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1,560-acre reservoir near Zanesville. The lake tops out around 32 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.
Dillon Lake maps at 1,339 acres behind 20.6 miles of shoreline. A development index of 4 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 85% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 5.5 mi long by 2 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Muskingum County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Wills Creek, is 18 mi to the northeast.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 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. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Back-bay flat (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 10 to 32 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 22 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| 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 (22 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Back-bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Back-bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 22 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Back-bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) |
When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 22 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 9 to 32 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 22 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 Dillon Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Dillon Lake is about 32 ft (10 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, flathead catfish, saugeye on Dillon 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Dillon 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.
Wills Creek 18 mi · Buckeye Lake 20 mi · Cutler Lake 20 mi · Rush Creek Lake 22 mi · Oakthorpe Lake 23 mi · Muskingum River 24 mi · Ohio Power Company Pond 9515-001 28 mi · Ohio Power Company Pond Mb-46 29 mi · Ohio Power Company Pond 9515-004 29 mi · Salt Fork Lake 33 mi · Burr Oak Lake 33 mi · Wolf Run Lake 35 mi
See how Dillon 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.