Cincinatti Area Fishing

[starkeer]

My girlfriend is trying very hard to get me to move to Cincinatti from Metro Minneapolis. I love living/fishing here because I have so many great bodies of water to fish multiple species, and multiple different kinds of water. Would I be disappointed with the fishing in that area? I do a lot of shore fishing and want to get more into kayak fishing, maybe a boat in the near future. 

[drew4779]

Yes... You'd be disappointed.  Cat fishing can be very good but there aren't any top tier bass lakes around here.  Muskies can be found but no where near as plentiful as you'll find up north. I know of one lake that stocked pike a number of years ago but have never met anyone who actually caught one and that lake eventually eroded into the river.  Trout are stocked in the late winter/early spring at some park lakes but don't reproduce. There is one small river about 30 minutes into Indiana that does have a good trout population, but that is only because it's fed from a deep reservoir and the water comes out cold. Sauger run the river in late winter and that can be very good. A couple reservoirs have walleye and stripers. No salmon. No pickerel. Your best bet for "good" bass fishing around here is private ponds. 

 

I usually do most of my weekend fishing in Indiana or Kentucky.  I also travel to places like eastern Ohio, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Cave Run, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama, and Florida a number of times a year to get my fishing fix. 

 

Every time I fly into Minneapolis I'm blown away by all those awesome looking lakes out the window of the plane. If only I could talk my wife into moving to Minnesota... 

[justfish3307]

I live in southwest ohio about 40 minutes north of Cincinnati.  I would not say we live in a hot spot for fishing but if you do your work and put your time in, you can get on some fish.   i have fished the ohio river once and i would consider it tough as far as bass fishing, though i hear the sauger and cat fishing can be good. the great miami river is an underfished river that holds alot of 2lb smallmouth and i think it is one of the best fisheries in the area and i kayak it frequently.  you will also catch saugeye and flatheads here.  best accessed by kayak and wading/shore fishing.  ceasars creek lake and cowan lake are what i consider my home lakes.  ceasars can be very tough for bass fishing, especially in the summer.  it does however hold good populations of musky and crappie.  i have better luck bass fishing (size and numbers) at cowan lake.  it is a 10hp limit (i cant run my big motor on my bass boat) but it is more peaceful and a nice getaway at times.  if you like to creek walk for smallies, twin creek may be worth checking out.  i dont know alot about Minnesota fishing but im going to assume the fishing is better where you are at.  hope this helps

[starkeer]

Thanks for the details, I am not sure she's gonna win one but I am now better prepared if she does haha.