Ohio Fishing

The state of Ohio offers anglers a wide variety of quality fishing opportunities. The Ohio Division of Wildlife manages 124,000 acres inland water, 7,000 miles of streams, and 2 1/4 million acres of Lake Erie.

Fishing License

Who needs a license
Free Fishing Days (No license required)

Buy a License

Laws & Regulations

Educate yourself on Ohio’s fishing laws and regulations to ensure you stay legal and avoid costly fines.

Where to Fish in Ohio

Best Fishing Lakes in Ohio

Lake Erie – Lake Erie is known as one of the best Walleye and Smallmouth Bass fishing locations in the world. Lake Erie holds the state record for Brown Trout, Burbot, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Perch, and Yellow Perch.
Piedmont Lake – Known for it’s quality Smallmouth and Crappie fishing, currently holds the state record for Muskellunge. Piedmont has an outboard motors limit of 10 horsepower, this makes it a great option for kayak anglers.
Hoover Reservoir – Offers high quality catfish fishing conveniently close to Columbus. The state record Buffalo Sucker was caught on the Hoover Reservoir.

Best River Fishing in Ohio

Ohio River – The Ohio River holds the state record Blue Catfish and Longnose Gar.
Mad River – The Mad River is 60 miles long and is stocked by the Division of Wildlife with six- to eight-inch brown trout. It also contains native brook trout.
Clear Fork River – Another great river for those seeking to fish for trout. It also holds bass, carp, and various panfish.

Fish Species in Ohio

Ohio has over 160 species of fish, most of which are not seen by anglers. Below you will find the common game fish that anglers typically see when fishing in Michigan.

Bass

Ohio has 6 types of bass including: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, White, Striped, and Hybrid Striped Bass.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are the most targeted species for freshwater anglers. They can be found in every state other than Alaska. They are the largest species of bass.

Learn more about largemouth bass

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass are the most aggressive bass which makes fishing for them a ton fun. They have a ton of fight which makes up for their smaller sizes. Even though they are smaller than largemouth they still can get pretty big.

Learn more about smallmouth bass

Spotted Bass

Spots are similar to largemouths except they have horizontal rows of small black spots on the lower side. The notch between their spiny and soft dorsal fins is shallower than largemouths.

Spotted bass also have smaller mouths and a circular patch of teeth on the tongue.

Learn more about spotted bass

White Bass

Silver-white to pale green color
Dark back, with white sides and belly
narrow dark stripes through the length of their sides
White bass look like shorter versions of striped bass.

Learn more about white bass

Striped Bass

Striped bass started out as saltwater fish but were added to freshwater where they survived and adapted. They are a schooling fish, so if you catch one it is very likely there are more around.

Hybrid Striped Bass

Hybrid mix of striped and white bass
Broken horizontal strips on body
Two separate tooth patches on back of tongue

Learn more about hybrid striped bass

Catfish

Ohio has 3 types of catfish including: Channel, Flathead, and Brown Bullhead Catfish.

Channel Catfish

Channel catfish have a slender scaleless body with a forked tail. They have an olive green to light grey color body with small black spots along their body.

Channel catfish can grow up to 52 inches long and 60lbs. The average size you will see is 1-3ft long and 1-15lbs.

Learn more about channel catfish

Flathead Catfish

Flathead catfish have a flathead and a smooth scaleless body. They have a pale yellow to light brown colored body with a cream belly.

Flathead catfish can grow up to 3-ft long and weight 123lb. The average size you will see is 10-15lbs.

Learn more about flathead catfish

Brown Bullhead Catfish

Olive to yellowish brown body
Dark brown spots throughout body
Four pairs of dark barbels
Squared tail
Sharp spines on dorsal and pectoral fins

Black Bullhead

Dark greenish or yellowish brown
belly is yellowish or white
Black chin barbels
Upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw
Anal fin usually has 17–21 rays

Crappie

Ohio has both black and white crappie.

Black Crappie

Black crappie have white bodies with a dark green and black back. Throughout their bodies they have black and brown spots.

World Record: 5 lb 7 oz – 19.25 inches long

White Crappie

White crappie have a white to silver body with a dark green back. They have blotches that make vertical bars across their sides.

World Record: 5 lb 3 oz – 21 inches long

Panfish

Ohio has 6 types of panfish including: Bluegill, Longear Sunfish, Green sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Rock Bass, and Pumpkinseed.

Bluegill

Large, deep bodied sunfish with a small mouth
Sides are dark bluish-green in color with vertical bars throughout their body
They have a large dark spot at the rear of the soft dorsal fin
Their belly is deep orange to rust color
Adults can grow to 16 in. but usually reach 6-11 in.

