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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. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Great Miami River maps at 23,093 acres behind 297.2 miles of shoreline — 3 islands included. An index of 14 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The basin spans about 106.6 mi end to end and 15.8 mi across at its widest. It sits in Montgomery County. Eastwood Lake sits 11 mi east — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 5 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. Start at Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton). It's a rock pile holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton) (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton) (8 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Low-head dam tailout (Hamilton) (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 5.9) (8 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down 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. 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 | Log jams (Cleves bend) (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Log jams (Cleves bend) (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Whitewater confluence: an inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Whitewater confluence (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Mouth hole (13 ft) |
When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 4 to 15 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 4 to 15 ft, winter 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Log jams (Cleves bend) (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Log jams (Cleves bend) (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | night & dusk | Mouth hole (13 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Mouth hole (13 ft) |
Early season freshwater drum use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 15 ft. Put Ross deep bend first on the milk run — a creek channel near 12 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. Tie on a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel riffle (Miamitown) (3 ft) | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Mouth hole (13 ft) | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Spring common carp on Great Miami River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is Mouth hole — deep basin, 13 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Whitewater confluence (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Whitewater confluence (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Ross deep bend (12 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Mouth hole (13 ft) |
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.
Count 66 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Mouth hole, sits near 13 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 Great Miami River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Great Miami River is about 15 ft (5 m) deep 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.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, rock bass 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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.
Fishing on Great Miami River 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.
Eastwood Lake 11 mi · Woodland Trails 18 mi · Rush Run Lake 19 mi · Mad River 22 mi · Acton Lake 26 mi · Caesar Creek Lake 26 mi · Little Miami River 27 mi · Middle Fork Reservoir 28 mi, IN · Mounts Park South 31 mi · Kiser Lake 34 mi · Whitewater Lake 35 mi, IN · C.J. Brown Reservoir 35 mi
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 see every water on DepthScout. 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.