As the weather warms and spring settles into central Ohio, local lakes offer exciting opportunities for anglers eager to get out on the water.
Whether you're targeting crappie, saugeye or smallmouth bass, each lake in the area presents unique challenges and rewards.
“Don’t be afraid of Mother Nature,” Todd Thompson, a semi-pro fisherman with over 50 years of experience, told the Mount Vernon News. “Spring is some of our best fishing... just get your warm clothes on, get out there, and tough it out.”
From the quick-warming waters of Buckeye Lake to the deep banks of Pleasant Hill, Thompson provided an in-depth look at what anglers can expect at four standout lakes this spring.
Buckeye Lake
“Buckeye Lake usually becomes some of the better water early in the year for the reason being it's an old Ohio Erie Canal Lake and it's shallow,” Thompson said.
This lake warms quickly, reaching mid-50s early in the spring while others lag in the low 40s.
Crappie and saugeye are the prime targets.
“The lake is fairly shallow. So right now the average fish you are going to catch is going to be in less than two feet of water,” Thompson said. “Most guys are using bobbers for it and bobbers with artificial or bobbers with minnows.”
Buckeye Lake is known for its big catches, including 12-inch crappie. Saugeye fishing is also excellent, thanks to years of stocking efforts by the ODNR.
“For saugeye, you’re primarily going to catch those on live bait, usually bass minis, or smaller swim baits, plastic swim baits,” Thompson said.
Alum Creek
Alum Creek, another central Ohio hotspot, offers great fishing for crappie and saugeye.
“The smallmouth bass will start moving up pretty quick in Alum Creek,” Thompson said.
Smallmouth fishing is especially attractive since the lake offers a local alternative to Lake Erie.
For crappie and saugeye, techniques are similar to Buckeye Lake. However, smallmouth fishing requires a different approach.
“That will come on to shallow running crank baits and jerk baits... tubes and ned rigs are the two popular slow baits,” Thompson said.
Smallmouth bass fishing picks up as the water warms, and these baits become effective when the fish begin moving up to shallower waters.
Knox Lake
Knox Lake has undergone significant changes in recent years.
Unlike Buckeye or Alum Creek, Knox isn’t known for saugeye fishing but offers a robust population of largemouth bass.
“It has some big panfish,” Thompson said. “Crappie and bluegill both are targeted pretty much the same dates that you're looking at at the other lakes.”
The best fishing for largemouth bass occurs in April.
“It's a big pitching and flipping lake where you are presenting your bait into the heavy cover once the fish move up,” Thompson said. He recommends jigs, plastic worms and creature baits for these fish.
Pleasant Hill Lake
Thompson notes Pleasant Hill is another great lake for early-season fishing.
“It is known as a fantastic crappie lake,” Thompson said.
Though not large, it’s a prime spot for both crappie and smallmouth bass.
The fish here tend to be deeper.
“You’re going to find them in steeper banks with a lot of wood laid down,” Thompson said.
To target them, use tubes, soft plastic drift baits or drop shots.
As for the season, Thompson notes that spring fishing here is particularly strong, making it a go-to destination for early anglers.