Learn more about bluegill

Longear Sunfish

Small sunfish with a deep body and small mouth
Bright red-orange color with iridescent blue spots on their back and sides
Their belly is mostly red-orange in color
Has a long gill or “ear” flap, and wavy blue lines on cheek and gill cover
Adults can grow to 9 in. but are usually less than 6 in.

Learn more about longear sunfish

Green Sunfish

Large, robust sunfish with a large mouth
Blue irregular stripes of color on the sides of their head
Large black spot at the rear of their soft dorsal fin
Adults can grow to 12 in. but usually reach 8-10 in.

Learn more about green sunfish

Redear Sunfish

Large, deep bodied sunfish with a small mouth with long, pointed snout and small mouth
Adult males have a red margin on the gill cover flap while females have a light orange flap
Adults can grow to 15 in. but usually reach 8-11 in.

Learn more about redear sunfish

Rock Bass

Dark green or brown color with brassy yellow flecks
4-5 wide dark saddles over the back and down the sides
Often called “redeye” or “goggleye” due to its large, deep red eyes
Has 5 or 6 spines in their anal fin
Adults can grow to 17 inches but fish exceeding 12 inches are rare

Learn more about rock bass

Pumpkinseed

Molted blue, orange, yellow, and olive green coloring
Wavy blue lines on cheeks
Orange belly
Black earflaps with red or orange boarder
10 spines on the front of dorsal fin with a rounded back

Learn more about pumpkinseed

Perch

Ohio has 5 types of perch including: Walleye, Yellow, White, Sauger, and Saugeye.

walleye being held by angler with bait still in it's mouth

Walleye (Sander canadensis)

Olive back that gradients down to gold side
5 dark bars along sides
White tip on tail

Learn more about walleye

Yellow Perch

Yellow to gold coloring
White belly
Green to yellow eyes
6-8 dark bands along their sides
Dorsal fin with 12-14 spines and a second dorsal fin with 12-13 soft rays plus 2-3 spines

White Perch

Silver to greenish body
White Belly
Faint lines down their sides
Lower jaw protrudes beyond upper
3 spines on anal fin
7 – 10 inches long

Sauger (Sander canadensis)

Bronze to olive color
Dark blotches on side with white belly
No white on tail

Learn more about sauger

Saugeye

Hybrid between walleye and sauger
Mix between gray to silver color of a walleye and the bronze or brown color of a sauger
Dark vertical bars between the spines of the first dorsal fin
White tips on the lower part of the tail and anal fins

Pike

Ohio has 2 types of Pike including: Muskellunge and Northern Pike.

Muskellunge

Greenish to golden brown coloring on their backs and upper sides
Long thin body with a flat head and mouth filled with sharp teeth
6 to 9 pores on the lower jaw

Learn more about muskie

Northern Pike

Long torpedo shaped body
Grey to green body with light-colored spots
Yellowish-white belly
Scales cover their entire cheek and the upper half of their gill covers

Trout

Ohio has 3 types of trout including: Brook, Brown, and Rainbow.

Brook Trout (Salmo trutta)

Worm like markings along back & head
White edges along fins
Found in eastern North America, Europe, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia

Learn more about brook trout

brown trout being held out of water with a fly in it's mouth

Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

Silver & golden brown
Orange to red spots with silver rings around them
Found throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Western Asia

Learn more about brown trout

rainbow trout being held out of water by angler

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Distinct red pink stripe down their side
Black spots throughout body
Square, broad tail

Learn more about rainbow trout

Salmon

Ohio has 3 types of salmon including: Chinook, Coho, and Pink Salmon.

Chinook Salmon

Blue-green on head and back
Silver on sides
Irregular black spots on tail, back, and upper fin
Black markings around gums
Male Chinook salmon have a distinctive hooked nose at the top of the mouth and a ridged back
During the mating season, both male and female salmon develop a reddish tint around their back fins and tail

Coho Salmon

Bright silver body
Small black spots on the back
White gums
Spawning adults of both sexes have dark backs and heads with reddish sides

Pink Salmon

Smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America
Young pink salmon are completely silver without any dark vertical bars or spots
In the ocean, adults are bright greenish-blue on top and silvery on its sides
Develop large black spots on their back and all over their tail when they return to freshwater
Males develop a large hump, and hooked jaws when entering spawning grounds

Other Species

Ohio has 4 other types of game fish including: Longnose Gar, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, and Paddlefish.

Longnose Gar

Brown to dark olive coloring
Dark spots on back, sides, and fins
Elongated jaws that form a needle-like snout nearly three times the length of its head
Upper jaw has a row of cone-shaped teeth
Diamond-shaped interlocking scales