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1 angler watching on this water. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Buckeye Lake: what the data says
2,820-acre shallow natural lake near Newark. historic canal-era lake; shallow wood and canals. The lake tops out around 16 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Buckeye Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Buckeye Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 13 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Buckeye Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Buckeye Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 13 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Buckeye Lake
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 16 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday |
Saugeye fishing at Buckeye Lake
Spring saugeye on Buckeye Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall saugeye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 13 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Buckeye Lake?
Buckeye Lake is about 16 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Buckeye Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp on Buckeye Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Buckeye Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Buckeye Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Oakthorpe Lake · Rush Creek Lake · Dillon Lake · Lake Logan · Hoover Reservoir · Hargus Creek Lake
See how Buckeye Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ohio · best saugeye lakes in Ohio · best crappie lakes in Ohio · best bluegill lakes in Ohio
Browse all Ohio fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.