We
will attempt to keep you abreast of news regarding fishing and boating activities that are
available to the public at Hoover Reservoir, via this page, which we hope to update at
least weekly. This information comes from ODNR-Wildlife Management, Watershed
Management, Old Dutchman Bait and Tackle and from sharing members of the public.
LIFE IS SHORT ...
FISH HARD!
To help
everyone receive maximum enjoyment when fishing Hoover Reservoir, we ask for your
support. Please take a minute and share some of the information of your recent
fishing experience in the form provided for below. To be helpful to everyone, it
would be appreciated if you would include some information about "patterns". (If you do NOT want your name published,
please inform us and we'll honor your wishes.However
we do have to have your name submitted with the report.)
We will also appreciate your input on ways we can make this page more beneficial to you.Please submit reports by Tuesday evening as we would like to report only
current information.
Please fill in form to report
Hoover results....
If you would like to be added to our
"notification" list, please "email"
us with just the word "ADD", and yourfull name, and we will notify you when
updates occur. Because of mistakes in email addresses, we ask that you do
NOT use the report form above to request being added to the notification
list. We will not sell or share your names. (NOTE:
If you have requested to be added to the list and have
NOT received a HFR email, you'll need to contact your ISP and have
"jhoran@fishandtales.net" put on a "safe" list (not
spam) or for most folks, just add that email to your address book.
We add every request to our 800+ group list but we can not overcome your
ISP's spam filter without your assistance.)
NOTE: If you are an AOL user, you may not be able to receive our email as we
have experienced many "rejected" emails to subscribers. We suggest you
send us another email address.
NEWS AT HOOVER
Div. of Fisheries ran trap nets while surveying Crappie at Hoover during
week of 5/23 and found these 3 in the net.
From John Carter, WSM, we received the
following notice. "Before
launching a vessel with a motor in excess of 10 horsepower on Hoover
Reservoir, which is limited to 10 HP and 10 MPH, the motor must be
tilted up and remain tilted while on the reservoir. Motors in excess
of 10 HP may remain in a non-tilt position provided the prop is removed
prior to launch and remains so while on the waterway. This rule is per
City of Columbus Ordinance 921.01 and is subject to enforcement by any
officer authorized per state code including state watercraft officers.
For questions, please contact the Columbus Department of Public
Utilities Watershed Management Office at (614) 645-1721 or e-mail watershed@columbus.gov."
We thank Dave Bowens, who sent us this
excellent advice on ramp etiquette. "It is in everyone’s
interest to launch and retrieve boats effectively and efficiently, to
leave enough space for the next person and minimize time spent on the
boat ramp. The aim is to enjoy the whole fishing experience and avoid
spoiling a good day on the water with an unsavory incident at the boat
ramp. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Be polite, think ahead
and keep your cool. Minimize the time you spend on the boat ramp by
preparing yourself and your boat beforehand in the staging area not at
the boat ramp.
If you haven’t already
tested your boat’s motor at home, then make sure you do so in the
water before you unhook the boat from the trailer.
Remember that where the
boat ramp is designed for two lanes, don’t reverse down the center of
the boat ramp taking up both lanes.
After launching, move
your boat away from the ramp, park your car.
If you’re on your own,
launch your boat promptly out of the way of launching boats and move
your car off the ramp ready for the next person to launch. Park your
car and trailer so as not to obstruct the maneuvering of others.
On returning to the boat
ramp, keep your boat out of the way while the trailer is retrieved
from the parking area.
Once the boat is
correctly on the trailer, quickly drive clear of the ramp so it is
free for others to use.
Do all your preparation
for the tow home away from the ramps."
Dan
Dudley adds, "One of the problems I have noticed , with the
raising and draw-downs is that people back their trailers too
deep and their boats float over their trailers.I explained this to one man and he said he had never thought
about that.He was able to pull his truck
about 4 feet forward and his boat settled onto the trailer."
Mike Kunkler also adds, "When
launching a boat in darkness use your parking
lights versus headlights not to blind a second boat being launched."
Peter Greenberg adds his suggestion. "I would
strongly urge every trailering boater to NEVER disconnect the winch hook
until the trailer has reached the water. I've seen this error and it
isn't pretty watching the reaction of the guy while his boat gracefully
slides off the trailer and onto the concrete ramp."
Scott Hale of Dept. of
Wildlife, Fisheries sent us this: "A total
of 284,036 fingerling saugeye (about 98 per acre) were stocked at Hoover
last week (week of May 17). This completes
the stocking at Hoover for 2010. Hoover was among a number of our lakes
that we stocked at a reduced rate compared to previous years due to a
lower availability of saugeye than anticipated. Our spring weather
pattern created difficult fish production conditions in the Division of
Wildlife’s three state fish hatcheries that raise walleye and saugeye,
so numbers of both fish were less than we had hoped.
