Until a few days ago, it was difficult to find anyone who had good reports from Caesar Creek. Even the online chats that I visit now and then have been rather quiet about Caesar Creek.
One of the problems, I suspect, is anglers are basing their complaints on the lack of success catching crappies. I have found over many years of checking with anglers to write weekly reports, crappies are about the most unpredictable fish out there.
Everyone knows crappies are skittish. The large crappies behave differently from the small ones. At Caesar Creek, a manmade 2,607-acre lake, if you want to catch large crappies, you can’t fish around shoreline brush the way you might do at Grand Lake St. Marys or Indian Lake. Caesar Creek is a deeper lake and to catch quality crappies you have to fish in deep water. You have to use your depth finder and look for channels, ledges and structure, probably down 20 feet or more.
A number of unsuccessful anglers at Caesar Creek blamed the lake level, but the Army Corps of Engineers has done nothing differently this year with its discharges to keep the level down.
“We were a little slow to recover from winter pool,” said Steve Lee, manager for the Corps at Caesar Creek, “but we’re at the mercy of precipitation. Lately, the lake has been high. It’s been a weird weather pattern, almost like a place that has a monsoon season.”
Sometimes the Corps will keep a lake’s level down when the state is working on boat ramps or docks, but that did not happen this year. Area state parks manager Tim Car said the small amount of ramp work at the North Pool ramp all took place when the lake was at winter pool and the lake level was not kept down for any project.
Bill Wallace, who owns Spillway Party Supply, one of the top bait dealers in the area, says bait sales have dipped this year because not as many people seem to be fishing.
“Lately, it’s been the rain, but early in the spring the lake was down so much and that made a difference,” he said. “And when it did come up we got so much rain that they dropped the level again and that seemed to foul things up.”
Saugeyes have finally started to hit in the north end of the lake. John Kilian, a Dayton area resident, fishes Caesar Creek several times a week, casting for saugeyes.
“It was slow getting started this year, but it has been very good lately,” Kilian said. “I have seen some big, healthy fish. I have also caught a number of largemouth bass on my saugeye baits, and they have been nice size fish, too.”
Doug Maloney, fish management supervisor for District 5 of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said he limited out (6) on Caesar saugeyes (trolling) two weeks ago, and he and his son caught five the following week.
“I have also heard people say fishing is not good there this year, but that’s certainly not the case for saugeyes right now,” Maloney said.
Last year, Caesar Creek was building a reputation as one of the state’s best muskie lakes. This year it has been much quieter.
“I think (muskie anglers) are still catching them, but not telling anyone about it,” Wallace said.
Everyone, it seems, has a different story. Some are doing well. Some aren’t. In that respect, little has changed. That’s why it’s called fishing... not catching.
Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached through his website at www.tinyurl.com/ylh2rol or by email at sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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