Fishing from the Shore of the Ohio River

<I have received several requests from many people as to where to fish from the banks of the Ohio River, as I fish mainly from a boat, my bank fishing is very limited, but I do make notes of the areas that I observe bank fishermen setting up camp. It can always help me out if I'm having a bad night.

Let's start from the Capt. Anthony Meldahal Dam area and we will work down river, all references will be from the Ohio and the Kentucky side and will be from the Dam to the downtown area in Cincinnati. The dam has very limited areas to fish from on the Ohio side, there is an area at the discharge of the locks that I have seen people fish from, the water is about 14 feet deep in the area with very little structure.

The Kentucky side is wide open and is great from the shore, you can fish from the number one gate all the way up past the length of the dam walls which are located on the Ohio side, the water on the Kentucky side is very deep 30 feet or better with lots of rock to cut down on erosion, there is a very large sand bar that reaches out into the river and there are always lots of fishermen in this area.

Heading on down river on the Kentucky side is another sand bar that juts out into the river, Holts creek is located in this part of the bend.

On down river we are at the town of Moscow, Ohio, there is a large riprap area.Moving on down with the current are nine and Ten mile creek both are very popular by bank fishermen.

On down river we are at the town of New Richmond, Ohio, there is a large sandy beach area at the ramp on Augusta street where a lot of bank fishermen set up, on the Kentucky side down river from New Richmond is the old lock and dam #35, people are always on this concrete structure which can support lots of bank fishermen.

Again on the Kentucky side near the 275 bridge is a huge area that is lined with bank fishermen every time I'm on the river, this is major Flathead territory as lots are caught by shore fishermen and boat fishermen, the water here is very deep, about 45-60 foot in some places with several pieces of structure in the area that draws Cats. On the Ohio side down river from the bridge is the Little Miami River, there is great access to the banks from this area along with good fishing, and if you like Gars, there are ton's that inhabit this part of the river.

One of the first areas that I recommend to people who want to fish from shore is the Schmidit ramp area located on Eastern Ave. Shore access is very good here along with the lights that protect the trucks and cars that park here at night, the main river channel runs close to the bank here so the fishing is very good in this area, there are a lot of catfish tournaments held here so the fish hang around in the area after they are released All down the banks of this area the fishing is very good due to the water being very deep right from the shore line, I see lights all up and down this area all the time along with lots of boat fishermen hanging lines.

Last and not the bit least is the downtown area, the Serpentine wall is one of the best spots, lots of fish are caught in this area all the time, as far as security in the area it must not be too bad because there are lots of people in this area. The Licking river is straight across from the wall and that shore area is packed all the time, where the river meets with the Ohio packs in the fish and with all the restraunts in the area, somebody is always throwing a morsel into the mouth of a waiting catfish.

I hope this will help all of you, these areas are where I've noted people have been set up at, can't guarantee you fish but who knows, the baits of choice in the area are Shad and Bluegills both live and dead, with about a 2 oz.lead on the line along with your nightcrawlers and chicken livers, so good luck to all and keep those lines tight till you hear those clickers sing " Fish On!!!
Tim & Lynn Lange
"Hooked on Catfish"