What is the best [Archive] - Ohio Sportsman.com

BottomBouncer

01-21-2003, 11:51 PM

The hp limit on Alum is 1,000,000,000,000...............lol.....

Rick.....since August. Remember when we went up to hoover early last year.....when it was snowing? You had recently bought that neat little minnow container. We still need to get to Buckeye for some wipes!

flathunter

01-22-2003, 12:04 AM

I dont fish lakes but from what I have heard Piedmont is also a very good lake for many species.

lureboy98

01-22-2003, 12:17 AM

I have never fished Alum or Lake Erie, though I've tried to get up to Lake Erie. My favorite place to fish is the Mohican River. Nothing beats catching your own bait, sitting on the sandy bottom, cool water belly-button high, and fishing pole in hand while the minnow under the bobber floats on down. Then reel in and fish again without getting up all with one of your best friends.

I like Piedmont, its pretty nice as far as lakes go.

BottomBouncer

01-22-2003, 12:40 AM

Piedmont is definately one of my favorites, just with there were not hp limits:(

atrkyhntr

01-22-2003, 03:27 AM

Lake Milton by far simply has a better fish population after the corp of eng took the lake level down to repair the dam then the re-stocking by the DNR and you basically have a new lake (new lakes have always out produced older lakes) with the same old structure and many many more fish :D
Ceasar Creek was like that and at onbe time was Ohio's best inland res... ;)

MISFIT

01-22-2003, 06:32 AM

just figured out who you were:rolleyes: guess my mind is getting slower:eek: :rolleyes: looks like we all need an identity change now and then:D ;) we can do the wiper thing in your boat and piedmont in mine,since you're not motored for it:cool: how's that for a trade a trip?

BottomBouncer

01-22-2003, 02:22 PM

Sounds great to me! I'll have to take you on my TOP SECRET holes at Alum. I must know how to read the bank really well, I have yet to pull into my area, right off the main lake, and find someone anchored over my spot.

Here's a hot August day's catch last summer:

28 crappie
1 hand size bluegill(caught while trolling over the hole)
5 smallie from 10" to 14"
1 20"+ channel cat

All from the same hole, only the bluegill was caught while not anchored.

I've trolled along the main lake in the no wake zone and caught lm's, crappie and eyes along the same 20 yard stretch. Find back in a brushy cove and pulled dozens of crappie with a buddy from work, had to trailer and get more bait. Came back before dark and go into the channel cats. He caught a 14" crappie while we were trolling back in another cove.

MISFIT

01-22-2003, 03:10 PM

not a bad day:)

mattgmann

01-23-2003, 12:54 PM

I'd just thought I'd through up some other good lakes. Clear fork. I've had some very nice bass fishing there, and seen some big muskies taken. Not to mention it's a beautiful lake. Deer creek lake has it's moments, as well as dillon and buck creek. Alum is up there, but there's soooo many people on it. I've also heard good things about Leesville, piedmont, grand lake st mary's. Nothing beats lake erie. And for being the little scum pond it is, buckeye has decent fishing. I must say that I prefer streams, creeks and rivers almost all the time to lakes.

Another note is how bad Hargast lake has become. My dad used to take me to hargast when I was young. Lots of good sized bass, crappie, and almost always hooked a muskie while bass fishing. Now it stinks. I know they drained it a few years back. The management since then hasn't been very good.

BottomBouncer

01-23-2003, 12:58 PM

Deer creek has seen better days..............every now and then you'll hear of something large being caught there. I've only fished the tailwaters, which was okay. What is the lake like as far as structure, clarity, depth, etc.?

Live2Fish

01-23-2003, 08:01 PM

Alum is good for shore fishermen such as myself but most of my fishing is done wading. The Olentangy, Scioto, and the Big Darby are my primary areas.

BottomBouncer

01-23-2003, 11:55 PM

I like wading the Scioto...........places close to home like Griggs and Greenlawn tailwaters still produce. I've had great days below Greenlawn, catching just about everything on artificial.

flathunter

01-24-2003, 01:32 AM

I think deer creek has way to many catch and keep anglers, along with it being close to Columbus and gets hit hard.

