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Fishing Great Miami River: what the data says
The Great Miami from Sidney through Dayton and Hamilton to the Ohio. underrated smallmouth and flathead water end to end. The river tops out around 15 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.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Great Miami River
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton): a rock pile around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Great Miami River
Spring largemouth bass on Great Miami River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Log jams (Cleves bend), a standing timber / brush in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. 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 | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Great Miami River
Spring channel catfish on Great Miami River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Whitewater confluence, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Great Miami River
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Log jams (Cleves bend): a standing timber / brush around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Great Miami River
Spring freshwater drum on Great Miami River hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Ross deep bend, a creek channel in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for freshwater drum in summer. Best bite is the evening. Summer baits: a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Common Carp fishing at Great Miami River
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Mouth hole, a deep basin in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Great Miami River also holds rock bass (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Mouth hole: deep basin, around 13 ft
- Miamiview Golf Course Pond Dam Number One tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Miamiview Golf Course Pond Dam Number Two tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Troy Low Head Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Piqua Low Head Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Swift Run Lake Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- Hamilton Low Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
- O H Hutchings Station Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 13 ft
Common questions
How deep is Great Miami River?
Great Miami River is about 15 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 Great Miami River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, rock bass on Great Miami River.
Where is the best fishing spot on Great Miami River?
Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton) is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Great Miami River?
For smallmouth 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
Eastwood Lake · Mad River · Little Miami River · Caesar Creek Lake · Acton Lake · Winton Woods Lake
See how Great Miami River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ohio · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ohio · best channel catfish lakes in Ohio · best flathead catfish lakes in Ohio
Browse all Ohio fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.