# Winton Woods struggle



## crankbait09 (Apr 28, 2009)

I was out at Rocky Fork on Tuesday, and the number of other anglers that I came across said it was very slow, and the few bass they did pull in were dinks. In a 4-5 hour time frame, I pulled in one 2 pounder, and a dink. It was rough, but I didn't get skunked.

Wednesday I headed to Winton Woods. Same thing there too. I landed one a little over a pound, and another dink, oh, along with a blue gill. I was the only one on the lake for the 5 hours I was out there. It was rough too.

What am I missing? Is it absolutely horrible fishing conditions right now? Anyone else struggling as I am?

I think I'll be heading to Winton again tomorrow in hopes of having better luck. Maybe I'll go to a different lake, but I don't think the results will be much different.


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## crappie4me (Jan 25, 2009)

on a side note..the boathouse at winton is hardly ever open..i was told they cant get anybody to work. i said maybe they should pay the kids a little more. with a brand new tax levy and $240 a year for a season boat pass. i was there a couple of weekends and they didn't open till later in the day and the people that did have annual passes were pissed.


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## NightcrawlerNick (Jun 7, 2019)

crankbait09 said:


> I was out at Rocky Fork on Tuesday, and the number of other anglers that I came across said it was very slow, and the few bass they did pull in were dinks. In a 4-5 hour time frame, I pulled in one 2 pounder, and a dink. It was rough, but I didn't get skunked.
> 
> Wednesday I headed to Winton Woods. Same thing there too. I landed one a little over a pound, and another dink, oh, along with a blue gill. I was the only one on the lake for the 5 hours I was out there. It was rough too.
> 
> ...


Yes it’s been pretty brutal. Only decent bass reports I’m hearing are from the rivers. Pretty much only hearing about crappie from local lakes.


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## DevFishingZin (Jan 8, 2017)

Winton is a tricky lake if you don't fish it often. I've mentioned this before; Winton is like a really hard golf course played from the back tees, nothing comes easy. You need to have your fishing game on point or you will struggle. The pattern changes often, what worked yesterday will get you skunked today. Finding the Pattern of the Day and doing it quickly is what gets you fish of size and quantity. There's nothing wrong with floating there on a good weather day casually fishing if you don't mind dinks or getting skunked. If not, you have to go in with a tournament mindset and really work a lot of presentations and cover A LOT of area to do well.

As far as the boathouse situation goes; Hamilton County/Great Parks is completely mismanaging a lot of our public resources (tax money from Hamilton County property owners). With the new tax levy and the absolutely moronic price jack on the jon boat season passes, they have no excuses. I yak or canoe Winton. Don't have to deal with boathouse hours or their BS. If a storm "might" come in, they'll close for the day even when the weather passes and is done before noon. Whoever is running the show there needs to step it up or be fired. Perhaps an oversight board of citizens should come in and audit their daily S.O.P., then cut the fat and make changes. They have a habit of spending tax money on stupid projects that are not needed and never listen to what the actual park goers and tax payers want. Example: They just put in a new canoe/kayak launch. Still has a ton of steps to get up and down from; can't bring longer vessels onto it's weird dock and launch platform. The older gravel launch on the other side of the harbor area can be improved by adding a few loads of rip rap/aggregate and/or river rocks, but they ignore that cause they're lazy and don't listen.


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## Tree_Beard (Jan 13, 2021)

Winton is very tricky. The water clarity and level changes so much and so fast its almost a different lake every time I'm on it. But since it's close to me, it's my go to for a short trip. Probably more so now that gas is ridiculous.


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## pauldmt (Jan 25, 2009)

In a way, Hamilton co parks are trying albeit misguided. The whole kayak launch stuff I suspect is to try and claim that they are more handicap friendly. There's some launch point on the LMR that they were considering putting steps in for. As I have a kayak cart, this would have the opposite effect and make it harder to use the access.

It's been years since I've been to Winton. There are some fish there but it's tough to find a good pattern.


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## Dan Shallan (Apr 14, 2021)

Barely read the responses. This lake is a flood relief for the Eleanor Roosevelt, planned city, of Green Hills. It is full of slit. Green Hills is a nice place to live, that lake is a nice place for carp, not a place to fish for game fish. Caught my first fish on Kingfisher Lake (now Kingfisher bog). My father guided me there. The lake, in 1962 was already a mess.


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## Tree_Beard (Jan 13, 2021)

They are in there! I got skunked, but my buddy got 2 nice bass Friday evening. Topwater popper near the foot Bridge.


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## DevFishingZin (Jan 8, 2017)

Dan Shallan said:


> Barely read the responses. This lake is a flood relief for the Eleanor Roosevelt, planned city, of Green Hills. It is full of slit. Green Hills is a nice place to live, that lake is a nice place for carp, not a place to fish for game fish. Caught my first fish on Kingfisher Lake (now Kingfisher bog). My father guided me there. The lake, in 1962 was already a mess.


Just curious, when was the last time you fished there? I'm sure WW Lake is just in the exact same condition today in 2022, as it was in 1962, some sixty years later...


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## swohioangler (Jun 21, 2007)

I fish Winton Woods often for Largemouth. I agree with DevFishingZin that it can be tough and that you need to find the pattern. I always tie up my go to lure, however if that is not producing then I have two or 3 more different presentations/options on standby.


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## DevFishingZin (Jan 8, 2017)

swohioangler said:


> I fish Winton Woods often for Largemouth. I agree with DevFishingZin that it can be tough and that you need to find the pattern. I always tie up my go to lure, however if that is not producing then I have two or 3 more different presentations/options on standby.


Yep, that's the plan at Winton Woods! Plenty of big bass in there. People should check the Great Parks/Hamilton County Parks Fishing Line Blog. They're pulling some nice bass out of WW in those Bass Tourneys. It's not the place to fish if you expect video game action all day. If you don't want to grind and actually have to use multiple techniques, WW is not for you. Head to your typical condo/farm pond full of easy pickings. I find it easier to fish the GMR and LMR for largemouth and smallies than WW for just largemouth.


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