Fishing at Dillon Lake
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Latest Dillon Lake Report
Successful catches of channel catfish are in the 12 to18 inch range. Try using worms fished under a bobber in five to ten feet of water along th... Continued
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Description:
Dillon Lake is a Reservoir in Muskingum, Ohio.
Do you have a question about Dillon Lake, ask it here.
Dillon Lake was constructed primarily for flood control purposes, encompassing 748 square miles of watershed. The area includes 1,376 acres of water and 5,345 acres of land, of which 4,400 acres are open for public hunting. Development and management is carried out jointly by the Corps of Engineers and the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation and Division of Wildlife.
Fishing Tips, Tactics, How-To info:
Successful bluegill and crappie anglers use live bait. In spring and early summer, the shallow bays and brushy shorelines are productive. Best crappie fishing is generally found where fallen trees are submerged. Drift fishing with minnows is recommended to locate schools of crappies in late summer and fall.
Largemouth bass fishing is best in spring, with peak fishing during May. Casting shorelines with medium and deep running lures and artificial worms is the best method. The Big Run and Poverty Run embayment areas are best.
Bullheads and carp may be taken in the upper third of the lake with worms and dough balls. Bow hunters enjoy excellent carp shooting in the backwater and marsh areas in the vicinity of the Irville boat launching ramp.
The tailwater of Dillon Lake produces top-notch fishing throughout the year. Saugeye, largemouth bass, crappies, and catfish are caught in great numbers. Twister tail jigs tipped with a monnow or night crawler work well for saugeye and largemouth bass. Casting from the shore into the eddies or main current is most productive. Crappies and catfish are best caught by using live bait along the brushlined shore where the water is less swift.
Shovelhead and channel catfish are caught on suckers, small bluegills, and worms in summer and fall. Best fishing for all species is usually when the river is on the rise.
Camping:
Camping may be obtained from Dillon State Park, 5265 Dillon Hills Drive, P.O. Box 126, Nashport, Ohio 43830; phone (740) 453-4377.
Site includes:
183 electric sites
12 non-electric sites
Showers, flush toilets and a dump station
Commissary with grocery items and laundromat is located near the check-in station
One youth group camp is available
Other:
The Dillon area supports good populations of cottontail rabbit. Fox and gray squirrels also occur, with fox squirrels more numerous. Ruffed grouse and white-tailed deer are also present.
Populations of woodchuck and raccoon are generally high, and these animals are heavily hunted. Red and gray fox, opossum, and skunk are also common, but not heavily hunted or trapped. The principal aquatic furbearer is the muskrat. A few mink are also present.
The Dillon area provides good habitat for waterfowl. The lake attracts a number of Canada geese annually, offering the sportsman an opportunity to bag this magnificent species.
Standard wildlife management practices are the development, maintenance, and improvement of field borders and edges, development of food patches, and use of cropping techniques and patterns that leave prescribed quantities of standing crops and waste grain fields after harvest. A map of Dillon Wildlife Area is available.
Address:
Wildlife District Four,
360 East State Street,
Athens, Ohio 45701
Telephone (740) 589-9930.
Directions to Lake:
Dillon Lake lies 6 miles northwest of Zanesville, off State Route 146; it may be reached by driving southeast from Newark on State Route 16 to State Route 146.
Name:
Dillon Lake
Waterbody type:
Reservoir
County:
Muskingum
State:
Ohio
Country:
United States
Standard elevation:
220
Latitude:
40.0113
Longitude:
-82.1118 
