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Ohio · Fishing
Orange Township sits in central Ohio with a handful of fishable waters that punch above their weight for a suburban area.
4 spotsUpdated dailyFree to access
View on mapFishing · 4 spots
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Orange Township sits in central Ohio with a handful of fishable waters that punch above their weight for a suburban area. The anchor is Alum Creek Lake, a reservoir sitting at 888 feet elevation that holds a solid mix of saugeye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and crappie — all accessible to beginners and experienced anglers alike, rated easy for access. Just below the dam, the Alum Creek Below Dam Area offers surf fishing in the tailwater, which tends to hold fish year-round thanks to the consistent current and cooler temperatures. Leesville Lake and Upper Hickory Hills Lake round out the local options, giving you alternatives when Alum Creek is crowded on weekends. None of these waters require a boat to fish productively, though having one opens up more of Alum Creek Lake's structure. This is practical, close-to-home fishing — not a destination trip, but a reliable place to spend a few hours chasing bass or crappie without driving two hours to do it.
Alum Creek Lake is stocked and managed for saugeye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and crappie. Saugeye are a walleye-sauger hybrid stocked by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and are one of the more popular targets here, especially in cooler months. Crappie fishing tends to pick up in spring around structure and brush piles.
Yes, it fishes differently enough to be worth the trip on its own. Tailwater areas below dams concentrate fish and maintain cooler, oxygenated water in summer when the lake surface heats up. It's a good option when the main reservoir is busy or when you want moving water rather than still water.
Dillon Lake
~10 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Kokosing River – Mount Vernon Access
~52 min drive
Moderate
Hoover Reservoir
~1h 2m drive
Easy
Dillon Lake
~10 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Muskingum River – McConnelsville Access
~55 min drive
Moderate
Central Silica Company Pond 9722-009
~14 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Central Silica Company Pond 9722-009
~15 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Dawes Arboretum Pond
~17 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Diehr Lake
~18 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Buckeye Lake
~20 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Newark Low Head Reservoir
~20 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Avondale Wildlife Area Reservoir Number Two
~22 min drive
A worthwhile stop near OH.
Also worth it near here
No. Alum Creek Lake is rated easy for access and has bank fishing areas, and the Below Dam Area is specifically a surf fishing spot, meaning it's designed for shore anglers. Leesville Lake and Upper Hickory Hills Lake are smaller waters where bank access is generally workable.
A medium spinning setup in the 6- to 7-foot range covers most situations across these waters. For saugeye at Alum Creek, jigs and blade baits are standard Ohio choices. For bass, a mix of soft plastics and crankbaits handles both largemouth and smallmouth. Crappie respond well to small jigs and live minnows under a bobber.
Early morning and the last two hours before sunset are consistently the most productive windows for bass and saugeye, when fish move shallower to feed. Crappie can be caught throughout the day, especially if you're fishing near submerged structure or docks. Midday in summer is the least productive time on the open water.
