Ohio’s Madison Lake holds its own for crappies, largemouths

Madison Lake in central Ohio was formed for recreational purposes in 1946 by damming Deer Creek. And, although it’s not far from Deer Creek Lake and its fine fishery, Madison holds its own on the fishing spectrum, particularly for largemouth bass, says Ethan Simmons, a fisheries biologist for the ODNR Division of Wildlife in Columbus. It’s also a pretty good crappie lake now that the 9-inch keeper requirement has been lifted.