Ohio Department of Natural Resources - News

Top 2003 "Fish Ohio" Waters Named
More than 13,500 catches recognized in 19 species categories

With 2.25 million Lake Erie acres, 451 miles of the Ohio River, 40,000 miles of streams, some 200 inland lakes and thousands of private ponds, Ohio anglers have great opportunities to catch fish that qualify for the “Fish Ohio” recognition program, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The “Fish Ohio” program recognizes anglers for noteworthy catches in 19 fish species. Last year, 13,528 anglers from across Ohio and 38 other states were recognized for their “Fish Ohio” catches. Since 1976, more than 350,000 anglers have been recognized.

LAKE ERIE: Top spot for walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass

Trophy walleye received the highest number of entries with more than 3,000 and Lake Erie is the top place to catch them, followed by the Maumee and Sandusky rivers. See Maumee and Sandusky river report. Catches of yellow perch were second with more than 2,000 entries with Lake Erie again the leading area for catches followed by Lake La Su An in Williams County, Pymatuning Lake in Ashtabula County, and Mogadore Reservoir in Portage County. Lake Erie is also the top lake for smallmouth bass, followed by Alum Creek Lake in Delaware County and the Licking River.

INLAND LAKES: Home of trophy saugeye and muskie
Popular inland catches included saugeye and muskie.

Buckeye Lake in Fairfield, Perry, and Licking counties and Indian Lake in Logan County led the list for saugeye catches followed by Piedmont, Atwood, and Alum Creek lakes. The top “Fish Ohio” lake for muskie catches was Leesville Lake in Carroll County, followed by Clear Fork Reservior, Salt Fork Lake, West Branch Reservoir, and Alum Creek Lake.
See available inland lake maps.

PRIVATE PONDS: Best places for panfish, crappie, channel cat and largemouth bass

The majority of the entries for sunfish, crappies, channel catfish, and largemouth bass were caught in private ponds. These species are also plentiful in most public waterways. Mosquito Lake in Trumbull County led the “Fish Ohio” entries in the crappie category with Hoover Reservoir, West Branch Reservoir, Grand Lake St. Mary’s, and Pymatuning Lake completing the list.

Lake Erie topped the list for qualifying catches of channel catfish in a public waterway. In addition to Lake Erie, the Ohio River, Hoover Reservoir, Atwood Lake, and the Grand River were hot spots for channel catfish action. The top “Fish Ohio” lake for largemouth bass was Mogadore Reservoir, with Portage Lakes, LaDue Reservoir, Clear Fork Reservoir, Mosquito Lake, and Lake Erie noting catches of that species.

Each angler with a qualifying “Fish Ohio” catch receives a certificate and lapel pin. The 2003 pin featured a channel catfish; the 2004 pin will display a walleye. There is also a Master Angler category for individuals who catch four “Fish Ohio” qualifying fish in a single year. The Master Angler pin is like the “Fish Ohio” pin, except it is gold in color.
Anyone interested in submitting an entry in the “Fish Ohio” program should fill out an application.

Forms are available by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or at the Fish Ohio web page.

Species List and Minimum Lengths To Obtain “Fish Ohio” Recognition

Brown Trout – 25 inches; Carp – 26 inches; Channel Catfish – 26 inches; Crappie – 13 inches; Flathead Catfish – 35 inches; Freshwater Drum – 22 inches; Hybrid Striped Bass – 21 inches; Largemouth Bass – 21 inches; Muskie – 36 inches; Northern Pike – 32 inches; Rainbow Trout – 28 inches; Rock Bass – 10 inches; Saugeye – 21 inches; Smallmouth Bass – 20 inches; Sunfish – 9 inches; Walleye – 28 inches; White Bass – 16 inches; Yellow Perch – 13 inches.

For Further Information Contact:
Vicki Ervin, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(614) 265-6325
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(610) 265-