Fishing in Summit County, Ohio
Seat: Akron. Fish management by ODNR Wildlife District Three (Akron office).
- 6lake pages
- 10launches
- 2river pages
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Summit County from a fishing point of view
Summit County keeps its courthouse in Akron, and its 2020 Census count was 540,428 people. Land covers 413 square miles here; water accounts for another 7.3. ODNR data place the county in ODNR Wildlife District Three (Akron office).
Portage Lakes heads a list of 6 county lakes with pages, which add up to 2,272 acres. 1 of the 3 lakes with a horsepower note are electric-only water. Anglers looking for cover can use 16 ODNR attractors spread over 4 lakes. The launch list shows 10 public launches; concrete lanes at 8, and 377 trailer spaces where a count is printed. Cuyahoga River receive ODNR steelhead smolts.
Census 2020 population and 2023 Gazetteer areas; ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines, horsepower and attractor layers, ODNR launch list; retrieved October 2026.
For the steelhead herePiscifun AlumiX spinning reel46% OFFSale $64.99 Mapping lakes and ramps in Summit County
ODNR launch and fishing-access points, ODNR lake outlines (representative points) and ODNR stream access points. Checked October 2026.
Lakes with pages inside Summit County
| Lake | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Fish on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Lakes | 804 | 4 | 400 HP limit | |
| Nimisila Lake | 743 | 4 | electric motors only | walleye, channel catfish, northern pike |
| Springfield Lake | 291 | 2 | 250 HP limit | channel catfish, walleye, largemouth bass |
| Long Lake | 224 | 0 | chain pickerel, channel catfish, saugeye | |
| North Lake | 164 | 0 | channel catfish, walleye, tiger muskellunge | |
| Silver Creek Lake | 46 | 0 | steelhead, channel catfish |
ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines (acres), horsepower restrictions, fish hot-spot maps and stocking records; retrieved October 2026.
Summit County rivers and creeks
- Cuyahoga Riversteelhead stream (60,000 stocked a year), 1 launch, 39 ODNR access points, USGS gauge
- Tuscarawas River3 launchs, 20 ODNR access points, USGS gauge
Steelhead water across Summit County
Look up Cuyahoga River for the yearly ODNR steelhead plants.
How Summit County streams are flowing now
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga River At Jaite Oh | 243 cfs, 2.37 ft gage height | Nov 11 5:15 pm |
| Cuyahoga River At Old Portage Oh | 154 cfs, 2.55 ft gage height | Nov 11 5:15 pm |
| Tuscarawas River At Clinton Oh | 92 cfs, 5.38 ft gage height | Nov 11 4:15 pm |
| Long Lake Feeder O&e Canal Oh | 28 cfs, 3.65 ft gage height | Nov 11 5:00 pm |
| Lock 1 Outlet O&e Canal Oh | 13 cfs, 0.95 ft gage height | Nov 11 4:30 pm |
| Tuscarawas River Above Barberton Oh | 66 cfs, 3.95 ft gage height | Nov 11 4:45 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 11, 2026 5:32 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.
Launch lanes and shore sites in Summit County
- Lakemore Park – James B Dodds Lakefront Park on Springfield LakeSpringfield Lake, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 20 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, launch fee, 250 HP limit
- Old State Park on Portage LakesPortage Lakes, concrete ramp, 3 lanes, 79 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 400 HP limit
- Portage Lakes State Park – C 1 on Nimisila LakeNimisila Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 14 trailer spaces, no launch fee, electric motors only
- Portage Lakes State Park – C 6 on Nimisila LakeNimisila Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 48 trailer spaces, no launch fee, electric motors only
- Portage Lakes State Park – CG on Nimisila LakeNimisila Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 19 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, electric motors only
- Portage Lakes State Park – Long LakePortage Lakes, gravel ramp, 1 lane, 12 trailer spaces, no launch fee, 400 HP limit
- Portage Lakes State Park – North ReservoirPortage Lakes, concrete ramp, 2 lanes, 20 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 400 HP limit
- Portage Lakes State Park – SM2 on Nimisila LakeNimisila Lake, concrete ramp, 1 lane, 32 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, electric motors only
- Portage Lakes State Park – TurkeyfootPortage Lakes, concrete ramp, 4 lanes, 110 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 400 HP limit
- Springfield Lake – Springfield RampSpringfield Lake, gravel ramp, 1 lane, 23 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, launch fee, 250 HP limit
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.