Andy Gehle

01-24-2003, 09:00 AM

My choices are a bit different as my boat choices are restricted to canoe, kayak or floattube. Best tubing lakes for greenies have got to be in Ohio Power. Have witnessed many 5+ lbers coming from those little beaver ponds. I was lucky enough to get invited to fish The Wilds ponds last year. The Columbus Zoo now owns The Wilds and I do some business with the Zoo so I leveraged an invite. HOLY ****! I am by no means an accomplished largemouth guy, but between three of us, we released over two dozen 4+ lbers and three fish went over 7lbs!! 3 lbers were a dime a dozen. I've never expeienced anything like it in Ohio. Hope to get an invite again this spring.
Closer to home, the Scioto has been good to me,too, but God help a guy who tries to eat anything out of her.

BottomBouncer

01-24-2003, 12:07 PM

What/where is "The Wilds"? Never heard of it. Sometimes I used to sneek around to the pond at the back of the Safari golf course...........TONS & TONS of bass and crappie you can go through a dozen minnows in less than 15 minutes. I once had a little bass on a rapala and a much larger bass came up and nailed it..............I couldn't get those trebles in the larger fish and it eventually stole my little bass.

Andy Gehle

01-24-2003, 01:41 PM

Yeah, that pond behind Safari and near the Zoo parking lot is a goodun. You can throw a turd in there and fish are going to hit it. They've kind of shut us down on that little pond as of about a year ago. I think they may drain it to make some more parking room.
As far as the Wilds. If you've ever driven to Ohio Power, it's on the left hand side about 5 miles before you get there. It's one of those outdoor Zoo set ups where you can drive your car around and have animals come up to the vehicle. The Wilds wasn't making any cash so the Columbus Zoo bought it outright last year. They have several ponds that rarely see an angler. I know that Mad River Outfitters has struck a deal with them so they can guide guys back in there for fly fishing for largemouths. In fact, if you get on there website for Madriver Outfitters, I think they have some info and pics of some of the bass that come out of there. It's one of those ponds that make you feel like Bill dance and all his little private honey holes. Just imagine a pond where the fish hit like that Safari pond, but each fish goes 3-10 lbs!
If I get to go back, I'm taking a digital camcorder and getting some action footage. It just is hard to appreciate without witnessing it.
Those Ohio Power ponds are not too shabby either.

MISFIT

01-24-2003, 01:45 PM

ryan,here's their sitehttp://www.thewilds.org/

mattgmann

01-24-2003, 08:28 PM

The wilds is the best kept secret in ohio...period. I wasn't even going to mention it, but since it popped up. I got a chance to fish it last year, and it was insane. I beleive the only way to get on it now is through Mad River Outfitters. They have an exclusive deal with the Wilds and offer fly fishing excurions there. Unless you know somebody, or want to pay the pros, good luck getting in there. A 5lb bass on a fly rod is pretty insane. Finding large bass in numbers in ohio is pretty tough anyway. Like andy said, 3lbers are a dime a dozen.

BottomBouncer

01-24-2003, 09:21 PM

Andy, are you talking about the pond at the back of the zoo parking lot or the one on the golf course? I've fished both and the one on the course it way better.
Man, if they drain it what will they do with those fish? I wouldn't mind taking my large well up there and transporting those fish to my pond. Wonder if they would let someone do that?

BottomBouncer

01-24-2003, 09:24 PM

Hey, thanks for the link Rick!

Andy Gehle

01-27-2003, 08:13 AM

BB,
I was talking about the pond at the back of the parking lot, not the one on the golf course. Never fished the one on the course.
As far as the parking lot pond goes, I do believe they have plans to get rid of it. I have a few buddies who work at the Zoo and they have said something to that regards. IF they do drain it, I will check to see if they are interested in transferring some of the fish. I mean, it is the ZOO, I would hope they'll have some kind of plan besides watching a few hundred fish flopping on the muddy bank. But, i've seen them do some pretty f'ed up stuff, so nothing would surprise me.

BottomBouncer

01-27-2003, 10:15 PM

If you ever get a chance, fish in the course pond. Makes the other pond look terrible. I was catching crappie on 6" soft plastics! Had a HUGE snapping turtle swim by..........bass all over the place. I've thought about calling up the course manager and asking if I could fish it on rainy days or days they are closed, there are so many bass in there that the majority are less than 8 inches.

catking

01-29-2003, 06:56 AM

Piedmont has always been ranked the best all around lake in Ohio. For all species. Smallies, 'eyes, LM Bass, Catfish. I'd say it was the best. It does have a 10 hp limit, but seems hard to beat. THE CATKING!!!

