Buckeye State muskie anglers can expect more great fishing as the 2006 spring season gets under way. As of late October last year, muskie scale sample returns indicated a dramatic increase in catch rates all across the state.

According to Donald Weaver, president of the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club, a whopping 98 percent of all the fish caught were successfully returned to the water. The excellent angling opportunities that exist in Ohio can be attributed to the almost religious catch-and-release ethic of Ohio's most devout muskie anglers.

Here is a look at five of the best lakes for Ohio's muskie anglers to consider this fishing season.

LEESVILLE LAKE
Leesville Lake has earned its ranking in Ohio's top five spring muskie lakes. According to Weaver, this phenomenal body of water has done nothing but improve each season. The number of Huskie Muskies landed (a muskie caught in Ohio waters that is 42 inches or longer) more than doubled from 2004 to 2005.

Leesville Lake may be accessed two miles southeast of Sherrodsville off state Route 212 in Carrolton County, part of the Ohio Division of Wildlife's Wildlife District Three. Leesville is a small impoundment, at just 1,000 acres, and has a 10-horsepower motor limit.

Anglers visiting the lake can expect fishing pressure to be relatively high; however, the potential for catching a trophy-class fish here is excellent.

Many successful Leesville anglers cast bucktails and crankbaits along shallow shoreline structure.

"Muskies tend to hold in approximately 4 to 10 feet of water throughout the spring," noted Weaver. "Also, anglers will find the most active fish inhabiting the north shorelines, as these tend to warm more quickly."

Weaver also pointed out that muskies are structure-oriented at this time of year. Anglers should always allow for a few extra casts around fallen trees and timber.

Though Leesville Lake is well known for having ample weed growth, the weeds are rarely noticeable in April; therefore, the fish will be found near other forms of structure in spring.

Leesville Lake is stocked annually with one muskie fingerling per surface acre. Leesville Lake had been thought to be more of a numbers fishery, but in 2005 Leesville produced more fish over 42 inches than any other lake in the state. It also produced at least one muskie over 50 inches.

For more information on Leesville Lake or to request a lake map, contact the ODOW's Wildlife District Three headquarters at (330) 644-2293.