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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
23 miles from Montgomery Locks and Dam past Midland, East Liverpool and Chester down to New Cumberland Locks and Dam near Stratton. Upper-Ohio sauger, smallmouth, hybrid stripers and catfish. The river tops out around 40 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool runs 3,132 acres with 45.7 miles of edge. With a shoreline index of 5.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 40% of the surface on the model — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 15.6 mi end to end and 6 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Hancock County. For a second option, Tomlinson Run Lake lies 4 mi southwest.
When the water first warms, sauger slide up into 4 to 18 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 12 to 40 ft one. Start at Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3). It's a creek channel holding about 30 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.5) (20 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 12 to 40 ft. Fall smallmouth bass concentrate at Channel bar / point (mile 21.1), a prime-rated point around 16 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.6) (22 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.6) (22 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Channel bar / point (mile 21.1) (16 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 0.6) (22 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Channel bar / point (mile 21.1) is the standout, a point at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for fall largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel bar / point (mile 21.1) (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Channel bar / point (mile 21.1) (16 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for fall channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2), an eddy pocket in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) |
Come spring, look for blue catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3): a creek channel around 30 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Slackwater eddy (mile 19.2) (22 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (30 ft) |
Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool also holds white bass & hybrids (10 to 30 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool carries 12 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Main-channel hole (mile 8.1), about 32 ft down.
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 Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool is about 40 ft (12 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 sauger, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, white bass & hybrids, crappie, freshwater drum, common carp on Ohio River - New Cumberland Pool.
Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) is the top-rated area: a creek channel in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for sauger in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For sauger, 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 Ohio River - New Cumberland 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.
Tomlinson Run Lake 4 mi, WV · Highlandtown Lake 13 mi, OH · Jefferson Lake 17 mi, OH · Ohio River - Pike Island Pool 19 mi · Guilford Lake 24 mi, OH · Castleman Run Lake 29 mi, WV · Leesville Lake 34 mi, OH · Lake Arthur 34 mi, PA · Bear Rock Lakes 35 mi, WV · Atwood Lake 37 mi, OH · Middle Wheeling Creek Lake 38 mi, WV · Tappan Lake 38 mi, OH
See how Ohio River - New Cumberland 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. 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.