Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
62-acre reservoir in Ohio. The lake tops out around 18 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Van Wert City Reservoir 1 maps at 62 acres behind 1.2 miles of shoreline. Its 1.1 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 82% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. Delphos Gillmor Reservoir sits 11 mi east — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 5 to 18 ft game here, winter a 5 to 18 ft one. Start at Shoreline break. It's a drop-off holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come winter. 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 (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Blade bait, 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 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 1 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 (1 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (18 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 5 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 18 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 (1 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (18 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 5 to 18 ft game here, winter a 5 to 18 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 18 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 | open water | |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (18 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dusk | Deep basin (18 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (18 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: saugeye in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 18 ft, wintering in 5 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shoreline break, a drop-off in the 5 ft range, prime in fall. 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 | open water | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (18 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 18 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 18 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Deep basin (18 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (18 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (18 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 18 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Van Wert City Reservoir 1 specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Van Wert City Reservoir 1 is about 18 ft (5 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, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, saugeye, yellow perch on Van Wert City Reservoir 1.
Shoreline break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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 Van Wert City Reservoir 1 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.
Delphos Gillmor Reservoir 11 mi · Williams Reservoir 19 mi · Paulding Reservoir 19 mi · Bresler Reservoir 20 mi · Grand Lake St. Marys 23 mi · Lake Wayne R Carr 24 mi · Lost Creek Reservoir 28 mi · Lima Lake 28 mi · Metzger Reservoir 29 mi · Ferguson Reservoir 29 mi · Defiance Reservoir 30 mi · Ottawa Reservoir 31 mi
See how Van Wert City Reservoir 1 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.