The lakes close to fishing for the year around the first week in October and reopen the first or second Thursday in April.

No more than two people in a party, with the exception of youth reservations, may reserve a fishing slot. Only one reservation may be made for any three-week period on Lake La Su An or Lake La Vere.

Anglers must use artificial baits only.

The carefully monitored fishing schedule has resulted in unparalleled bass fishing.

“We do a lot of intensive management in these lakes,” said Goedde. “We try to keep a density of 70 bass per acre, which results in very high catch rates, but not many trophy fish.”

Other good bass lakes in Wildlife District Two include Pleasant Hill Reservoir, which covers 850 acres in Richland and Ashland counties, and Clear Fork Reservoir, a 944-acre lake in Richland and Morrow counties.

For additional information on the bass-fishing opportunities available in northwestern Ohio, contact the ODOW’s Wildlife District Two office, 952 Lima Avenue, Findlay, OH 45840; or call (419) 424-5000.

WILDLIFE
DISTRICT THREE
The northeastern sector of the Buckeye State is noted for plenty of lakes with big bass, including the Portage Lake system and LaDue Reservoir. All of these provide exceptionally good bass habitat.

According to Phil Hillman, a fish management supervisor for the ODOW’s Wildlife District Three, the bass population in his region is doing well. With management policy pretty much standard throughout the districts, size and length limits have helped keep fish in District Three growing in size and numbers.

Besides his long-running duties as fish management supervisor, Hillman is also an accomplished angler. Some years back, I spent a day in heavy insulated waders trying to keep up with Hillman in the icy creek waters of Conneaut in pursuit of steelhead. He skunked me badly, pulling in two fish that weighed over 11 pounds.

“Turkeyfoot Lake, which is part of the Portage Lakes system, is one of our top bass-producing lakes,” Hillman said. “In our sampling surveys, 29 percent of the largemouth bass were 15 inches or longer.”

This lake covers 665 acres in and has a maximum depth of 52 feet. One of nine Portage Lakes, this body of excellent bass water was constructed in the 19th century to supply water for the canal system.

With quality habitat management by ODOW biologists, the mature bass population in Turkeyfoot Lake provides some of the best fishing opportunities in this region.

Long Lake is another Portage lake that supplies top bass-fishing water. Hillman noted that electro-shocking surveys revealed that 32 percent of the surveyed bass were 15 inches or longer.

Long Lake covers 225 acres and has a maximum depth of 40 feet. Turkeyfoot Lake has a 12-inch length limit in place, but Long Lake has no size limitations.

LaDue Reservoir is another top District Three bass producer. Hillman said surveys of that lake yielded a 34 percent catch of fish over 15 inches in length.