Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free1 angler watching on this water. Exact spots stay private, always.
2,080-acre lake near Hillsboro. The lake tops out around 43 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's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Rocky Fork Lake draws 1,845 acres inside 25.1 miles of shoreline. An index of 4.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 52% of this chart. Call it 5.2 mi long by 1.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Highland County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Paint Creek Lake, 7 mi northeast of here.
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. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 11 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 | Shallow feeding flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (23 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 36 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Marina / dock area (8 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (36 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 15 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (15 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny 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. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 36 ft, rated prime for winter 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 | Creek inflow (13 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Creek inflow (13 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (36 ft) |
When the water first warms, saugeye slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 23 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Creek inflow (13 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Structure-wise the chart holds 13 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 36 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 Rocky Fork Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Rocky Fork Lake is about 43 ft (13 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, saugeye on Rocky Fork Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. 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 Rocky Fork 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.
Paint Creek Lake 7 mi · Lake White 25 mi · Adams Lake 26 mi · Cowan Lake 26 mi · Grant Lake 27 mi · Caldwell Lake 29 mi · Scioto River 31 mi · Stonelick Lake 31 mi · Ross Lake 33 mi · Deer Creek Lake 33 mi · Ohio River - Meldahl Pool 34 mi, OH/KY · Turkey Creek Lake 35 mi
See how Rocky Fork 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.