148 Lakes · 70 Rivers · 88 Counties · 601 TownsOhio state record fish
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Ohio counties

Fishing in Highland County, Ohio

Seat: Hillsboro. Fish management by ODNR Wildlife District Five (Xenia office).

  • 2lake pages
  • 9launches
  • 2river pages
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Photo of Paint Creek Lake: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Highland County, Ohio

A quick tour of Highland County fishing

The seat of Highland County is Hillsboro; 43,317 residents lived in the county at the 2020 Census. Of its area, 553 square miles are land and 4.7 are water, per the Census Gazetteer. Fisheries work here is handled by ODNR Wildlife District Five (Xenia office).

Between them, the 2 lakes with pages hold 3,130 acres; Rocky Fork Lake is the biggest. Motor limits cover 2 lakes in the county; 0 permit electric motors alone. Divisions crews have sunk 9 fish attractors in 2 of these lakes. 9 public launches serve the county, including 9 with concrete lanes and room for 469 trailers.

2lake pages
9public launches
2river pages
3shops and marinas

Census 2020 population and 2023 Gazetteer areas; ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines, horsepower and attractor layers, ODNR launch list; retrieved October 2026.

Map

Launches, lakes and rivers of Highland County, plotted

ODNR launch and fishing-access points, ODNR lake outlines (representative points) and ODNR stream access points. Checked October 2026.

Lakes

ODNR-mapped lakes of Highland County, biggest first

LakeAcresLaunchesMotor ruleFish on record
Rocky Fork Lake1,9536unlimited horsepowermuskellunge, walleye, saugeye
Paint Creek Lake1,1773unlimited horsepowercarp (common), saugeye, channel catfish

Highland County has few lake pages of its own, so the closest ones beyond the line are added, measured from Hillsboro.

LakeFrom HillsboroAcresLaunchesMotor ruleFish on record
Cowan Lake20 miles northwest694610 HP limitmuskellunge, saugeye, sauger
Stonelick Lake25 miles west1611electric motors onlysteelhead, channel catfish, tiger muskellunge
Adams Lake28 miles south351electric motors onlysteelhead, channel catfish, bluegill
East Fork Lake30 miles southwest2,1076unlimited horsepowermuskellunge, hybrid striped bass, saugeye
Caesar Creek Lake30 miles northwest2,8067unlimited horsepowerhybrid striped bass, muskellunge, saugeye
Lake White32 miles east3333unlimited horsepowerspotted bass, saugeye, channel catfish

ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines (acres), horsepower restrictions, fish hot-spot maps and stocking records; retrieved October 2026.

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Rivers

Moving water across Highland County

  • Paint Creek21 ODNR access points, USGS gauge
  • Ohio Brush Creek12 ODNR access points, USGS gauge

Further moving water in Highland County (1)

  • Rocky Fork Creek9 ODNR access points

Gauge data for rivers in Highland County

USGS gaugeLatest readingTime (ET)
Rocky Fork Near Barretts Mills Oh59 cfs, 2.25 ft gage heightNov 12 7:00 pm
Rattlesnake Creek At Centerfield Oh2.45 ft gage heightNov 12 6:45 pm

US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 12, 2026 7:33 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.

ODNR stream access points (Watercraft paddling layer), ODNR steelhead program and walleye-run maps, USGS gauges; retrieved October 2026.

Access

Getting a boat or a bait bucket onto Highland County water

  • Paint Creek State Park – (Campground) Taylor Rd.RampPaint Creek Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 40 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Paint Creek State Park – Deer Park RampPaint Creek Lake, concrete ramp, 3 lanes, 100 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Paint Creek State Park – Rattlesnake RampPaint Creek Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 72 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – Campground RampRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 27 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – East Shore DriveRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 30 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – East Shore MarinaRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 6 lanes, 132 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – Fishermans WharfRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 14 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – North Beach Launch RampRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 6 lanes, 54 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Rocky Fork State Park – South BeachRocky Fork Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower

ODNR Parks and Watercraft launch facilities, ODNR Division of Wildlife fishing access points and ODNR Office of Coastal Management Lake Erie access; retrieved October 2026.

Stocking and records

Trout drops, stockings and records for Highland County

ODNR stocking records list 306 releases in 2 county lakes from 1970 to 2022; the largest totals are 19,428,175 saugeye, 9,262,723 walleye, 280,592 muskellunge, 27,317 rainbow trout.

