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Fishing Grand Lake St. Marys: what the data says
13,500-acre shallow lake near Celina. Ohio's largest inland lake; big crappie and channel cats. The lake tops out around 14 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
Spring largemouth bass on Grand Lake St. Marys hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 4 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is 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 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for summer channel catfish. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday |
Yellow Perch fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
Spring yellow perch on Grand Lake St. Marys hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 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. Best bite is early morning. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Common Carp fishing at Grand Lake St. Marys
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday |
Grand Lake St. Marys also holds saugeye (4 to 14 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 8 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Grand Lake St. Marys?
Grand Lake St. Marys is about 14 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 Grand Lake St. Marys?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch, common carp on Grand Lake St. Marys.
Where is the best fishing spot on Grand Lake St. Marys?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 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 Grand Lake St. Marys?
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
Lake Loramie · Bresler Reservoir · Metzger Reservoir · Ferguson Reservoir · Lima Lake · Indian Lake
See how Grand Lake St. Marys 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.