December 31, 2015

Belleville Locks and Dam – Sauger and walleye fishing will pick up in the tailwater section as river temperatures cool. Try white or chartreuse twister tails or swimbaits near the dam and along the walkway. Night and early morning hours are the best times now, although fish can still be caught throughout the day. Hybrid

• The bag limit for walleyes in Ohio waters of Lake Erie is six fish per angler. The minimum size limit for walleyes is 15 inches. • The daily bag limit for yellow perch is 30 fish per angler in all Ohio waters of Lake Erie. • The trout and salmon daily bag limit is

Dillon Lake (Muskingum County) – Cold weather can mean some great opportunities to catch largemouth bass in this 1,376-acre lake. Try using spinner baits, jigs, or crankbaits that imitate gizzard shad or crayfish. Drift fishing with minnows is recommended to locate schools of crappies. Shovelhead and channel catfish can still be caught on suckers, small bluegills, and worms. Don’t overlook

Great Miami River (Miami, Montgomery, and Warren counties) – Smallmouth bass fishing can be excellent as the water cools and river conditions remain clear and stable. Look for areas with water deeper than four feet around bridge pilings, submerged logs, and undercut banks. Try drifting a live nightcrawler or minnow fished under a bobber. Plastic crayfish or crankbaits in crawdad patterns are

Berlin Lake (Stark, Mahoning, and Portage counties) – Anglers are seeing some good action at Berlin Lake. Vi-Bs and jig-and-minnow combos are producing mixed bags of fish including mostly walleyes, crappies, and white bass. Anglers are also having success catching black bass, leaning heavily on crankbaits, jigs, and topwater baits.  Lake Erie tributary streams (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Lake, and Lorain counties) – Reports are

Killdeer Plains Pond No. 33 (Wyandot County) – This pond is northeast of the village of Marseilles, one mile east of State Route 67 on former County Road 75. Largemouth bass anglers usually have the best success early in the morning along the south dike and on the fishing piers. Try fishing with a jig and pig

Kiser Lake (Champaign County) – This 394-acre lake in Champaign County is perfect for a quiet day on the water since no motors are allowed. The lake has a good population of largemouth bass; try plastics, light-colored spinnerbaits, and crankbaits along the lily pads or cover on the north side of the lake. Crappies are becoming more active. Fishing with