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2 anglers watching on this water. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Hoover Reservoir: what the data says
2,800-acre reservoir near Westerville. Columbus water-supply lake known for big crappie and saugeye. The lake tops out around 69 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Hoover Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 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 covers the summer program.
| 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 | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Hoover Reservoir
Spring crappie on Hoover Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| 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 | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Hoover Reservoir
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 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 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 Hoover Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Duncan Run inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Saugeye fishing at Hoover Reservoir
Spring saugeye on Hoover Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 30 ft. Duncan Run inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring saugeye. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| 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 |
Blue Catfish fishing at Hoover Reservoir
Spring blue catfish on Hoover Reservoir hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 62 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 25 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 15 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 9 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 5 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Duncan Run inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Hoover Reservoir?
Hoover Reservoir is about 69 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 Hoover Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish on Hoover Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Hoover Reservoir?
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 Hoover Reservoir?
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
Alum Creek Lake · Antrim Lake · Griggs Reservoir · O'Shaughnessy Reservoir · Delaware Lake · Kokosing Lake
See how Hoover Reservoir 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.