Biggest inland lakes in Ohio: the top 10 by size

The list

Sizes are the published surface area where one exists; the others are our own measure of the water's outline and read "about". Reservoirs shrink and grow with their level, so a dry year shows less water.

1. Lake Erie (western basin)

Lake Erie (western basin) covers about 1,052,000 acres. Walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and catfish are the draw. It goes down to about 62 ft.

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

2. Grand Lake St. Marys

At some 12,900 acres, Grand Lake St. Marys is a big lake. The lake is next to Celina. The fish here are crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch and bluegill. On the 3-D map the bed has three point drop-offs and an upper arm: good places to start. 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

3. Mosquito Creek Lake

Mosquito Creek Lake spreads over 7,850 acres. You will find it within an easy drive of Youngstown (about 15 miles). Expect catfish, bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass. It goes down to about 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

4. Berlin Lake

At 3,590 acres of water, Berlin Lake is a good-sized lake. It lies near Alliance. 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. 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

5. Senecaville Lake

Senecaville Lake is a reservoir of 3,550 acres. You will find it about 6 miles northwest of Byesville. Largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill are the draw. 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

6. Alum Creek Lake

At some 3,390 acres, Alum Creek Lake is a good-sized lake. You will find it about 15 miles south of Columbus. Alum Creek Dam holds it on the Alum Creek. Like most lakes its size in Ohio, it should hold 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

7. Buckeye Lake

Buckeye Lake is a reservoir of some 3,170 acres. The lake is within an easy drive of Columbus (about 25 miles). Like most lakes its size in Ohio, it should hold largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. On the 3-D map the bed has three point drop-offs and two sheltered coves: good places to start. 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

8. Salt Fork Lake

Salt Fork Lake spreads over 2,950 acres. You will find it near Cambridge. It holds largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and walleye. Salt Fork Lake is the centerpiece of Salt Fork State Park, Ohio's largest state park, formed by damming Salt Fork Creek in 1967.

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

9. Caesar Creek Lake

Caesar Creek Lake spreads over 2,830 acres. You will find it within an easy drive of Kettering (about 13 miles). The usual Ohio mix applies: largemouth bass, walleye, crappie and bluegill. 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

10. Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir

Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir spreads over some 2,650 acres. You will find it within an easy drive of Akron (about 17 miles). It is the West Branch of the Mahoning River behind Michael J. Kirwan Dam. The usual Ohio mix applies: largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish. Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1965 on the West Branch of the Mahoning River, is the centerpiece of West Branch State Park.

Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

Big water, big days

Large lakes make their own weather: a breeze that is nothing on a pond builds real waves over miles of open water. Check the wind on the lake page before you launch and keep to the lee shore when it picks up.