Northeast Oho Fishing Report – September 13th, 2013

 Berlin Lake (Stark, Mahoning, and Portage counties) – Anglers worked hard to put some walleye on ice this weekend at Berlin Lake. The bite was inconsistent but walleyes were being caught. Anglers had their best success trolling shad raps and flicker shads. Although the walleye bite was slow, many anglers picked up enough crappies to make a meal while trolling these same setups.
Atwood Lake (Tuscarawas and Carroll counties) – With summer winding down, recreational pressure will follow at this busy reservoir.  Now is a great time to purse largemouth bass, which are feeding heavily on small baitfish. Try small crankbaits or finesse worms fished around wood, weeds, and rock structure. Channel catfish have been biting as well, with cut shad, shrimp, nightcrawlers, and chicken livers being top baits. Try trolling crankbaits during low-light for some tasty saugeyes.

Tuscarawas River (Tuscarawas County) – The Tuscarawas River is a great location to catch a large diversity of fish. Smallmouth bass, saugeyes, channel catfish, and flathead catfish are all being caught by anglers with a variety of baits. For 8- to 14-inch smallmouths, anglers should target rocky structure just out of the main current with jigs or crayfish fished on the bottom. Saugeyes are also hitting on jigs and curly tails fished in the deeper pools of water near structure, such as woody debris. Anglers should try tipping jigs with minnows or earthworms. A fair number of saugeyes averaging between 10 and 17 inches are being caught. Channel catfish and flathead catfish are ranging between 10 and 16 inches and 12 to 25 inches respectively and are being caught in better than average numbers. It is suggested that anglers should fish tight-line on the bottom with cut bait, stink bait, chicken liver, earthworms, or live minnows in the 3- to 5-inch size. Fishing these baits near undercut banks or wooden debris piles has enticed both catfish species.  The best access is the Dover dam off of State Route 800 to points south (public access). Note: Most of the land along the river is in private ownership and access from shore is limited. A public boat ramp has been constructed east of Tuscarawas on Tuscarawas Road. Anglers should get permission from the landowner to access private shorelines. Canoe and boat anglers are experiencing excellent catches of fish.