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Caesar Creek Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A deep Corps of Engineers lake near Waynesville where Ohio has stocked muskellunge since 1998 and the spillway is open to fossil collecting by free permit.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
847.24 ft
Air / High
67 / 68 F
Wind
ENE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03242340, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Caesar Creek Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 847.24 ft, easing 0.21 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 68. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:40 PM-12:40 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 69 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Ohio requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What a Ohio licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with ODNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Ohio, read off the agency, are on the Ohio seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Caesar Creek Lake at Wellman, OH.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03242340.

848.32850.34852.35847.24 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp67 F
High / Low68 / 39 F
WindENE 8-9 mph
Pressure1025.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:54 / 18:45
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Caesar Creek Lake this week

The best day on Caesar Creek Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:40 PM-12:40 AM
Minor period
4:33 AM-5:33 AM
Sun
07:54 to 18:45
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Caesar Creek Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

When to come: the Caesar Creek Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
Smallmouth bass
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Caesar Creek Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Ohio requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Ohio fishing license. See the current Ohio Fishing Regulations for saugeye, muskellunge, bass and crappie limits. Fossils may be collected only in the spillway, with a free permit from the Corps visitor center.

Access

Four launch ramps and a marina (ODNR); Corps visitor center at 4020 N. Clarksville Road, Waynesville, (513) 897-1050.

About this water

A Corps of Engineers flood-control and recreation lake completed in 1977 in Warren and Clinton counties, Ohio; 2,830 acres per the Corps.

Fishing Caesar Creek Lake: the full guide

A deep flood-control lake

The Corps of Engineers built Caesar Creek Lake for flood control and recreation and completed it in 1977. ODNR calls it the deepest lake in Ohio, with depths over 100 feet at the dam, steep drop-offs, shallow bays and plenty of structure. Size depends on the source: the Corps gives 2,830 acres, and ODNR's lake map 2,806 acres with 36.3 miles of shoreline.

The fishery

In its fishing forecast, ODNR reported largemouth and smallmouth bass in good numbers with fish over 22 inches possible, crappie reaching 11 inches in four years, and saugeye plentiful in both numbers and size. Muskellunge have been stocked since 1998 and grow past 40 inches, and blue catfish, first stocked in 2018, were showing good survival and fast growth. The headwaters north of the lake hold largemouth, saugeye and catfish and draw a spring white bass run.

Fossils in the spillway

The emergency spillway, cut while the dam was built, exposes Ordovician fossils. The Corps allows public collecting there once you pick up a free permit at the Caesar Creek Lake Visitor Center, 4020 N. Clarksville Road, Waynesville.

Boating

ODNR lists unlimited horsepower, four launch ramps and seasonal dry moorage, and notes a newer marina with rental slips and a gas dock. The agency has also published GPS coordinates for its fish habitat structures in the lake.

Common questions

Can I collect fossils?

Yes, in the emergency spillway only, after getting a free permit at the Corps visitor center.

Are muskie stocked?

ODNR says muskellunge have been stocked since 1998 and grow to more than 40 inches.

How deep is the lake?

ODNR gives depths of more than 100 feet at the dam.

Is fishing good at Caesar Creek Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Deer Creek Lake45 miBrookville Lake50 miLicking River58 miIndian Lake71 miAlum Creek Lake75 miGrand Lake St Marys76 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03242340 β€” Caesar Creek Lake at Wellman, OH
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.4800, -84.0500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.