05/03/2026
🌟 Fish Ohio Top 10 Inland Waters 📊
🐟 This chart represents the top 10 inland waters reported to the Fish Ohio program for channel catfish, saugeye, crappie, and smallmouth bass in 2025.
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🎣 Fish Ohio records show that channel catfish, saugeye, crappie, and smallmouth bass are four of the most popular sport fish in inland waters across the Buckeye State. In inland waters, a channel catfish longer than 26 inches, a saugeye longer than 21 inches, a crappie longer than 13 inches, or a smallmouth bass longer than 18 inches qualifies for Fish Ohio status.
⏺️ Channel catfish
Channel catfish grow large and consume a wide variety of foods, making them one of Ohio’s most popular sport fish. The top three inland destinations for Fish Ohio channel catfish in 2025 were the Sandusky River, Mosquito Creek Lake, and the Maumee River.
Channel catfish can be blue, gray, silver, or almost black in color with a paler belly and eight whisker-like barbels. They are most active at night and can be caught on a variety of baits, and are found in most of Ohio’s large lakes, rivers, and streams.
⏺️ Saugeye
A hybrid between a walleye and a sauger, saugeye are stocked in more than 60 lakes by the Division of Wildlife. These fast-growing fish thrive in Ohio’s inland waters and can be caught year-round, with 767 saugeye submitted to the Fish Ohio program in 2025. Inland lake anglers caught Fish Ohio saugeye most often in Indian Lake, Buckeye Lake, and Alum Creek Lake.
Saugeye are identified by the dark bars or vertical spots between the spines of the first dorsal fin. They also have dark, oblong patches along their sides. They prey on gizzard shad and other small fish.
⏺️ Crappie
Black crappie and white crappie are abundant in Ohio. A black crappie has irregular blotches or spots along its sides, while a white crappie is distinguished by more uniform dark vertical stripes. Top Fish Ohio crappie destinations were Mosquito Creek Lake, Buckeye Lake, and Alum Creek Lake.
Crappies are often found near structures like drop-offs, points, creek beds, brush piles, and fallen trees. These feisty sport fish are often caught on light tackle.
⏺️ Smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass are found in streams, rivers, and larger lakes across Ohio, and their reputation for fighting hard when hooked makes them an often-targeted sport fish. Ohio’s top three inland waters for smallmouth bass in 2025 were the Great Miami River, Alum Creek Lake, and the Scioto River.
Smallmouth bass have dark vertical bars along their side with a brown or bronze colored background. Tube jigs, spinners, topwater poppers, and crankbaits on an ultralight spinning rod are great lure choices for smallmouths. Last year, 894 Fish Ohio smallmouth bass were reported from inland waters.
