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1,350-acre shallow reservoir near Mansfield. The lake tops out around 28 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Drawn out, this is 1,383 acres of water rimmed by 25.9 miles of bank — 3 islands included. An index of 5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. End to end it runs roughly 3.7 mi, about 1.3 mi across. You'll find it in Ashland County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Pleasant Hill Lake, 9 mi south of here.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 28 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Break off the point (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 8 to 28 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 28 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 25 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Black Fork Mohican River inflow (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) |
Spring saugeye on Charles Mill Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 28 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 25 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Black Fork Mohican River inflow (2 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (6 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Structure-wise the chart holds 19 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 25 ft.
Access data: Ohio DNR — Boater & Stream Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Ohio waters are set by the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Charles Mill Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Charles Mill Lake is about 28 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, saugeye on Charles Mill Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Charles Mill Lake is regulated by the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife. Check the official Ohio regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Pleasant Hill Lake 9 mi · Clear Fork Reservoir 14 mi · Shelby Reservoir #3 18 mi · Shreve Lake 18 mi · Knox Lake 19 mi · Kokosing Lake 21 mi · New London Reservoir 21 mi · Powers Reservoir 23 mi · Amick Reservoir 24 mi · Willard Lake 25 mi · Findley Lake 27 mi · Mount Gilead Lake 27 mi
See how Charles Mill 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 see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.