Anglers should not be
alarmed over the reduced stocking rate in 2010. The Division of
Wildlife stocks our reservoirs at very high rates due to the good
fertility of our waters and large amount of prey fish. When we stock
walleye and saugeye at rates of 100 fish per acre, many states only wish
they could do so well with these fish. We have a great hatchery
production system with talented, hard-working staff and good waters to
stock which are usually full of prey fish.
In addition, it is
important to remember that the total number of fish stocked in any given
reservoir is never a guarantee of stocking success or failure. Usually
we stock fish at about the same rate in a reservoir from one year to the
next. However, as we know from our annual surveys, survival of a group
of fish stocked in the spring can vary quite a bit from one year to the
next. This is the major reasons that anglers see variation in their
catches from one year to the next."
Rich Rutherford of Columbus Div. of Water
passes along this information regarding the temperature readings of
Hoover being available along with other data points, including "real
time" levels at
USGS Hoover Data. He reports, " The data sonde is generally
parked at approximately 2 m when not doing profiles. This is the
reported surface temperature (at 1 hour intervals). Also starting
at midnight, it is currently set to do profiles every 4 hours.
These currently range down to 15 m." You'll note when you go the
site, you can select readings of various factors from a period up to 31
days and can call up either a chart or a table.
If you have requested to be added to the list and have
NOT received a HFR email, you'll need to contact your ISP and have
"jhoran@fishandtales.net" put on a "safe" list (not
spam) or for most folks, just add that email to your address book.
We add every request to our 800+ group list but we can not overcome your
ISP's spam filter without your assistance.)
NOTE: If you are an AOL
user, you may not be able to receive our email as we have experienced
many "rejected" emails to subscribers. We suggest you send us another
email address.
FO = Fish Ohio. A program for anglers, with ODNR awarding a certificate and hat pin
forcatching fish of a specified
minimum length. Details available at local bait andtacklestores.
LOTW = Lake of the Woods, East side,
Middle section of lake across from Red Bank Ramp.
C&R = Catch and Release, allowing
fish to be enjoyed another day by anglers.
Riprap =Rock works around roadways
and bridges to prevent erosion.
Week ending 9/1/10
The
"real time" water level for Hoover as of this date is – 8.21 feet
from over flow.
Water
temperatures have begun to rise again with the return of extreme
heat. We found temperatures early Monday a.m. to be 80 degrees in
Middle section. This Labor Day weekend's forecast holds the
potential to be very comfortable as temperatures become more
moderate.
CRAPPIE
: John Adair reports that Kenny Beck has been fishing the Middle
section using Jig/Twisters. Most all of the fish he is catching have
been under 9". Tuesday Tim Van Auken fished the Middle section with
Minnows and C&R 10 fish with all but 2 of them under 9". On Tuesday
Doug Stewart fished with Blake Quincel in M-E section using Rapala
Jointed Shad Raps. They caught 15 fish up to 11".
WHITE
BASS : John Reeves fished the N-W section on Saturday evening
and caught 3 fish up to 15" on a Lil Cleo spoon. Doug Stewart and
Blake Quincel caught 3 fish while trolling M-E section on Tuesday
with Rapala Jointed Shad Raps.
SAUGEYE: We received several reports of
anglers catching single small fish while trolling.
BLUE GILLS : No
reports.
BASS
: John Adair and Nick Ball fished Saturday morning in North and
Middle sections. Using Jigs and also Carolina rigs, they caught 14
fish up to 2-1/2 lbs. in 12-14' depths. Doug Stewart and Blake
Quincel fished M-E section on Tuesday afternoon. They Jigged off of
points and C&R 28 fish including Doug's FO (21") LM and 3 SM over
18".
CHANNEL
CATFISH : We fished all night Wednesday in North section in
10-13' depths. We only C&R 3 fish including 2 FO (28,29") using cut
Shad. We also fished early Monday morning in Middle section in
15-16' depth and C&R 7 fish including a FO (30"), again using cut
Shad on the bottom. Sunday evening Mike Finch fished the South
section with Night Crawlers and C&R a FO (28") in "deeper" water.
Doug Stewart and Blake Quincel caught 2 fish including a FO (26")
while trolling Tuesday afternoon in M-E section using Rapala Jointed
Shad Raps.
Week ending 8/25/10
The
"real time" water level for Hoover as of this date is – 7.06(??)
feet from over flow.
