Ohio River bass fishing Port Clinton

Ohio is a biologically diverse land with a multitude of bodies of water. Its border with Lake Erie, amount of lakes and the Ohio River make the state an ideal locale for fishing.

Located in central Ohio, less than one hour outside of Columbus, Alum Creek Lake is one of the premier fishing lakes in the state of Ohio, notes Ohio's official parks website. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the Alum Creek Lake in the early 1970s; it was completed in 1976 and was filled with water and stocked with fish. The lake is over 3, 269 acres in area. Common fish found on the lake include: carp, catfish, rainbow trout, black crappie, white bass and yellow perch. Alum Creek Lake supports fly fishing, shallow water fishing and fishing with a boat.

Lake Erie borders Ohio on the north. Charter boats take people out on the lake for deep-water fishing. Walleye and bass are some of the most common fish found in the lake. Badman Charters is a fully licensed fishing charter company specializing in taking people out on the lake for a fishing outing. Common fish caught off the charter boats include walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Fish caught off the coast at Port Clinton are sporting quality and exceed minimum size requirements issued by the state of Ohio.

The Ohio River is a key part of Ohio fishing and is replete with off-shoot ponds that are stocked with fish. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources lists several spots along the Ohio River that are prime for fishing. New Cumberland Pool in Jefferson, Ohio, has excellent sauger fish and small mouth bass populations and boasts hardy levels of channel catfish. Pike Island Pool is located in Belmont, Ohio, and boasts high numbers of smallmouth bass, channel catfish and hybrid striped bass.

Killdeer Reservoir, located in Wyandot County, is over 285 acres and has a concentrated number of fish. One hour from Columbus, the reservoir contains largemouth bass, bluegill, walleye, channel catfish and white suckerfish. The fish are introduced into the Tymochtee Creek, which is a tributary of Killdeer; local government monitors levels of fish population.

Atwood Lake, listed by the website Go Fish Ohio as one of the state's prime fishing spots, is located in between Canton and New Philadelphia. The 1, 500-acre lake is maintained and operated by the Ohio Division of Wildlife Services. Northern pike, crappies, bluegills, catfish and largemouth bass are the most commonly caught fish.