Tom Cross - Fishing Ohio: An Anglers Guide to Over 200 Fishing Spots in the Buckeye State

Fishing Ohio

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management, and so on.

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Copyright 2008 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to The Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford CT 06437

The Lyons Press is an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press.

All interior photos by Tom Cross unless otherwise credited

Text design by Casey Shain

Maps created by Tim Kissel Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cross, Tom.

Fishing Ohio : an anglers guide to over 200 fishing spots in the Buckeye State / Tom Cross.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7627-4326-1

1. Fishing--Ohio--Guidebooks. 2. Ohio--Guidebooks. I. Title.

SH535.C76 2008

799.1209771--dc22

2008000168

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The author and The Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

To Benjamin, Patrick, and Elizabeth.
Perhaps no greater memory can a father have than to share time on the water with his children.

I have been on the most incredible journey, having personally visited nearly every public lake, river, stream, and pond in Ohio. This book was not written upon some finely crafted oak desk in an office. This book was written on a laptop computer off the tailgate of my pickup while parked next to the rivers, lakes, and streams throughout this great state. I knew of no other way to write it. During the summer of 2006, when this book was written, I lived on bologna sandwiches, beans, soup, and coffee. I stayed overnight at state parks, wildlife areas, at pulloffs, and next to streams, and was away from home two and three weeks at a time. I slept more in the back of my truck than I did my own bed that summer.

I started this book in earnest in May 2006, visiting every lake and stream in my home district in southwest Ohio. After that I visited every lake in central Ohio. Next I was off to the waters in the southeast side of the state, and then to northwest Ohio and Lake Erie. By October I finally made it to the lakes and streams in the northeast corner of the state. After I finished there, I did a six-day trip up the Ohio River, then headed to Conneaut Creek to do some steelhead fishing, where I caught 5 inches of snow from a lake-effect snowstorm that had me snowbound in a motel for two days. After the snow passed, I went on to the Grand River, the Chagrin River, and finally the Cuyahoga River, which was my last stop on November 4.

In all, I spent 13 weeks on the road. In my truck I carried a cardboard box full of food, a cooler, a sleeping bag, a camp stove, a lantern, clothes, a digital camera, a briefcase, and my laptop. In addition, I kept close a couple of fishing rods, a tackle bag, and my waders. I slept in the back of my pickup at various state park campgrounds. Twice I stayed in a cabin, twice I stayed in a motel room, and twice I spent the night with a couple of outdoor writer friends. I occasionally had to wash my own clothes. Most of the time I fixed my own breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While I camped at Piedmont Lake, an elderly couple graciously shared with me an exquisite dinner of fried catfish and saugeye they had just caught. I also had homemade pumpkin pie and on several occasions was given a bag of fresh garden tomatoes. I guess at times I must have looked like a homeless fishing bum. I even had a few meals paid for.

I vividly recall a night spent at Clouse Lake with hordes of mosquitoes and the night I slept in the Delaware Lake Wildlife Area, which was the only place in the state I thought I needed a gun. There were some very special times, too, including the time I spent on the historic Muskingum River and that special invite to a cookout with the charter captains at Vermilion Harbor. Memorable too were those few autumn days I passed at Pymatuning Lake and the hot meal at the local diner with members of the Norton Bass Club after a cold, rainy tournament on Portage Lakes. All and all these turned out to be some of the best moments amid all the work that was piling up and yet to be put to paper.

I did a lot of writing over that summer, too. I spent countless hours researching and hammering out page after page about these Ohio lakes, rivers, and streams. I talked, interviewed, and wrote from literally daylight to dark. This work is the cumulative knowledge of all those I listed in the acknowledgements and it is the result of a lifetime of fishing that has become a passion for me. And when you turn the page and start reading, you will find that every lake has a story, and within that story is a kernel of knowledge that may help you catch a fish. There are, after all, few pursuits more enjoyable on which to spend a lifetime than catching fish.

I would like to gratefully acknowledge the following people who freely provided information used in this book and a more important commodity, their time. Without these individuals help this book would not have been possible.

Zac Williams, John Gillespie, Paul Creech, The Antler Shop, South Shore Marina, The Boars Head, Matthew Palmer, Tim Carr, Mike Richards, Louise Williams, Jim Wray, Cece and Wiley Tabor, Charlie Huddleston, Mort Pugh, Craig Morton, Dave Sheets, Doug Maloney, Mark Bertholomey, Charlie Cambell, Charles Kaiser, Fred Nickol, Joe Sharp, Lenaia Finkler, S. Hemingway, Bob Romage, Judy Holtzapfel, Jack McKirgan, Jerry Boone, Jack Guyton, Ryan Peterson, Kevin Good, Chuck Wadley, Pat Howard, Ben Bierbaugh, Jim White, Susan Maynard, Roger Deem, Jim Henery, Jeff Hatley, Sean and Cassedy Stephens, Jim Fugitt, Jeff Riley, Tony Sexton, Wes Roffe, Kyle Grupenhof, Paul Osborne, Denise Shivers, Dick Warrer, Dale Francis, Jason Carpenter, Ralph Adkins, Richard Warner, Frank Dailey, Geoff Roche, Mike Timmons, Tim Moore, Albert Delancy, Cody Downs, Clifton Kilpatrick, Ethel Eblin, Erin Hillman, Kurt Partee, Brian Gregory, Mike Zaborowski, Tom Cassity, Gloria Chrismer, Jerry Book, Rich Carter, Chris Smith, Jane Shipman, Bill Hughes, Linda Scowden, Dustin Mefford, Joe Cook, John Janosko, Dave Zacharias, Nick Cole, Eric Frost, Bernie P. Barlock, Dick Ford, Marty Webb, Vick Ricks, John Wargo, Randy Zeisler, Dwight Miller, Dave Ayers, Jeff Ayers, Scott McDonald, Joe Grega, Andy Seib, Lamar Ware, Eddie Fields, Steve Baker, Bob Orewiler, Richard Bires, Harry Collins, Mike Collins, Terry Flint, Karie Amstutz, Ed Lewis, Jerry VanZile, Austin Imm, Brock and Phil Thorp, Clare Varwig, Dan Mesker, Ron DeLong, Gerry Combs, Ron Singer, Brian Martin, Jeffrey Tyson, Bob Bowman, Capt. Ken Burris, Capt. Dave Farmer, Dan Burnside, Lyle Brown, Chris Martin, Charles Timbs, Doug Dobson, Craig Howell, Kevin Higgins, Sherman Jones, Capt. Ron Johnson, Andy Skodnik, Don Svab, Bruce Carpenter, Bob Kotch, Ron Kotch, Matt Amedeo, Will Spitzer, Scott Moles, Barbara Neill, Mike Westfall, Steve Moss, Andy Zagotti, Howard Wiff, Don Wiff, Jim Worley, Gary Camron, Dan Wright, Mike Stvdeny, Andy Peters, Kaylee Governor, Gregg Cappitte, Joe Sofchek, Ron Ferenchak, Patty Curtis, Ed Koren, Leonard Boley, Lowell Owens, Jerry Herman, Travis Hobart, James Fellows, Joe McGlothlin, Matthew Backhaus, Andra Keister, Josh Marshall, Bruce Weisburn, Mike Cunningham, John Grantham, Doug Henley, Scott Morrison, Carey Knight, Tim Bader, John Deller, Michael Blakeman, Leon Cole, Joe and Bob Pocki, Melissa Hathaway, Jim Marshal, Phil Hillman, Larry Goedde, Mike Greenlee, and Cathy Behr.