Fishing heats up in the spring

It’s been said you can fish year-round in Ohio and its true. If you adapt to weather and water conditions, you can catch fish.

However, there are two seasons you don’t want to miss — spring and fall. As the weather and water begins to warm up in the spring, fish begin to become more active and are looking to feed getting ready for the spawn.

From Lake Erie to the Ohio River and all stops in between, this is a great time to be on the water.

Let’s look at some springtime fishing opportunities in Ohio:

Lake Erie

Walleye continue to have mega hatches and it just keeps getting better. This is fantastic fishery.

The best bait to use right now is a hair jig off the rocks. Largemouth and smallmouth bass will become more active in shallow to medium water as the water warms. Crank baits work well this time of year.

District 1

Buckeye Lake had the most 21-plus inch saugeye catches in the state last year. It’s a shallow lake with minimal depth change and structure. Boat anglers can have success through July trolling crank baits or pulling worm harnesses through the open water areas of the lake or in deeper channels.

White bass make their way into Deer Creek to spawn. Many good sized fish concentrate in the creek above the reservoir, resulting in phenomenal fishing. The run only lasts one week in early May. Good choices for bait include inline spinners, curly tail grubs or minnows under a bobber. A hot spot to fish is in the creek near Yankeetown Road.

There’s an excellent population of black and white crappie, including good numbers over 10 inches, at Indian Lake. Last year, Indian Lake produced the second-most 13-plus inch crappies in the state. Focus on backwater coves and channels with woody cover, vegetation or docks. Target crappie with small jigs, plastic baits, or minnows with a slip bobber.

Alum Creek Lake is one of the best largemouth and smallmouth bass destinations in central Ohio. In spring, anglers should direct their efforts toward the coves, targeting submerged wood or rocks with soft plastics or spinner baits. As the water continues to warm, bass will move to offshore structure in the main lake. Target large points and drop-offs with deep diving crank baits. Shore-bound anglers can find success all season in vegetated areas along the shore.

This lake is also a top spot for musky. There are quite a few here in the 30-inch-plus range. During a recent survey, the Ohio Division of Wildlife staff caught and tagged a 51.5-inch musky, the largest ever caught at Alum Creek Lake. Spring baits of choice are large bucktails, spinner baits or jerk baits thrown in and around cover.

The Hoover Reservoir consistently ranks as the best catfish fishery in central Ohio. Hoover has great numbers of large channel and blue catches. Blue catfish were first stocked in 2011 and the oldest fish have surpassed 40 pounds. Last year Hoover produced numerous big channel (26plus inches) and blue (35plus inches) catfish.

Until next time, enjoy the outdoors.