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Fishing Dillon Lake: what the data says
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.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Dillon 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 10 to 32 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 | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Dillon Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 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. 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 | 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 | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Dillon 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. 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 | 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 Dillon Lake
Spring channel catfish on Dillon Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Dillon Lake
Spring flathead catfish on Dillon Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 9 to 32 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday |
Saugeye fishing at Dillon Lake
Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 22 ft that scores prime in winter. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler covers the summer program.
| 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 | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 22 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Dillon Lake?
Dillon Lake is about 32 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 Dillon Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish on Dillon Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Dillon 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
Wills Creek · Buckeye Lake · Rush Creek Lake · Oakthorpe Lake · Muskingum River · Burr Oak Lake
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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.