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Fishing Charles Mill Lake: what the data says
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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Charles Mill Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 28 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Charles Mill Lake
Spring crappie on Charles Mill Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 28 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 25 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Charles Mill Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| 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 | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Charles Mill Lake
Spring channel catfish on Charles Mill Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 28 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 25 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday |
Saugeye fishing at Charles Mill Lake
Spring saugeye on Charles Mill Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 25 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is the evening and early morning. 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 | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 25 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 3 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Black Fork Mohican River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Charles Mill Lake?
Charles Mill Lake is about 28 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 Charles Mill Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Charles Mill Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Charles Mill 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 Charles Mill 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
Pleasant Hill Lake · Clear Fork Reservoir · Knox Lake · New London Reservoir · Shelby Reservoir #3 · Kokosing Lake
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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.