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2,270-acre reservoir near Piedmont. Quiet horsepower-limited muskie factory. The lake tops out around 32 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.
Piedmont Lake maps at 2,357 acres behind 35.9 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 5.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 71% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 7.4 mi of water from one end to the other, 2 mi at the beam. It sits in Belmont County. If the bite dies, Clendening Lake is 8 mi to the north.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 10 to 32 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Break off the point (7 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 28 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (7 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 10 to 32 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 28 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (28 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) |
When the water first warms, muskellunge slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 7 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (6 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: saugeye in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 22 ft, wintering in 12 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 28 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (6 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (28 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Structure-wise the chart holds 9 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 28 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 Piedmont Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Piedmont Lake is about 32 ft (10 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, saugeye on Piedmont Lake.
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. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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.
Fishing on Piedmont Lake 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.
Clendening Lake 8 mi · Barnesville #4 Lake 10 mi · Belmont Lake 11 mi · Tappan Lake 14 mi · Slope Creek Reservoir (Barnesville #3) 16 mi · Salt Fork Lake 17 mi · Seneca Lake 20 mi · Monroe Lake 22 mi · Leesville Lake 23 mi · Atwood Lake 28 mi · Middle Wheeling Creek Lake 30 mi, WV · Jefferson Lake 30 mi
See how Piedmont Lake 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 see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.