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Ohio counties

Fishing in Muskingum County, Ohio

Seat: Zanesville. Fish management by ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).

  • 3lake pages
  • 15launches
  • 3river pages
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Photo of Dillon Lake: Paula R. Lively, CC BY 2.0

Fishing times todaySolunar periods, sunrise and moonrise for Muskingum County, today and the next 7 days.Best fishing times today
Muskingum County, Ohio

A quick tour of Muskingum County fishing

The seat of Muskingum County is Zanesville; 86,410 residents lived in the county at the 2020 Census. Of its area, 665 square miles are land and 8 are water, per the Census Gazetteer. Fisheries work here is handled by ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).

Between them, the 3 lakes with pages hold 1,672 acres; Dillon Lake is the biggest. Motor limits cover 3 lakes in the county; 1 permit electric motors alone. Divisions crews have sunk 3 fish attractors in 1 of these lakes. 15 public launches serve the county, including 13 with concrete lanes and room for 358 trailers.

3lake pages
15public launches
3river pages
5shops 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 Muskingum 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 Muskingum County, biggest first

LakeAcresLaunchesMotor ruleFish on record
Dillon Lake1,2793unlimited horsepowercatfish, crappie, largemouth bass
Wills Creek375110 HP limitsaugeye, channel catfish, yellow perch
Cutler Lake182electric motors only

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

LakeFrom ZanesvilleAcresLaunchesMotor ruleFish on record
Pond MB-4221 miles southeast2716 HP limit
Rush Creek Lake24 miles southwest289110 HP limitchannel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill
Oakthorpe Lake25 miles southwest43010 HP limitchannel catfish, northern pike, largemouth bass
Buckeye Lake26 miles west2,8777unlimited horsepowersaugeye, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge
Salt Fork Lake27 miles northeast3,06011unlimited horsepowercatfish, crappie, largemouth bass
Wolf Run Lake28 miles southeast208110 HP limitcatfish, crappie, largemouth bass

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

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More lakes

More named still water in Muskingum County

48 more ODNR-mapped waters in Muskingum County are listed here with their size until more is published, 48 of them numbered strip-mine ponds.

WaterAcresMotor ruleNearest place
Pond NB-419Cumberland
Pond MUM-22118Cumberland
Pond MUM-20314Cumberland
Pond MUM-4411Cumberland
Pond MUM-1-29Cumberland
Pond MUM-149Cumberland
Pond MUM-2457Cumberland
Pond MUM-2047Cumberland
Pond MUM-157Cumberland
Pond MUM-2026Cumberland
Pond MUM-2385Cumberland
Pond MUM-2354Cumberland
Pond MUM-2524Cumberland
Pond MUM-2493Cumberland
Pond MUM-204A3Cumberland
Pond NB-4B3Cumberland
Pond MUM-2683Cumberland
Pond MUM-Q3Cumberland
Pond MUM-2083Cumberland
Pond MUM-2173Cumberland
Pond MUM-433Cumberland
Pond MUM-2063Cumberland
Pond MUM-2602Cumberland
Pond MUM-2322Cumberland
Pond MUM-2512Cumberland
Pond MUM-62Cumberland
Pond MUM-V2Cumberland
Pond MUM-2162Cumberland
Pond MUM-2372Cumberland
Pond MUM-2632Cumberland
Pond MUM-2362Cumberland
Pond MUM-112Cumberland
Pond MUM-2622Cumberland
Pond MUM-2112Cumberland
Pond MUM-2441Cumberland
Pond MUM-2471Cumberland
Pond MUM-2481Cumberland
Pond MUM-2071Cumberland
Pond MUM-841Cumberland
Pond MUM-91Cumberland
Pond MUM-PA1Cumberland
Pond MUM-2051Cumberland
Pond MUM-PC1Cumberland
Pond MUM-51Cumberland
Pond MUM-81Cumberland
Pond MUM-2201Cumberland
Pond MUM-2691Cumberland
Pond MUM-R0Cumberland

ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines and horsepower layer, retrieved October 2026.

