Best fishing lakes in Ohio: 12 lakes and what bites

The lakes at a glance

1. Lake Erie (western basin)

At about 1,052,000 acres, Lake Erie (western basin) is a huge piece of water. It holds walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and catfish. The deepest water is around 62 ft. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and a wind-blown bank worth a first look.

Lake Erie (western basin) today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

2. Mosquito Creek Lake

Mosquito Creek Lake covers 7,850 acres. The lake is within an easy drive of Youngstown (about 15 miles). Catfish, bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass are the draw. The deepest water is around 25 ft. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and a sheltered cove to work. Mosquito Creek Lake, Ohio's second-largest inland lake, was built in 1944 for flood control, with its northern end set aside as a state wildlife refuge.

Mosquito Creek Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

3. East Fork Lake

East Fork Lake covers 2,110 acres of water. The lake is near Bethel. It is the East Fork of the Little Miami River behind William H. Harsha Dam. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass and bluegill are the draw. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves worth a first look. East Fork Lake (William H. Harsha Lake), completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1978, anchors East Fork State Park and has hosted national rowing championships.

East Fork Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

4. Senecaville Lake

At 3,550 acres, Senecaville Lake is a good-sized lake. You will find it near Byesville. Senecaville Dam holds it on the Seneca Fork of Wills Creek. Expect largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill. On the 3-D map the bed has three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves: good places to start. Senecaville Lake was built in 1937 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and is managed today by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.

Senecaville Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

5. Grand Lake St. Marys

At 12,900 acres, Grand Lake St. Marys is a big lake. The lake is right by Celina. It holds crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch and bluegill. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and an upper arm to work. Grand Lake St. Marys was built in the 1840s as a feeder reservoir for the Ohio and Erie/Miami and Erie Canal system and was, at the time, the largest artificial lake in the world.

Grand Lake St. Marys today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

6. Atwood Lake

Atwood Lake covers some 1,540 acres. You will find it within an easy drive of Canton (about 17 miles). Atwood Dam holds it on the Indian Fork (tributary of Conotton Creek). The fish here are bluegill, catfish, crappie and largemouth bass. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves worth a first look. Atwood Lake was built in 1936 by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, flooding the former community of Atwood Village in the process.

Atwood Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

7. Deer Creek Lake

Deer Creek Lake covers about 1,170 acres. It lies within an easy drive of Columbus (about 26 miles). It holds catfish, crappie and largemouth bass. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves worth a first look. Deer Creek Lake, created in 1968 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Deer Creek, is the centerpiece of Deer Creek State Park in Pickaway and Fayette counties.

Deer Creek Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

8. Salt Fork Lake

Salt Fork Lake spreads over 2,950 acres of water. The lake is near Cambridge. Expect largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and walleye.

Salt Fork Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

9. Berlin Lake

Berlin Lake spreads over 3,590 acres. It lies about 18 miles east of Youngstown. The usual Ohio mix applies: largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves to work. Berlin Lake is a flood-control reservoir on the Mahoning River in northeast Ohio, situated upstream of Lake Milton.

Berlin Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

10. Buckeye Lake

Buckeye Lake is a reservoir of 3,170 acres of water. The lake is right by Buckeye Lake. Like most lakes its size in Ohio, it should hold largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. The lake bed gives you three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves to work. Buckeye Lake was built around 1826-1830 as a feeder reservoir for the Ohio and Erie Canal and later became one of Ohio's earliest lakeside amusement-park resorts.

Buckeye Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

11. Caesar Creek Lake

Caesar Creek Lake is a reservoir of 2,830 acres. It lies within an easy drive of Kettering (about 13 miles). Like most lakes its size in Ohio, it should hold largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves worth a first look. Caesar Creek Lake is a flood-control reservoir completed in 1978 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with an earth-and-rock-fill dam 165 feet high.

Caesar Creek Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

12. Alum Creek Lake

Alum Creek Lake spreads over 3,390 acres of water. The lake is near Lewis Center. Alum Creek Dam holds it on the Alum Creek. The usual Ohio mix applies: largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. The deepest water is around 68 ft. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves worth a first look. Alum Creek Lake near Columbus is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoir completed in 1974.

Alum Creek Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

Which lake for which fish

Lakes listed for a fish are the ones on this page where it is on record or typical for the lake.

• Bass: Lake Erie (western basin), Mosquito Creek Lake, East Fork Lake and Senecaville Lake
• Walleye: Lake Erie (western basin), Mosquito Creek Lake, Grand Lake St. Marys and Salt Fork Lake
• Crappie: Mosquito Creek Lake, East Fork Lake, Senecaville Lake and Grand Lake St. Marys
• Pike and muskie: Mosquito Creek Lake, Senecaville Lake, Atwood Lake and Salt Fork Lake
• Catfish: Lake Erie (western basin), Mosquito Creek Lake, East Fork Lake and Senecaville Lake

Season by season

• Spring: walleye are usually at their best. Prime range. Low light is best, on reefs and weed edges.
• Summer: walleye are usually fair. Warm surface. They go deep in the day; try evenings.
• Fall: walleye are usually at their best. Prime range. Low light is best, on reefs and weed edges.
• Winter: walleye are usually fair. Cold. Slow jigs on deep structure.

Before you go

Buy a Ohio fishing licence before the trip and read the state's rules for each lake: seasons, size and bag limits change from water to water. Each lake page on LakeScope shows today's water temperature, the wind, the best bite times and a 3-D view of the bed, so check it the morning you go.