Moderate weather has prevailed and surface temperatures are
dropping. Terry Meredith reported finding surface temperatures in
Middle section on Tuesday morning to be 79 degrees.
CRAPPIE
: John Adair reports that Kenny Beck found fish have moved a bit
shallower. He's been getting many fish in 12-14' depth and found 15
"keepers" out of 60 fish caught, using Jig/Twisters.
WHITE
BASS : No reports.
SAUGEYE: No reports.
BLUE
GILLS : No reports.
BASS
: Doug Stewart fished Thursday night in M-W section on the points.
He caught 6 LM on the Berkley 4" Powerbait Minnow.
CHANNEL
CATFISH : On Wednesday afternoon, Stace Lingel fished M-E
section using Shrimp on bottom and C&R a 24" fish. We fished early
Thursday morning with Roy Stein in M-E section in 13-15' depths
using cut Shad on bottom. We C&R 14 fish including Roy's FO (26")
and our FO (30.5"). Doug Stewart C&R a FO (28") using Berkley
Powerbait Minnow on Thursday evening while fishing in M-W section.
Mike Finch C&R a 32" fish while fishing with cut
Shad at mouth of cove in M-E section Saturday morning.
We fished all night Sunday in N-E and M-E section in 13-14' depths
using cut Shad on bottom. We C&R 15 fish including 4 FO (26,26,28,
32").
Week
ending 8/18/10
The
"real time" water level for Hoover as of this date is – 7.13 feet
from over flow.
More
moderate temperatures are coming our way. We found surface
temperatures to be 84 degrees on Sunday morning. We are coming into
a Full Moon phase.
CRAPPIE
: Ray Beaumier reports, "Friday, 2 hours before dusk I caught a
mixed bag of 12 fish drifting the flats in 14-16' using 1" and
2-1/2" Gulp Minnows on Drop Shot rigs. Most of the fish were small
but two were 12"." Ray was fishing the M-E section. John Adair
reports that Kenny Beck is getting lots of fish, but most are small.
He's been finding them on break lines around 20' using Twisters.
Tuesday, Mike Meyer fished the M-W section and reports getting, "
Real quality fish right off the bottom in 18' of water." He used
Jigs with Twister Tails.
WHITE
BASS : No reports.
SAUGEYE: Friday afternoon, Ray Beaumier reports he, "C&R a
12"and 13" fish trolling Bottom Bouncers/Silver Bladed Crawler
Harness in 14-18'."
BLUE
GILLS : On Friday while drifting the M-E section for Crappie,
Ray Beaumier caught 6 fish up to 8" using Gulp Minnows.
BASS
: On Saturday Nick Ball and John Adair found fish chasing Shad in
2-3' depths in N-W section. Using Top Water lures they C&R 12-14
fish up to 16". Later they fished in M-E section and John, using a
Carolina rig, caught a 19" SM in 10-12' depth off a point.
CHANNEL
CATFISH : On Wednesday morning Dave Pickney fished in a cove in
M-E section with a Night Crawler and C&R a FO (29”) fish. We fished all night with Al Bachman on Wednesday night
in N-E section in 13-14' depths. We C&R 4 fish including Al's FO
(26") using cut Shad. Saturday night we fished with Matt Bonnell in
N-E section in same depths and C&R 12 fish including our 4 FO
(26,27,29 & 31") again using cut Shad. Friday afternoon, while
trolling the N-W section, Ray Beaumier C&R 2-17" fish, using Bottom
Bouncers/Silver Bladed Crawler Harness in 14-18'. Gary Whitely
reports he caught a FO (31") fish Saturday morning in N-E section on
Shrimp.
FLATHEAD CATFISH : John Adair reports that Ray Sedwick, on
Saturday morning, C&R an 18" fish using a Rapala lure near riprap in
M-E section.
CARP
: On Wednesday, in a cove in N-E section, Mike Bloomfield C&R a FO
(26") fish using Wheatie balls. On Monday Mike moved to Twin bridge
area and C&R a FO (31") fish, again using Wheatie balls.
Week
ending 8/11/10
The
"real time" water level for Hoover as of this date is – 6.20 feet
from over flow.
While
hot weather permeates the area, surface temperatures remain high. We
found them to be 84 degrees overnight on Thursday in N & M sections.
With humidity returning anglers should be wary of pop-up storms.
