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Fishing Deception Lake: what the data says
655-acre lake near Upper Ohio. The lake tops out around 23 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at Deception Lake
Spring yellow perch on Deception Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 23 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 23 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 23 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Deception Lake
Start shallow in spring: brown bullhead sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 23 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for winter brown bullhead. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 12 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Deception Lake?
Deception Lake is about 23 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Deception Lake?
Anglers target yellow perch, brown bullhead on Deception Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Deception Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Deception Lake?
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.