# Tips on fishing Whites Mill Athens



## Bass Assasin Slaton (May 22, 2011)

I recently discovered a place in Athens that looks like it has potential for holding saugeye or smallies but couldn't get anything. I threw a rooster tail, a small crank bait and also tried a pearl twister tail jig. Am I doing something wrong or is there a special color/ technique I need to do? I know there has to be fish there I was just bummed after fishing a solid 3 hours and not getting a single bite.

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice!


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## foxbites (Mar 15, 2010)

Don't sound like your doing anything wrong, I do best with suspending jerk baits in the winter. A very slow presentation is a must in the colder months. Your not going to catch a ton of smallies in the winter month, but if there are saugeyes there they will bite


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Try a suspending jerkbait or a big Joshy's swimbait. Experiment with the retrieve on the jerkbait, from a slow steady retrieve to short, medium, and long pauses. Use a slow steady retrieve on the swimbait so it just barely ticks bottom every so often. These are two of the most productive cold water baits during this time of year.


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## fishing_marshall (Jun 12, 2004)

When I went to hocking I fished whites mill in the winter some. Caught a few sauger. Always got them on 1/8oz jighead with shad body or 3" curly tail slow retrieve


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

fishing_marshall said:


> When I went to hocking I fished whites mill in the winter some. Caught a few sauger. Always got them on 1/8oz jighead with shad body or 3" curly tail slow retrieve


Second this response. Many more sauger than saugeye in this portion of the river. Great opportunity to size down and slow down your baits, especially in the winter months.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I think it might have more to do with the time of year. I fished it for about 90 minutes Saturday afternoon and spent most of my time picking ice out of the guides of my fly rod. I bounced bottom slowly with small streamers and got nothing. 

In no way am I suggesting you do this, but if you were there Friday there's almost no way you could miss it, this goes for everyone: if you pack something down over the bank, bring it back out. Beer cans, pop bottles, chicken liver containers, etc... Grow up, folks. You take a beautiful location to fish and every 4th step you are seeing or stepping on garbage other fishermen left behind. Those who do this make all of the angling community look ignorant to people who see what is left behind.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

TheCream said:


> I think it might have more to do with the time of year. I fished it for about 90 minutes Saturday afternoon and spent most of my time picking ice out of the guides of my fly rod. I bounced bottom slowly with small streamers and got nothing.
> 
> In no way am I suggesting you do this, but if you were there Friday there's almost no way you could miss it, this goes for everyone: if you pack something down over the bank, bring it back out. Beer cans, pop bottles, chicken liver containers, etc... Grow up, folks. You take a beautiful location to fish and every 4th step you are seeing or stepping on garbage other fishermen left behind. Those who do this make all of the angling community look ignorant to people who see what is left behind.


As far as trash left by "fishermen" this place takes the cake. My son and I will both fill up a 13 gallon trash bag each when we fish there. Go back a few days latter and it's like it never happened. Worst part is there is a garbage can on the top of the hill. People suck.


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## Be Like Water (Oct 12, 2014)

Especially on the bank side by the parking lot, it always gets completely trashed. Disgusting.. I always bring out as much as I can. When I fish there it's usually in the warmer months and I mostly use live bait on the bottom. 

Agreed that it's far more likely to catch sauger than saugeye there, but there are some bigger ones from time to time. Snowden is 10 minutes down the road, is ranked high on the ohio wildlife dept. website for saugeye, I've heard people say they caught big ones in there; but I have yet to catch my first saugeye there after hours of trolling, casting, jigging, and fishing live minnows on the bottom.


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## Be Like Water (Oct 12, 2014)

Also the smallie fishing is supposed to be pretty good north of whites mill also from what I've heard.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

I used to fish that spot a lot in the spring and fall for smallies when living at home. I caught several on cranks but that was 20 years ago.


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

When I went to Ohio U I would only bring one tackle box with me down to White's. It contained only 1/8oz jigs w/ 3" power grubs (black, brown, white), smaller Little Cleos, small cranks and rooster tails. Think multi-species baits and you should be fine.

And I would like to reiterate that the earth doesn't owe us anything. Pick up trash (yours, theirs, whoever's)


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## 614freshwater (Mar 20, 2016)

Where is the best place to park to fish the mill? Do they tow out of their lot?


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## Be Like Water (Oct 12, 2014)

614freshwater said:


> Where is the best place to park to fish the mill? Do they tow out of their lot?


Nope, good free parking right where the bike path crosses the street. It can fill up quickly on a nice day though. You can also park on the other side, off of the road. I fish both sides and up and down the whole public fishing area. Be prepared for snags though.


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