BottomBouncer

01-29-2003, 12:11 PM

If you have a large motor and keep it up and use your trolling motor can you go on Piedmont? I saw a guy launch a big lund with something that was definately NOT a 9.9 but he kept it up and used his kicker.

CW03

01-29-2003, 10:32 PM

BB,

As long as the "big" motor is tilted fully out of the water, it's legal to launch. I had a similar inquiry about Clendening a few years back.

Flatheadmaniac

01-30-2003, 07:19 AM

how about the RIVERs..lol

Hey Andy..since you liked Ohio Power for float tub'in..ya ever been out to Egypt Valley before in Belmont Co.?
Its like Ohio Power was say 15 yrs ago before all the crowds and fishing pressure.

You guys talk about the "wilds" as the best LM lake that is mostly unknown..and is limited access(invite only)...any of you ever heard of a certain millonaire(who owns ALL the white picket fences all along rt 40) on the sw corner of Franklin Co. that has a pro. stocked bass lake in the middle of his out door full size horse track?
Some of you familar with that area know whom im talking about..lol
My real good friend is a relative of Sheriff Karnes(sp?)..we stopped to talk to him last summer on our way out to the creek to do some wadin..he said he had just fished the "private" lake and was averaging 6-8lb LM's from this lake.
I have friends that back in high school snuck in and fished ths lake...man they got in so much trouble..yup they got caught..lol

If any of you have canoed down the Darby south of rt 40 you have seen this guys trophy room facing the creek...right before the HIS dam!

BottomBouncer

01-30-2003, 07:40 AM

Could you even imagine what all that land is worth? Unbelievable.......

Andy Gehle

01-30-2003, 08:34 AM

Never been to Egypt Valey for bass, we do some grouse hunting there,though. Thanks for the heads up. Lately, if I get a full day to chase fishies, it would be spent on a river. Though tubing for greenies is a great way to spend a day, I'd just assume float a stream these days.
I've heard about the private pond that you were talking about. 6-8 lbs!! Damn, rich guys get some good fishing, don't they? I'd like to blow up his damn dam,though. I've never really heard an accurate account on the building of that thing,but I've heard that he was not completelely within the letter of the law in doing so. I wonder what kind of reaction I'd get if I wanted to dam up a stream........."where's your cash?"

BottomBouncer

01-30-2003, 08:39 AM

What dam are you guys talking about?

mattgmann

01-30-2003, 01:27 PM

That reminds me of a stocked pit I fished in florida one time. The guy who owned it had about 13000 acres. He got most of his money from lime rock mines on his land, but when the miners pulled out, he started giving hunting leases to wealthy folks (pro athletes and such). I've got to do some hunting over the years on the ranch, through luck because my uncle is good friends with him (i'm definitely not "wealthy folk"). Anyway, there's a pit he stocked, and every bass put in it is at least 5lbs. It's wrong. It's like an outdoor aquarium. But if I had the money, I suppose I'd come up with something similar. (maybe a tiny spring creek laden with 20" brown trout)

Flatheadmaniac

01-30-2003, 05:14 PM

We are talking about "Darby Dan Farms" owned originally by John Galbreth(sp?) but he died long ago and now his son Dan runs the millions...lol. They also have thier private airport that can be seen from rt 40.
Yea Andy..that dam is not found on any map and is not suposed to be there(not public knowlege) but as you said..money talks .

BB he has a big roll over dam on Big Darby...you should see the size of the back water it creates..he has a pontoon boat that looks to hold about 20 people in the "lake" the dam forms.

That dam has been around for many years...i used to fish below the other dam that was located right where big & little D met..that one was built by Okie Rice..again money talks...but the state had it removed years back..what a shame too because there used to be some AWSOME fishing below that dam..now..its not worth my time to fish that spot..dried up!

There is ANOTHER dam on Big D that not many know about..its behind the Battelle corp. located between rt70 & rt 40 along rt142

I have fished below all 3 dams in my day....and they all are great spots to fish...well atleast the remaining 2 are.
Scott