Highland County stocking, newest records

YearWaterSpeciesNumber and size
2022Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye197,195 fingerlings
2022Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye51,744 fingerlings
2021Paint Creek LakeSaugeye117,843 fingerlings
2021Rocky Fork LakeRainbow Trout600 catchable
2021Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye195,598 fingerlings
2021Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye42,251 fingerlings
2021Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye153,023 fingerlings
2021Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye136,454 fingerlings
2021Rocky Fork LakeSaugeye58,970 fingerlings
2020Paint Creek LakeSaugeye78,711 fingerlings

Ohio record fish from Highland County

SpeciesWeightWaterYear
Carp (Common)50 lbPaint Creek1967

ODNR Division of Wildlife Ohio Fish Stocking Records (public copy of the DataOhio dataset, current as of May 31, 2022; numbers by water, year, species and life stage); ODNR Rainbow Trout Stocking Dates page, spring 2026 releases (trout 10 to 13 inches); Outdoor Writers of Ohio record fish list. Retrieved October 2026.

Regulations

Keeper rules across Highland County

Inland lakes and streams in Highland County follow the statewide rows below unless the booklet prints a site-specific entry.

SpeciesLimitSeason
Blue & Flathead Catfish (under 35 inches)No daily limitOpen year-round
Blue & Flathead Catfish (35 inches or larger)1 of each (statewide); minimum 35 inchesOpen year-round
Channel Catfish (under 28 inches)No daily limitOpen year-round
Channel Catfish (28 inches or larger)1 (statewide); minimum 28 inchesOpen year-round
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Muskellunge1Open year-round
Striped, Hybrid-Striped, & White Bass30 (singly or in combination); minimum No more than 4 over 15 inchesOpen year-round
Trout5 (singly or in combination)Open year-round
Walleye, Sauger, & Saugeye6 (singly or in combination)Open year-round
Yellow Perch30Open year-round

Limits as printed in the 2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations (ODNR Division of Wildlife Publication 5085, effective March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027) and the ODNR Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch daily limits sheet (May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027); retrieved October 26, 2026. Site-specific rules as printed in the 2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations (ODNR Division of Wildlife Publication 5085, effective March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027) (booklet PDF), page numbers in the booklet.

Tournaments

Competitive fishing across Highland County

Organizer pages list 1 event launching in the county; 1 are still ahead.

DateEventWaterOrganizer
April 24, 2027Fishers of Men Ohio Team Series Rocky Fork (2027)Rocky Fork LakeFishers of Men National Tournament Trail
Ohio tournaments

Organizer schedule and results pages (ODNR publishes no tournament calendar), checked October 2026.

Local help

Shops and captains serving Highland County

Highland County bait counters

  • Cole's Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Bainbridge
  • Crossroads Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Greenfield
  • Automotive Solutions & Marine Servicemarina, New Vienna

Yellow Pages and chain store listings, charter and guide listings (county of business); retrieved October 2026.

Nearby

Surrounding Highland County

Villages and cities of Highland County, by size

  • Hillsboropop. 6,481
  • Greenfieldpop. 4,339
  • Lynchburgpop. 1,510
  • Leesburgpop. 1,273

Ohio counties closest to Highland County

  • Clinton County19 miles northwest
  • Brown County23 miles southwest
  • Adams County25 miles south
  • Fayette County27 miles north
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Pictures

Lakes, rivers and shore close to Highland County, pictured

Paint Creek Lake, Ohio
Paint Creek Lake 12 mi
Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0
Caesar Creek Lake, Ohio
Caesar Creek Lake 30 mi
Photo: Kyle Hartshorn, CC BY 2.0
Stonelick Lake, Ohio
Stonelick Lake 25 mi
Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0
East Fork Lake, Ohio
East Fork Lake 30 mi
Photo: Nyttend, Public domain
Hunting

Hunting in Highland County

Public hunting land, seasons and processors for Highland County are on State Hunting Spots, our sister site.

Highland County hunting
Answers

Common questions on fishing inside Highland County

Which Highland County launches handle a trailered rig?

The list holds 9 public launches; 9 have concrete lanes.

Which lake in Highland County is the largest?

Rocky Fork Lake, 1,953 acres by its ODNR outline.

Can I run a big outboard on Highland County lakes?

ODNR lists a limit for 2 county lakes; 0 allow electric motors only.

Can I buy minnows and crawlers inside Highland County?

Try Cole's Bait & Tackle, one of 3.

Which captains or guides call Highland County home?

Guides are listed under other counties.

In what town do Highland County commissioners meet?

The courthouse stands in Hillsboro.

Is one Ohio license enough for Highland County?

Ohio asks every angler 16 or older for a license: $25.00 a year for a resident, $76.96 for a nonresident, $10.00 for a resident 65 and up.

Which counties border Highland County?

Clinton County, Brown County and Adams County lie closest.

Which ODNR district biologists cover Highland County?

That is ODNR Wildlife District Five (Xenia office).

When is the next weigh-in on Highland County water?

1 event on file; next is Fishers of Men Ohio Team Series Rocky Fork (2027) on Rocky Fork Lake, April 24, 2027.

Line up a day on Highland County water

Launch pages show lanes, parking and fees.

All Ohio countiesOhio fishing rules