CRAPPIE
: Kenny Beck reported to John Adair he had gotten 30 fish one day
last week, but only 8-9 were 9+". He was using Twister in North
section on 20' break lines. On Thursday afternoon Doug Stewart and
his future Son-in-law fished the M-E section and C&R 15 fish up to
10". He reports, "We trolled Rapala Jointed Shad Raps in the Fire
Tiger color, 1.2-1.5 mph in 12-20' of water." Fred Lassahn reports
he, Allen Howe and Mike Bloomfield caught a few fish in North
section on Saturday afternoon, up to 11", using various Crank Baits.
WHITE
BASS : Fred Lassahn, Mike Bloomfield and Allen Howe fished North
section on Saturday. Fred reports they, "Caught a few fish with
largest at 14" All fish were caught on different types of Crank
Baits with Fire Tiger being the dominate color. Fish were caught in
6-12' of water in the North end.
SAUGEYE: John Adair has been told anglers are getting a few
fish but having to cover a lot of water to do it. They're using Worm
Harnesses in 6'-20' in Middle and North sections.
BLUE
GILLS : No reports.
BASS
: John Adair and Nick Ball were fishing Friday in Middle and South
section in 12'-16' depths. Using Jigs they caught 12 fish from 12"
up to Nick's 3-lb. SM. Doug Stewart C&R 2 fish up to 14" Jigging and
trolling Jointed Shad Raps in M-E section on Thursday afternoon.
CHANNEL
CATFISH : Gary Hannahs fished with us all night Thursday night.
We fished in North and Middle sections in mostly 11-15' depths on
break lines. Using cut Shad we only C&R 5 fish up to 25". While
trolling for Crappie on Thursday afternoon, Doug Stewart C&R a 2-lb.
Fish on a Jointed Fire Tiger Rapala Shad Rap in M-E section. Friday
evening, Jerry Fleet fished a cove in M-E section using Shrimp. He
C&R a FO (30.5"). On Saturday, Allen Howe trolled a Tiger Green
Hot-N-Tot in N-W section and C&R a FO (30") fish. Friday night Tim
Van Auken fished with 2 friends in LOTW area and used cut bait on
bottom and caught a 23" fish in 12' of water. On Sunday morning
Molly Manning trolled with her Grandparents in the North section
using Worm Harnesses. She caught 4 fish up to 23".
FLATHEAD CATFISH : Nick ball C&R a 24' fish using a home made
Bass Jig on Friday. He was fishing in M-E section in about 12'
depth.
2010 Hoover Sports Anglers (HSA) (C&R
Fish Ohio species
at Hoover)
Following are minimum size
requirements for Fish Ohio species available at Hoover.
CARP - 26"
MUSKY - 36"
WALLEYE - 28"
CHANNEL CATFISH - 26"
ROCK BASS - 10"
WHITE BASS - 16"
CRAPPIE - 13"
SAUGEYE - 21"
YELLOW PERCH - 13"
FLATHEAD CATFISH - 35"
SMALLMOUTH BASS - 20"
LARGEMOUTH BASS - 21"
SUNFISH - 9"
NOTE: You can now go
online and print a very attractive certificate of your FO catch and also
reserve your hat pin. This is now the ONLY way to register as
mail-ins are no longer being accepted. Go to
Fish Ohio.
CRAPPIE
Chuck Bateman - 16"
Ray Beaumier - 13"
Tim Myers, Jr. - 13.5"
Mike Bloomfield - 13.75"
Tony Vannelle - 15"
Nancy Bowen - 13"
CHANNEL CATFISH Jim Horan - 34"
Gary Hannahs - 27"
Mike Bloomfield - 32.5"
Fritz Baas - 28"
Tom Critser - 29.5"
Casey Woods - 31"
Tim Turos - 33"
Jeff Murdock - 28"
Tony Dana, Sr. - 30"
Christina Nelson -28.5" Patrick Terry - 26.5"
Todd Karg - 27"
Branden Kern - 30"
Jerry Hopper - 29"
CHANNEL CATFISH Allen Howe - 30"
Ron Wright - 26.5"
Pete DeFranciso - 30"
Chad Karg - 28"
Tim Myers, Sr. - 27"
Chris Shannon - 33"
Jerry Fleet - 30.5"
Al Bachman - 26"
Gary Whitley - 31"
Roy Stein - 26"
Mike Finch - 32"
Dog Stewart - 28"
BASS
Tony Dana, Sr. - SM - 21"
Doug Stewart - LM- 21"
WHITE BASS Sean Alley - 16.75"
SAUGEYE Jim Geswein - 22" Rich Braddock -24"
BLUE GILL
CARP Mike Bloomfield - 32.25" Jimmie Dye - 28" Sean Trombley - 31"
Ron Carpenter - 29"
FLATHEAD CATFISH
Fred Bury III - 40"
Gary Hannahs - 38"
Jason Jones - 42"
