Ohio offers canoe fishing opportunities across its 44,828 miles, with rivers, minor lakes and major lakes like Lake Erie and Grand Lake. Approximately 3,875 square miles of Ohio is covered by water, giving the canoe fisherman a diverse range of canoe fishing adventures in areas framed by plains, plateaus and the sprawling shoreline of Lake Erie.
Paddle Lake Erie
Ohio's share of Lake Erie is a generous portion comprising 293 miles from east to west. Complete with islands, coastal marshes, rivers and waterfalls, there is a seemingly endless variety of waterways to canoe fish in Lake Erie. Take a road trip with your canoe and fishing tackle and take advantage of Ohio's scenic Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. The Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail meanders along the coast of Lake Erie with restaurants, shopping and lodging along the way for multi-day trips. Twenty-five miles west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, Geneva-on-the-Lake in Harpersfield, Ohio, is nestled on the banks of Lake Erie and serves as a water recreation playground with canoe fishing throughout the area's tributaries and streams.
Canoeing Lake Erie Tributaries
The tributaries of Lake Erie, while not as expansive as Lake Erie, still offer abundant canoe fishing opportunities. The embayments of Maumee Bay, Sandusky Bay, West, Middle and East Harbors are rich ecosystems teeming with great fish like salmon, trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch. Canoeing the tributary waters is a great way to spend the day on the water exploring and finding your perfect fishing spot to pit your angling skills against these great game fish.
River Paddling and Fishing
Ohio is home to many rivers offering canoe fishing, access sites and great fishing. The cold waters of Maumee River in the northwest corner of the state spans 130 miles with over 300 tributaries to explore from your canoe. The Sandusky River, also in the northwest corner of Ohio, offers great canoe fishing in Ohio with walleye and yellow perch being the notable game fish in the region. Northeast Ohio rivers like the Pymatuning and Mahoning Rivers are rivers that offer great paddling and fishing opportunities, with nearby Pymatuning State Park in Andover, Ohio offering great fishing and canoeing. Pymatuning is also close to other canoe fishing hot spots like Grand River, a state and wild scenic river area maintained by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.
Paddling the Warm Waters of Southern Ohio
The warm waters of southern Ohio offer great canoe fishing in the Little Miami and Ohio River areas. Guided canoe fishing trips and unguided anglers flock to the river areas with their canoes in search of their trophy smallmouth and rock bass. Channel and flathead catfish are a mainstay of fishing the Miami and Ohio Rivers with the deep pools producing consistent bites as the warm weather drives fish into deeper water to cool off. Paddling out to these deeper waters can be rewarding both for the journey, and the catch.
Canoeing Central Ohio
Delaware County in central Ohio is home to several bodies of water well worth the trip for canoe fishing in Ohio. Paddling the Delaware Lake just north of Columbus for some crappie, channel catfish and largemouth bass are just a few of the reasons to visit. Big Walnut Creek, a popular fishing spot is prime canoe fishing country with walleye, largemouth and white bass providing all the fishing challenges an angler could hope for in waterways suited for exploring from a canoe.
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