Why I hate Fishing in Ohio

[Jackalope]

As most of you know I grew up in Alabama and Mississippi. I belong to a few outdoor related facebook pages for those states and see people posting pictures all the time. When you grew up catching fish like this almost every trip it makes Ohio look like a mud puddle. I was floored the first time i saw a stringer of crappie off an inland lake in Ohio. I Couldn't believe people were keeping them... Makes a fella miss home.

 

[Jackalope]

 

[Jackalope]

 

["J"]

I'll agree with you 100% on this... I've fished down south out west and all over Ohio/pa and some in New York and Ohio is a far cry from most of these states.... But fishing in Ohio will make you a better angler if you can catch them here on a consistent basis you are doing something.... And I'm talking quality fish here not dinks....

 

[giles]

Yup! You nailed it, Ohio fishing sucks. I never realized it until I left. It has everything it needs except for people that understand what it takes to keep a great fishery great.

 

[jagermeister]

Yup! You nailed it, Ohio fishing sucks. I never realized it until I left. It has everything it needs except for people that understand what it takes to keep a great fishery great.

You guys are nuts. I don't see any walleye or yellow perch in any of those pics, Joe. I like catching slab crappie and brim too, but you can find em in Ohio if you look hard enough. Plenty of 13+" crappie and 8+" bluegill to be caught around here. But where down south can you go catch 12 lb walleye on the regular??? That's right, fuggin nowhere. Ohio fishing does not suck.

 

[moundhill]

I've always wanted to go down south on a fishing trip. Mostly smallmouth. I think J should arrange a TOO down south trip and do some fishing.

 

[giles]

You guys are nuts. I don't see any walleye or yellow perch in any of those pics, Joe. I like catching slab crappie and brim too, but you can find em in Ohio if you look hard enough. Plenty of 13+" crappie and 8+" bluegill to be caught around here. But where down south can you go catch 12 lb walleye on the regular??? That's right, fuggin nowhere. Ohio fishing does not suck.

I only see that in the fishery that is shared up north. It's also a body of water that the fish can "get away" from anglers. Most other bodies of water don't get that luxury.

 

["J"]

Erie is a rarity for Ohio in that it's an amazing fishery that can't compare too the rest of the state....

 

[Jackalope]

You guys are nuts. I don't see any walleye or yellow perch in any of those pics, Joe. I like catching slab crappie and brim too, but you can find em in Ohio if you look hard enough. Plenty of 13+" crappie and 8+" bluegill to be caught around here. But where down south can you go catch 12 lb walleye on the regular??? That's right, fuggin nowhere. Ohio fishing does not suck.

So you're saying just because you can catch some walleye in lake Erie, and if you hunt and peck for a decent lake just to fish for hours on end you can catch a few decent sized Bluegill or Crappie so Ohio's fishing rocks. Name me one place in Ohio you can go through 200 minnows before lunch and fill a 48 quart cooler with 12+ inch Crappie. Nowhere. Whereas back home when they're spawning I've seen a colored fellow catch a cooler full out of a flooded ditch along the road.

The reservoir down the road from my house has a slot limit on walleye, never caught one even close because people keep everything. You can however catch plenty of 6 inch crappie and white bass, dink gills, and yellow bellies until you're sick of catching what I consider bait.

Don't forget that Mississippi and Alabama also have the Gulf. Similar to how Ohio has the lake. But you know what you can catch in the gulf? Way more than some walleye and perch. You can catch Reds, speckled trout, like 25 species of jacks, Mackerels, angle fish, baracuda, black bass, rock bass, bluefish, bonefish, black drum, red drum, flounder, like 20 species of grouper, mullet, kroker and the list goes on..

Inshore you can catch a crazy variety of sunfish and bluegill, black and white crappies, spotted bass, striped bass, 4-5 varieties of catfish, gar both alligator and longnose, buffalo, spoonbill catfish and on and on. Hell fishing for the invasive snakehead offers some explosive fishing that will rival even largemouth.

Combine all that with the amount of water, lakes, rivers, backwater, swamps, and streams, and a really long growing and spawning season with mild winters and you have heaven on earth for fishing. Fishing in Ohio doesn't come close to holding a candle to wetting a line in the deep south. Not even the best day on the lake fishing walleye or perch.

 

[Joel]

I've lived here and fished here all my life. I'm a little jealous of southern states after seeing those pics though. I've had a few good fishing trips over the years but normally if I catch a few keepers and a couple small ones i feel pretty accomplished.

 

[CJD3]

O well Joe. There's always deer hunting... lol

 

[giles]

It is t limited to the south. Idaho, Minnesota, Dakota's...they all offer some great fishing also. Min has some very productive walleye and yellow perch fishing.

 

[jagermeister]

I'm not saying Ohio is the best. Just simply stating that it's a great place to fish, just like many other states in this country. There's a reason why people are towing boats from all over the country to Ohio to fish for perch and walleye.

 

[Jackalope]

I'm not saying Ohio is the best. Just simply stating that it's a great place to fish, just like many other states in this country. There's a reason why people are towing boats from all over the country to Ohio to fish for perch and walleye.

It's not even close to a great place to fish man. The inland streams are so polluted with farm and city run of they can't sustain any decent fish populations except carp. The reservoirs are pretty much overfished bowls that lack cover and suitable bedding for breeding. The trash fish like white bass, carp and suckers dominate the waters and muddy the headwaters so bad they're not a renewable fishery. Most of them are located around populated areas and are overfished like mad.

Lake Erie doesn't carry the rest of the state and make Ohio a good fishery.

 

[Jackalope]

O well Joe. There's always deer hunting... lol

Pope and Young for 2015 ranked Ohio the number 5 state and Mississippi number 6 for the best whitetail states. And the waterfowl hunting is so good I doubt even Jaegermeister would argue that one. Then there's turkeys and hogs galore.

 

[jagermeister]

It's not even close to a great place to fish man. The inland streams are so polluted with farm and city run of they can't sustain any decent fish populations except carp. The reservoirs are pretty much overfished bowls that lack cover and suitable bedding for breeding. The trash fish like white bass, carp and suckers dominate the waters and muddy the headwaters so bad they're not a renewable fishery.

Lake Erie doesn't carry the rest of the state and make Ohio a good fishery.

You're delusional my friend.

 

[Jackalope]

You're delusional my friend.

Have you ever fished a southern state like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, or Louisiana? Go talk to some people who have and tell me how delusional I am.

 

[Jackalope]

Those are speckled trout from the gulf..

 

[Jackalope]

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