Rivers

Moving water across Muskingum County

  • Muskingum River19 launchs, 39 ODNR access points, USGS gauge
  • Licking River8 ODNR access points, USGS gauge
  • Wills Creek6 ODNR access points, USGS gauge

Gauge data for rivers in Muskingum County

USGS gaugeLatest readingTime (ET)
Muskingum River At Dresden Oh1,760 cfs, 6.62 ft gage heightNov 12 6:45 pm
Licking River Bl Dillon Dam Near Dillon Falls Oh33 cfs, 4.61 ft gage heightSep 30 11:45 pm Not updated since Sep 30, 1991.
Wakatomika Creek Near Frazeysburg Oh42 cfs, 4.82 ft gage heightNov 12 7:00 pm
Salt Creek Near Chandlersville Oh29 cfs, 3.82 ft gage heightNov 12 6:45 pm
Muskingum River At Zanesville Oh-usgs 031480008.75 ft gage heightNov 12 6:30 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 Muskingum County water

  • Blue Rock State Park on Cutler LakeCutler Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, no launch fee, electric motors only
  • D and D Marine launch on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 5 trailer spaces, launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Dillon State Park – Big Run Boat RampDillon Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 46 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Dillon State Park – Marina and RampDillon Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 64 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Dillon State Park – Pleasant Knob Launch RampDillon Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 70 trailer spaces, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Ellis Lock and Dam # 11 launch on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 38 trailer spaces, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Green Acres launch on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 5 trailer spaces, launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Kirkbride Boating Co. launch on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 6 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Muskingum River Campgrounds launchMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 3 trailer spaces, launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Muskingum Valley Boating Association launch on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 25 trailer spaces, launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Putnam Landing on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 8 trailer spaces, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Riverside Park on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 38 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Village of Dresden Boat Ramp on Muskingum RiverMuskingum River, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 20 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower
  • Wills Creek Reservoir launchWills Creek, gravel ramp, 2 lanes, 30 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 10 HP limit
  • Public launch on Cutler LakeCutler Lake, boat ramp

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 Muskingum County

ODNR stocking records list 228 releases in 2 county lakes from 1970 to 2021; the largest totals are 20,061,658 saugeye, 6,559,666 walleye, 1,622,415 muskellunge, 1,475,203 striped bass (male) x white bass (female).

Muskingum County stocking, newest records

YearWaterSpeciesNumber and size
2021Dillon LakeHybrid-Striped Bass5,147 fingerlings
2021Dillon LakeSaugeye128,289 fingerlings
2021Wills Creek LakeSaugeye37,584 fingerlings
2020Dillon LakeHybrid-Striped Bass35,319 fingerlings
2020Dillon LakeSaugeye5,869 fingerlings
2020Dillon LakeSaugeye5,910 fingerlings
2020Dillon LakeSaugeye73,892 fingerlings
2020Wills Creek LakeSaugeye56,848 fingerlings
2019Dillon LakeHybrid-Striped Bass15,598 fingerlings
2019Dillon LakeHybrid-Striped Bass20,670 fingerlings

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 Muskingum County

Inland lakes and streams in Muskingum 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.

Local help

Shops and captains serving Muskingum County

Muskingum County bait counters

  • Academy Sports + Outdoors, 3925 Gorsky Drbait and tackle shop, Zanesville
  • Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Suppliesbait and tackle shop, Adamsville
  • D & D Baitbait and tackle shop, Zanesville
  • Wiggles Bait and Tacklebait and tackle shop, Philo
  • Willie's Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Zanesville

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

Nearby

Surrounding Muskingum County

Villages and cities of Muskingum County, by size

  • Zanesvillepop. 24,765
  • North Zanesvillepop. 3,116
  • New Concordpop. 2,361
  • South Zanesvillepop. 1,894
  • Dresdenpop. 1,650
  • Frazeysburgpop. 1,354

Ohio counties closest to Muskingum County

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Pictures

Camera views of fishing water by Muskingum County

Muskingum River, Ohio
Muskingum River 6.3 mi
Photo: Nyttend, Public domain
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Buckeye Lake 26 mi
Photo: Dan Keck from Ohio, CC0 1.0
Licking River, Ohio
Licking River 16 mi
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0
Cutler Lake, Ohio
Cutler Lake 13 mi
Photo: Dustin M. Ramsey, aka Kralizec! at en.wikipedia, Attribution
Hunting

Hunting in Muskingum County

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

Muskingum County hunting
Answers

Common questions on fishing inside Muskingum County

Which Muskingum County launches handle a trailered rig?

The list holds 15 public launches; 13 have concrete lanes.

Which lake in Muskingum County is the largest?

Dillon Lake, 1,279 acres by its ODNR outline.

Can I run a big outboard on Muskingum County lakes?

ODNR lists a limit for 3 county lakes; 1 allow electric motors only.

Can I buy minnows and crawlers inside Muskingum County?

Try Academy Sports + Outdoors, one of 5.

Which captains or guides call Muskingum County home?

Guides are listed under other counties.

In what town do Muskingum County commissioners meet?

The courthouse stands in Zanesville.

Is one Ohio license enough for Muskingum 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 Muskingum County?

Perry County, Coshocton County and Morgan County lie closest.

Which ODNR district biologists cover Muskingum County?

That is ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).

Line up a day on Muskingum County water

Launch pages show lanes, parking and fees.

All Ohio countiesOhio fishing rules