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Fishing Scioto River: what the data says
Columbus to Portsmouth. 90 miles of smallmouth, sauger and flathead water. The river tops out around 25 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Scioto River
Spring smallmouth bass on Scioto River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Channel bar / point (mile 26.7), a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Channel Catfish fishing at Scioto River
Spring channel catfish on Scioto River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Circleville deep bends, a creek channel in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in summer. 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 | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Scioto River
Spring flathead catfish on Scioto River hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 7 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Tailout eddy (mile 3.7), a eddy pocket in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Scioto River
Spring freshwater drum on Scioto River hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 7 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Circleville deep bends, a creek channel in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for freshwater drum in summer. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Common Carp fishing at Scioto River
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 3.7): a eddy pocket around 14 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Scioto River
Spring largemouth bass on Scioto River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Channel bar / point (mile 26.7), a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Scioto River also holds saugeye (8 to 22 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Greenlawn Avenue Low Head Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Lake Frasure Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 37.2): creek channel, around 20 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 8.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 9.9): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 12.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 16.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 18.3): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 24.8): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 33.2): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 41.9): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 44.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 47.2): creek channel, around 19 ft
Common questions
How deep is Scioto River?
Scioto River is about 25 ft 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.
What fish are in Scioto River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, saugeye, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, rock bass on Scioto River.
Where is the best fishing spot on Scioto River?
Channel bar / point (mile 26.7) is the top-rated area: a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Scioto River?
For smallmouth 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
Ross Lake · Lake White · Hargus Creek Lake · Deer Creek Lake · Lake Rupert (Wellston Reservoir) · Paint Creek Lake
See how Scioto River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ohio · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ohio · best saugeye lakes in Ohio · best channel catfish lakes in Ohio
Browse all Ohio fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.