Alum Creek Lake covers 3,192 acres in Delaware County. The lake is accessible off Interstate Route 71 north of the Columbus city limits. State routes 36 and 37 provide access from the east, and state routes 36, 37, 521 from the west.

For more information, contact the ODOW's District One office at (614) 644-3925, or the Alum Creek State Park office at (740) 548-4631.

CAESAR CREEK LAKE
"The Ohio Division of Wildlife first stocked muskies in Caesar's Creek Lake in 1998, and it has really come on strong in the last two or three years," said Doug Maloney, an ODOW fisheries supervisor. "In 2007, we heard about lots of 30- to 38-inch fish being caught, along with a few in the 45- to 48-inch range."

Anglers are advised to troll through the flooded timber, dropoffs, rocky shorelines, points and submerged humps on the upper end of the lake.

According to Pyle, Grandmas, Ernies and 10-inch Believers are productive lures.

Pyle runs his baits a lot closer to the boat than most other muskie hunters would think of doing. At least one line should be in the prop wash, and the others may be just a few feet out. When it comes to trolling speed, his rule of thumb is to troll as fast as possible and still keep the baits performing. The faster the speed, he said, the tighter the wobble.

"The idea is to trigger a strike by trolling fast," said Pyle. "A muskie may be right next to a school of shad, and when he sees your bait heading into his school, he'll do something about it."

This 2,723-acre lake lies four miles east of Waynesfield on state Route 73. For more information, contact the ODOW's District Five office at (937) 372-9261, or the Caesar Creek State Park office at (513) 897-3055.

COWAN LAKE
Some anglers won't give Cowan Lake very high marks, but there are muskies to be had here.

"In recent years, moderate but reasonable numbers of 30- to 36-inch muskies have been caught, with an occasional fish topping 40 inches," said Maloney.