Ohio River — Meldahl Pool Fishing Map & Spots (OH/KY)

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Ohio River - Meldahl Pool, OH/KY

Max 57 ft

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Where to start

Willow fly (summer mayfly) window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Ohio River - Meldahl Pool on the board.

Fishing Ohio River - Meldahl Pool: what the data says

95 miles from Greenup Dam past Portsmouth and Maysville to Meldahl Dam; sauger stack in the tailraces all winter. The river tops out around 57 ft. The depth chart comes from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Ohio River - Meldahl Pool maps at 18,524 acres behind 189.3 miles of shoreline, with a single island in the mix. With a shoreline index of 9.9, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 34% of this chart. The basin spans about 72.1 mi end to end and 12.9 mi across at its widest. It sits in Lewis County. If the bite dies, Adams Lake is 8 mi to the north.

Channel Catfish fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. 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 Main-channel hole (mile 23.6): a creek channel around 21 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Scioto River mouth (22 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Main-channel hole (mile 23.6) (21 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Main-channel hole (mile 5.6) (26 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Main-channel hole (mile 5.6) (26 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Main-channel hole (mile 23.6) is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 21 ft, rated prime for spring blue catfish. Time it for early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Main-channel hole (mile 23.6) (21 ft)
Summer	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-channel hole (mile 5.6) (26 ft)
Fall	15 to 45 ft	dusk	Main-channel hole (mile 5.6) (26 ft)
Winter	20 to 50 ft	midday	Meldahl dam approach hole (46 ft)

Flathead Catfish fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Slackwater eddy (mile 19.9): an eddy pocket around 19 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Slackwater eddy (mile 19.9) (19 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	Tailout eddy (mile 92.2) (30 ft)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	Tailout eddy (mile 92.2) (30 ft)
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Meldahl dam approach hole (46 ft)

White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

When the water first warms, white bass & hybrids slide up into 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at Channel bar / point (mile 11.2). It's a point holding about 12 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Current seam (mile 16.1) (14 ft)	Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse)
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Channel bar / point (mile 3.7) (27 ft)	Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling)
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Channel bar / point (mile 11.2) (12 ft)	Small blade bait, Jigging spoon
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	US Lock Number Thirty-Four Ohio River tailrace (32 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 45 ft one. Start at Greenup tailwater (winter sauger). 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	Greenup tailwater (winter sauger) (8 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 1.9) (26 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Channel bar / point (mile 11.2) (12 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Current seam (mile 1.9) (26 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Ohio River - Meldahl Pool

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Channel bar / point (mile 11.2): a point around 12 ft that scores prime in fall. 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	Channel bar / point (mile 11.2) (12 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Channel bar / point (mile 11.2) (12 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Channel bar / point (mile 11.2) (12 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Main-channel hole (mile 5.6) (26 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Ohio River - Meldahl Pool also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 51 features, led in depth by Meldahl dam approach hole at roughly 46 ft.

Meldahl dam approach hole: deep basin, around 46 ft
US Lock Number Thirty-Four Ohio River tailrace: dam tailrace, around 32 ft
Channel current seam (mile 32.9): current seam, around 32 ft
Current seam (mile 46.0): current seam, around 32 ft
Main-channel hole (mile 60.9): creek channel, around 32 ft
Current seam (mile 70.2): current seam, around 32 ft
Channel bar / point (mile 88.8): point, around 32 ft
Slackwater eddy (mile 42.2): eddy pocket, around 31 ft
Channel bar / point (mile 44.1): point, around 31 ft
Channel current seam (mile 47.8): current seam, around 31 ft
Current seam (mile 49.7): current seam, around 31 ft
Channel bar / point (mile 51.5): point, around 31 ft
Main-channel hole (mile 53.4): creek channel, around 31 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 55.3): creek channel, around 31 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Aberdeen Village Ramp — ramp
Burkes Point — ramp
Chilo Lock # 34 Park — ramp
Freedom Landing — ramp
Lite House Marina/Down by the Riverside — ramp
Offnere St. Ramp/Doyle's Landing Boat Ramp — ramp
Portsmouth Court Street Landing — ramp
Rome Village Boat Ramp — ramp
…plus 2 more mapped sites.

Access data: Ohio DNR — Boater & Stream Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Ohio River - Meldahl Pool fishing regulations

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 Ohio River - Meldahl Pool specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Ohio River - Meldahl Pool?

Ohio River - Meldahl Pool is about 57 ft (17 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Ohio River - Meldahl Pool?

Anglers target channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, white bass & hybrids, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, freshwater drum, common carp, longnose gar, sauger on Ohio River - Meldahl Pool.

Where is the best fishing spot on Ohio River - Meldahl Pool?

Main-channel hole (mile 23.6) is the top-rated area: a creek channel in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Ohio River - Meldahl Pool?

For channel catfish, the summer bite is best in after dark 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Ohio River - Meldahl Pool?

Fishing on Ohio River - Meldahl Pool 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.

Nearby waters

Adams Lake 8 mi, OH · Turkey Creek Lake 18 mi, OH · Roosevelt Lake 19 mi, OH · Grant Lake 31 mi, OH · Rocky Fork Lake 34 mi, OH · Greenbo Lake 38 mi, KY · East Fork Lake (Harsha Lake) 39 mi, OH · Lake White 39 mi, OH · Licking River (Lower) 39 mi, KY · Paint Creek Lake 40 mi, OH · Kincaid Lake 40 mi, KY · Grayson Lake 44 mi, KY

See how Ohio River - Meldahl Pool stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ohio · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ohio · best sauger lakes in Ohio · best crappie lakes in Ohio

Browse all Ohio fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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.