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Best saugeye lakes in Ohio

75 Ohio waters hold saugeye, 72 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Walleye × sauger hybrid stocked across midwestern reservoirs. Loves stained water, wind-blown mud lines and dam riprap — bites better in daylight than a walleye.

1. Wauseon Reservoir — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
2. Salt Fork Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
3. Muskingum River — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, Channel CatfishWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 26 public access sites, 9 carry-in or shore-oriented
4. Grand Lake St. Marys — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites
5. Piedmont Lake — 32 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
6. Alum Creek Lake — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites, 3 carry-in or shore-oriented
7. Seneca Lake — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Tappan Lake — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
9. Paint Creek Lake — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Caesar Creek Lake — 119 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
11. Clendening Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
12. Indian Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
13. Buckeye Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites
14. Hoover Reservoir — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
15. East Fork Lake (Harsha Lake) — 105 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
16. Scioto River — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, Channel CatfishWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 12 public access sites, 8 carry-in or shore-oriented
17. Dillon Lake — 32 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
18. Atwood Lake — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
19. Lake Loramie — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
20. O'Shaughnessy Reservoir — 49 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
21. Rocky Fork Lake — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
22. Delaware Lake — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
23. Portage Lakes (Turkeyfoot) — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
24. Deer Creek Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
25. Charles Mill Lake — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented

…plus 50 more Ohio waters holding saugeye.

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When to fish saugeye in Ohio

• Spring 3–12 ft — Stack below dams, on riprap and gravel shoals as water warms; muddy water is your friend.
• Summer 8–22 ft — Shallower than walleye all summer — fish the first breakline and wind-blown points.
• Fall 8–28 ft — Creek-channel edges and dam faces; the colder it gets, the better the daytime bite.
• Winter 12–30 ft — The premier winter bite in saugeye reservoirs — deep channel bends and tailwaters.

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