That's a surprise, because Lake Milton features cold streams that feed the lake. Fishermen targeting the water near and even up into these tributaries should enjoy good success.

Another great area to try is around the dam on the north side of the lake. Troll lures down to about 15 feet and run them at 1 to 2 miles per hour. Nighttime and early mornings often prove to be good times to target muskies on Lake Milton.

To obtain more information on Lake Milton and its muskie fishery, contact the ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293 or write them at 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319.

PYMATUNING LAKE
Pymatuning Lake covers 14,650 acres and has approximately 77 miles of shoreline in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ohioans enjoy a reciprocal agreement with Pennsylvania that make Ohio fishing licenses valid on both sides of the lake.

Ohio's portion of Pymatuning Lake is in Ashtabula County and may be accessed off state Route 6 two miles east of Andover. Unlike other Ohio muskie lakes, there is a 10-horsepower motor limit on Pymatuning.

The ODOW has not stocked Pymatuning for two years. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, however, continually stocks the lake with muskie fingerlings. Last year, ODOW returns showed 17 Huskie Muskie qualifiers, 55 honorable mentions and 23 fish under 30 inches.

"These numbers, however, are most likely not a good reflection of the overall productivity of the fishery," Lewis noted. "The majority of the lake is in Pennsylvania and most of the anglers who fish it are probably from Pennsylvania, so we do not get returns on all the fish caught."

It is conceivable, then, that the number of fish caught in Pymatuning may actually exceed the number of returns from many other top-producing lakes in the state. In any case, Pymatuning is a great muskie lake.

Anglers can expect to find fish near underwater humps between the dam and Stocker Island. Try trolling lures down to 10 to 12 feet in this area and near other deep-water haunts, such as around the swimming area on the southeast shore of the lake.

For more information on Pymatuning Lake, contact the ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293, or try the Pymatuning State Park offices at (440) 293-6329.

These great lakes are just a sampling of Ohio's phenomenal muskie fisheries. They are all great lakes that produce numbers of Ohio Huskie Muskies every year.

According to biologists Lewis and Heyob, August fishing is best in the early morning hours and can be great for anglers equipped to venture out after dark as well.

When fishing at night, be sure to comply with all state boating laws, to and exercise extreme caution while on the water. You may not be the only one out there!

More information on Ohio's muskie lakes and additional trip-planning assistance may be obtained by calling the Ohio Division of Wildlife Headquarter at 1-800-WILDLIFE or 1840 Belcher Drive, Columbus, OH 43224.

Information on the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club and the lakes discussed in this article may be found at www.ohiodnr.com. Click on the Fish & Wildlife link, on Fishing Resources, and then on Ohio's Huskie Muskie Program. From that point you will be able to find links to maps of all of Ohio's lakes and data on its great muskie fishery.