Photo by Pete Maina

The muskellunge is often referred to as “the fish of 10,000 casts.” Patience is certainly a key element in muskie fishing. However, three major ingredients for success are location, location, and location.

Thankfully, muskie hotspots aren’t that hard to find in Ohio. When it comes to knowing where to find Buckeye State muskies, few are better versed on the topic than Elmer Heyob, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s District One fisheries manager.

He had no trouble recommending five great muskie hotspots, but tempered his remarks with his forecast on Ohio’s muskie fishing this spring.

“Conditions for spring fishing are great,” Heyob said. “If you can find semi-clean water with vegetation, you’ll find muskies.”

He cautioned that unstable climatic conditions could negatively impact muskie fishing for the spring 2007.

No matter the weather, the continued stocking of advanced fingerlings and high catch-and-release rates should help in the quest for a Huskie Muskie. As of August 2006, 97 percent of muskies caught in Ohio waterways had been released, according to data from the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club.

Once an angler finds the right body of water, only a fraction of those 10,000 casts are needed to catch a trophy fish. Here are the top five bodies of water in Ohio for muskie fishing this spring:

LEESVILLE LAKE
Leesville Lake in Carroll County has been the pinnacle of muskie fishing in the Buckeye State for years and should be among the top lakes once again this spring.

Matt Wolfe, an ODOW District Three fisheries biologist, said Leesville Lake should produce a high number of fish this season.

“Leesville has led the state in muskies caught, year in and year out, for a long time now,” Wolfe said.

As to be expected, this great fishery comes with heavy angling pressure. Wolfe said that even in spite of this, anglers should still be pleased with the results of their efforts.

As of August 2006, anglers reeled in 289 muskies on Leesville. In 2005, anglers recorded 585 muskies on the lake. Through only the first eight months of 2006, 112 Huskie Muskies were recorded. Because these numbers are generated by anglers sending in scale samples to the ODOW, Wolfe said this might be only a fraction of the total number of fish caught on Leesville.

He added that a number of anglers have had great results fishing the large arm of the lake that extends north to south. However, the arm of the lake running west to east shouldn’t be neglected. Anglers can often find submerged patches of vegetation in these areas, which are muskie magnets.

In addition to natural submerged vegetation, trees have also been dropped into the lake for muskie cover, Wolfe noted.

On Leesville Lake, motors are restricted to 10 horsepower and two public launch ramps are available to accommodate them. Leesville Lake may be accessed from state Route 212 about two miles southeast of Sherrodsville.

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