Fishing Report For Caesar Creek Lake, OH

Current Report: Poor To Fair

FALL. Now that Fall has arrived, bass here have moved shallow, following schools of baitfish into coves and shallow bays around 5 to 15 feet of water. Largemouth bass fishing is reported good from Caesar Creek State Park Campground to the Young Road Boat Ramp. Currently topwater, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits are catching most of the bass. Largemouth prefer the murkier water in the northern section of the lake. The two major coves on the east side of the lake have notable amounts of brush and cover, and have been producing some nice catches. Stick worms are a popular choice here for finicky bass. Later in Fall, as deeper water cools, bait and bass move out to ledges, channel edges, points and humps where flutter spoons, jigs and drop shots are often good choices in 15 to 20 feet of water.

WINTER. Winter will isolate largemouth around slightly deeper structure, flats, points and creek channels. They can be found from 20 to 35 feet deep. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring. Slow presentations are key to getting bites.

SPRING. Once water temperatures rise into the low 60's, largemouth will move from deep wintering holes, to shallower water nearby spawning areas. Vibrating jigs, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits typically get bites just away from the shoreline. At this time they are feeding aggressively in about 3 to 15 feet of water, and preparing for the spawn. Once water warms into the mid to high 60's, they will move into 2 to 4 feet of water, and create nests, then lay their eggs. Good Spring reports typically come from the shallow coves, with flooded brush, in the north and east arms of the lake. Immediately afterwards, females move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move to slightly deeper water. Deep-diving crankbaits, vibrating jigs, plastic worms and swimbaits are catching bass during this period.

SUMMER. Water temperatures will warm considerably in Summer. Bass will feed shallow, early and late in the day, where they will be caught on topwater, crankbaits and swimbaits in 5 to 10 feet of water. Wacky-rigged stick worms always catch finicky bass when the bite is slow. Largemouth bass here feed on gizzard shad, threadfin shad, small sunfish and crawfish. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, channel edges, and ledges 15 to 25 feet deep.

Current Report: Good To Very Good

FALL. As Fall arrives, smallmouth here follow schools of baitfish into coves and bays 8 to 15 feet deep. Smallies tend to like a bit cleaner water and primarily concentrate on the southern portion of the lake. Locals are reporting good shallow bites from the Caesar Creek Lake Dam to Harveysburg. Rocky or gravel banks are particularly good. This is where jerkbaits, crankbaits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits, are being successful. Later in Fall, smallies move to slightly deeper water, around 10 to 20 feet deep. Fishing shallow for smallmouth is often good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

WINTER. Winter will isolate them around deeper structure, points, flats and creek channels, often suspending in open water above these features. They can generally be found from 25 to 40 feet deep. Tube baits, jigging spoons, drop shots and Ned rigs often produce when fished with a very slow presentation. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring.

SPRING. When water temperatures rise into the 50's now, smallmouth have moved from deep wintering spots to shallower water, just outside spawning areas. They feeding heavily in 5 to 15 feet of water at this time, and are typically caught on jerkbaits, crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, and crayfish imitating plastics. Once water warms into the high 50's, they move into shallower water, and create nests in gravel or sand areas, then lay their eggs. Females then move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move to 15 to 20 feet deep, and feed aggressively. Crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, plastic worms, spoons and swimbaits are catching smallies during this period.

SUMMER. Smallmouth bass are currently feeding shallow early and late in the day in 8 to 15 feet of water. They are being caught on topwater, crankbaits, swimbaits, Ned rigs and tube baits. Smallmouth bass here feed on crawfish, gizzard shad, and small sunfish. They prefer rocky or gravel bottom areas, as this is where crayfish live. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, humps, and ledges 15 to 30 feet deep. Often these deeper fish are part of a large school of smallmouth. Reports by anglers fishing nearby the Caesar Creek State Park Wildlife Area, in Summer are often good.

Current Report: Fair To Good

FALL. Baitfish, which are moving into shallow flats, coves and bays, are drawing crappie into these areas. Crappie fishing has been good in Caesar Creek Lake virtually anywhere you can find brush in 6' to 15' of water. Most of the action is north of the Highway 73 bridge. They are feeding heavily in preparation for the cold Winter. Minnows, hair jigs, and crappie jigs, are good options during this feeding marathon. Late fall starts the migration deeper, toward winter holding areas, for both crappie and baitfish. Small flutter spoons, fished in 15 to 25 feet of water, are a good option during this transition

WINTER. Once the shallows start cooling rapidly, crappie will migrate to deeper holding areas, mostly off shore. At this time they are typically caught using a very slow presentation, in 20 to 40 feet of water. If they are suspending in open water, they often relate to some cover, or structure change, directly below them.

SPRING. In early Spring, crappie begin staging in 5 to 15 feet of water, just outside spawning bays and shallow flats. Spring is prime time to be on the water, as crappie have moved shallow to spawn. At that time, they are typically caught in 3 to 8 feet of water. Vegetation, docks, brush and wood are where most anglers catch crappie using small crappie jigs or live minnows. After the spawn, crappie typically move outside the spawning area and hold on cover close by, in 12 to 15 feet of water. Once they move deep, anglers report success using fish finders and forward facing sonar to locate schools of crappie, which tend to stack vertically around cover. Light tackle, with 4 lb to 8 lb line, is a popular choice.

SUMMER. Water temperatures get quite warm, and crappie fishing is usually pretty good. They feed in 8 to 15 feet of water early and late in the day, until the hot Summer sun causes them to retreat to depths of 12 to 24 feet. Also, a few have embedded in the shade of slightly shallower vegetation. This is a good time to focus around brush piles, deep lay downs, bridge pilings and deeper docks. Anglers are also locating schools of crappie hanging over deep structure and around creek channel edges, using fish-finder electronics.