# ODNR Fishing Report 5/24/06



## Big Daddy

Wildlife News 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Division of Wildlife
The Fish Ohio Report

May 24, 2006

CENTRAL OHIO

Griggs Reservoir (Franklin County)  Largemouth bass are on the spawning beds but become more aggressive towards the end of the month at this 361-acre lake in Columbus. Use fire tiger and chartreuse colored crankbaits, chartreuse and white spinner baits, and green pumpkin tubes and creature baits. Anglers should key on structural breaks and points, and on points that occur in the water willow that lines the first several feet of the shoreline. Very large carp can be caught on doughballs and canned corn. Try fresh cut gizzard shad for channel catfish. Good numbers of crappies can be caught near brushy areas on the steep eastern side of the lake. This lake was stocked with 18,434 fingerling saugeye on May 18th.

Madison Lake (Madison County)  This 104-acre lake is in Madison County near London. The catfish population at this lake has been growing and 2,600 yearling channel catfish will be stocked later this year. Anglers can catch these fish with traditional baits such as shrimp, night crawlers, cut bait and prepared baits. Largemouth bass up to 18 inches are also present in fair numbers. Anglers should use plastic baits, small spinners, and top-water lures around the near-shore areas that have woody cover or aquatic vegetation. Crappie and bluegill will be found in woody shoreline cover. Minnows, dug worms and meal worms are good live bait choices. Bluegills may also be taken with fly-fishing gear. Electric motors only.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Maumee River (Wood and Lucas Counties)  The water temperature is 57 degrees and the river is high & muddy with little fishing pressure. Blue Grass Island is inaccessible. The outlook should improve after the water recedes. The river is very high, use caution!

Sandusky River (Sandusky County)  The water temperature is 57 degrees and the river is high & muddy and the fishing pressure is low. Anglers are catching a few white bass using minnows near the Sand Docks. The outlook should improve after the water recedes. The river is very high, use caution!

Reminder: Black bass season is closed, any caught must be released.

15-inch 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

Archbold Reservoir (Fulton County)  Saugeye are being caught in good numbers. Fishing with nightcrawlers during the daytime is working the best. Anywhere along the shoreline is good.

Findlay Reservoir # 2 (Hancock County)  The water level is normal and the water is clear. Walleye and catfish are being caught in the evenings. Worm harnesses that are drifted or trolled are working great. Fish the windblown shore.

Fostoria #5 (Hancock County)  The water level is normal and the water is clear. Saugeye are being caught in the evenings on minnows or worm harnesses. All shorelines are producing good catches. Crappie are being caught in the mornings by fishing minnows under a slip bobber. Again, all shorelines are producing good catches.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Lake Erie shoreline (Cuyahoga County)  Rock bass and yellow perch are hitting in good numbers at the 55th Street access of Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Rock bass are biting on minnow and bobber setups while anglers are catching perch on crappie rigs. 

Rocky River (Cuyahoga County)  Smallmouth bass are numerous in the Rocky River stretching from Morely ford to Rock Cliff ford. Tube jigs are producing the best results. 

Leesville Lake (Carroll County)  This large 1,045-acre lake is treating crappie anglers well. Fishing with small jigs in shallow water near submerged structure proves best. Sizes range from eight to ten inches. Leesville Lake is located two miles southeast of Sherrodsville off of State Route 212. 

Beach City Lake and Tailwater (Tuscarawas County)  Anglers fishing close to the shoreline at this 190-acre lake are catching five to eight inch bluegills around emerging weeds in open holes of the back waters or the managed duck marsh. Crappies seven to ten inches in length are also biting in woody cover and emerging vegetation. Beach City Dam is located on US Route 250, one mile west of State Route 21. 

SOUTHWEST OHIO

Grand Lake St. Marys (Mercer and Auglaize counties) - Channel catfish are being caught by anglers using a long-shanked hook baited with minnows as bait. Fish in areas near the shoreline. Using a slip bobber, keep the bait about one to two feet off of the bottom, and let the bait drift with the current. Use a #6 long-shanked hook. Harmon's and Windy Points are producing good catches of channel catfish. Bluegills are being caught using a #10 sized hook baited with ice jigs with wax worms. Fishing is good on the south side of the lake. Cast into channels, along the pier, or from the shoreline into areas with rocks or brush. Keep the bait about eight inches deep. Crappies are slow due to the recent bought of cold and windy weather. Some are biting on chartreuse jig heads tipped with a wax worm or minnow. Cast into areas with cover such as submerged trees and brush. Keep the bait under a slip bobber and three to four feet deep. Choose a #6 or 8 fine wire hook. Largemouth bass anglers are being caught by anglers flipping jigs (black and purple and watermelon colored). Cast into the channels into the brushy areas of shallow water. 

Cowan Lake (Clinton County) - Crappies are being caught all around the lake close to shore by using jigheads tipped with a crappie minnows. Bluegills are being caught close to shore by anglers using a wax worm on a small #6 or 8 fine wire hook as bait. Fish the bait under a bobber and about three to six feet deep. Fishing has been very productive when the weather is overcast. Saugeye are being caught by anglers using a chartreuse jig tipped with a wax worm or nightcrawler on a #2 sized hook and jigs tipped bass minnow. Fish the bait seven to eight feet deep along the rocky bottom. Fishing is good from a boat or canoe by drifting with the currents. 

SOUTHEAST OHIO

Salt Fork Lake (Guernsey County)  Anglers are reeling in great catches of crappie in the average seven to eight inch range, some are fish measuring up to 13 inches. Fish live minnows suspended under a bobber over submerged woody structure. Largemouth bass in the 10 to 12-inch range were caught earlier this week using spinner baits and deep-diving crank baits. For sauger, try jigs tipped with minnows or night crawlers on jigs or with worm harnesses. One Salt Fork angler reeled in a five-pound six-ounce sauger over the weekend. 

Wellston City Reservoir/Lake Rupert (Vinton County)  Fishing for bluegill and redear sunfish has been successful at this 322 acre lake using wax worms fished under a bobber, most sunfish caught have been in the six to seven inch range. Largemouth bass have been hitting on minnows and some minnow-type artificials. Catfishing has also been successful using chicken livers, night crawlers or cut bait fished tight line on the bottom from shore. 

OHIO RIVER

Belmont and Monroe counties Smallmouth bass have been biting along the river  try deep running crank baits or 1/8 to 3/8-oz jigs tipped with black or brown jig bodies fished near drop-offs. When water levels are high and more turbid, try fishing lighter colored spinner baits behind current breaks. Catfish, both channel and flathead, have been caught fishing small bluegill from shore in the evenings. Water levels on the river are slightly high due to recent rainfall events. 

Jefferson County  Anglers catching decent numbers of sauger near the New Cumberland Lock and Dam from the Jefferson County shorelines. Average sizes range from 12 to 18 inches. Smallmouth bass are biting on gray tube jigs and white bass is hitting on white twister tails. 

R.C. Byrd Dam (Gallia County)  Anglers are catching hybrid striped bass on chicken livers or artificial baits resembling minnows


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