http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/fishadvisory/LimitYourMeals.aspx .


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

zaraspook said:


> Northern1.......I was being totally facetious in my post. The DNR and EPA have no consumption advisories for eating crappies at GLSM. Still guys make comments about eating the crappies there. Other lakes such as the ones I mentioned (Buckeye, Indian, and OShaughnessy) are on the list for crappie consumption, but never a peep or remark about those lakes. GLSM clearly has its problems. Eating the fish isn't one of them. If you want to catch crappies, GLSM is a great place to do it. If you don't want to eat them, that's your choice, but the State and EPA watchdogs say reports to the contrary are unfounded.
> 
> Almost every water body in Ohio has some sort of consumption advisory. The only advisory at GLSM is largemouth bass - no more than 2 meals per week. If I kept my bass to eat, I couldn't catch enough to supply more than 2 meals a week. The same largemouth bass advisory is common place at other lakes. If anyone is interested the EPA's official advisory is at this link http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dsw/fishadvisory/LimitYourMeals.aspx .


Zaraspook,

I caught your sarcasm. I should have said I agreed with you  Yeah, people always make remarks about it b/c of its past. But the state is doing some good work over there. And yeah, its probably the best crappie sanctuary in the area.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Northern1........I'm content to say GLSM crappie fishing is very good and improved each of last 3-4 years. If the trend continues this year, crappie fishing could be amazing but I'll be thrilled if we repeat 2012. Other lakes are better for size or better for quantity, but GLSM is solid in both right now. 

Glad my sarcasm didn't go to waste.


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## jhurst (Jun 9, 2010)

woodeye1 said:


> Are there any bait stores on Griggs or Oshay to get minnows ? Or should I stop at Old
> Dutchman or Alum creek to get minnows?


Woodeye1 - there is a bait shop with minnows on the corner of Dublin rd and home rd on oshay. Really nice people working in there.


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## Big Chief201 (Aug 13, 2010)

I don't know what you all are talking about, there are no good crappie spots in central ohio...


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## budda (Mar 21, 2009)

hoover is a great lake for huge crappie, but it has a limitied horsepower and hard for boats with big motors to get out!


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## budda (Mar 21, 2009)

hoover is a great lake for huge crappie, but it has a limitied horsepower and hard for boats with big motors to get out!


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## ccart58 (Mar 5, 2010)

I caught and released 3 fish ohio crappie at Hoover last year and their are plenty more there!


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## jeepguyjames (Sep 24, 2008)

Looks like JEEPY JR. and I will have some time this wk end to see some "new to us" water.....any idea of H2O temps at oshay, grigg's, or buckeye?


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

Buckeye 46-51


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