Buckeye State anglers planning a Mosquito Lake trip will find it seven miles northeast of Warren, off state Route 5. Mosquito Lake can also be accessed from state Route 88 between Mecca and West Mecca.

At 6,550 acres, Mosquito Lake is quite large, but ice-anglers can get started near the southern end where the water is deepest (about 25 feet in the center channel). Deep channels run north through most of Mosquito Lake’s bottom until it begins to level off near the northern end, where there is a wildlife refuge and fishing is prohibited.

For more information on the ice-fishing opportunities in District Three, contact the district headquarters, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319; or call (330) 644-2293

DISTRICT FOUR
According to Tim Parrett, a fisheries biologist based in the ODOW’s District Four office, the best places to ice-fish are the American Electric Power Company ponds.

“There are several hundred of these ponds,” Parrett said, “ranging in size from one-third to 20 acres. Ice-anglers mainly target bluegills, largemouth bass, and channel catfish in these ponds.”

“Anglers wishing to fish these ponds must acquire a permit issued by the American Electric Power Company,” he added.

For a free permit, interested anglers should write the American Electric Power Company, P.O. Box 328, McConnelsville, OH 43756; or try them online at AEP.com.

The AEP ponds are scattered throughout District Four. Anglers should check local maps to find the ponds they want to fish.

“Ice-anglers in District Four often have a relatively short season,” Parrett said. “Being as far south as we are in Ohio, some years we don’t have a lot of safe ice.”

However, Parrett noted that in a good year, the fishing can be great.

Parrett’s second pick for District Four ice-fishing action is Piedmont Lake. “Saugeyes are the fish most chased by ice-anglers here,” he said. “Ice-fishing for saugeyes can be especially productive on Piedmont Lake, especially down toward the dam,” Tim added.

Piedmont Lake lies in Guernsey, Harrison and Belmont Counties. It may be accessed from U.S. Route 22 or state routes 331 and 800.

Piedmont Lake covers 2,273 acres, with the deepest water at its northernmost tip. Depths reach 30 feet, but the lake has water that is 25 feet or better in the northern portion.

Another favorite, according to biologist Parrett, is Monroe Lake.

“All species of panfish and bass inhabit Monroe Lake,” he said. “Most ice-anglers do quite well here each winter.”

In Monroe County, Monroe Lake is best accessed from county Road 2 or state routes 800 and 145. Covering only 39 acres, the lake is relatively small, but its shallow depths make it a great natural fish hatchery.

For more information on ice-fishing destinations in Wildlife District Four, contact the district headquarters, 360 East State Street, Athens, OH 45701; or call (740) 594-2211.

DISTRICT FIVE
Doug Maloney a fisheries biologist for District Five, noted that ice-fishing in District Five can be an “iffy” situation.

“We are so far south that often we don’t get much ice,” Maloney said. “Our most reliable ice-fishing producers are in the northern part of District Five.

“Grand Lake St. Marys is usually a good choice for ice-fishing,” he added. “Often the channels freeze up before the main lake does, and anglers can take crappies, bluegills and perch.”