Summit County hatchery releases and records
County lakes took 285 ODNR stockings in 1970 to 2022 on 5 waters, topped by 2,657,190 walleye, 940,846 saugeye, 353,617 channel catfish, 98,220 largemouth bass.
Recent hatchery releases in Summit County
| Year | Water | Species | Number and size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Silver Creek Lake | Channel Catfish | 2,300 adv. fingerlings |
| 2022 | Silver Creek Lake | Rainbow Trout | 1,505 catchable |
| 2021 | Long Lake | Channel Catfish | 1,810 yearling |
| 2021 | Long Lake | Channel Catfish | 891 yearling |
| 2021 | Silver Creek Lake | Rainbow Trout | 2,000 catchable |
| 2020 | Nimisila Reservoir | Channel Catfish | 3,931 yearling |
| 2020 | Nimisila Reservoir | Channel Catfish | 1,185 yearling |
| 2020 | North Reservoir | Channel Catfish | 3,207 yearling |
| 2020 | North Reservoir | Channel Catfish | 306 yearling |
| 2020 | Silver Creek Lake | Channel Catfish | 1,235 yearling |
Outdoor Writers of Ohio records from Summit County
| Species | Weight | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain Pickerel | 6.25 lb | Long Lake | 1961 |
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.
Summit County limits from the ODNR booklet
Unless named in the site-specific list, a Summit County lake follows these statewide rows.
| Species | Limit | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Blue & Flathead Catfish (under 35 inches) | No daily limit | Open year-round |
| Blue & Flathead Catfish (35 inches or larger) | 1 of each (statewide); minimum 35 inches | Open year-round |
| Channel Catfish (under 28 inches) | No daily limit | Open year-round |
| Channel Catfish (28 inches or larger) | 1 (statewide); minimum 28 inches | Open year-round |
| Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass | 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches | Open year-round |
| Muskellunge | 1 | Open year-round |
| Striped, Hybrid-Striped, & White Bass | 30 (singly or in combination); minimum No more than 4 over 15 inches | Open year-round |
| Trout | 5 (singly or in combination) | Open year-round |
| Walleye, Sauger, & Saugeye | 6 (singly or in combination) | Open year-round |
| Yellow Perch | 30 | Open 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.
Weigh-ins held in Summit County
Of 1 listed events here, 0 have not been held yet.
| Date | Event | Water | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 3, 2026 | Better Half Tour Fall Classic XV (2026) | Portage Lakes | Better Half Tour |
Organizer schedule and results pages (ODNR publishes no tournament calendar), checked October 2026.
Stocking up for Summit County water
Bait counters and marinas of Summit County
- "224" Bait&Tackle (On Springfield Lake)bait and tackle shop, Akron
- Eddie's Live Baitbait and tackle shop, Green
- Falls Outdoor Sportsbait and tackle shop, Cuyahoga Falls
- Fishermen's Centralbait and tackle shop, Coventry Township
- Land Bigfishbait and tackle shop, Akron
- Longlake Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Coventry Township
- Manda Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Coventry Township
- Master Baitzbait and tackle shop, Akron
- Ready Rig Tacklebait and tackle shop, Macedonia
- Ron Slater's Portage Lake Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Coventry Township
- Dick's Sporting Goods Akron, 3742 Brookwall Drivesporting goods store, Akron
- Dick's Sporting Goods Akron, 4036 Medina Rdsporting goods store, Akron
- Dick's Sporting Goods Stowsporting goods store, Stow
Lake and river captains of Summit County
- Elite Eyes Sportfishingfishing guide, New Franklin, (330) 962-5352
Yellow Pages and chain store listings, charter and guide listings (county of business); retrieved October 2026.
Close by Summit County
Overnight bases in Summit County
- Akronpop. 190,469
- Cuyahoga Fallspop. 51,114
- Stowpop. 34,483
- Greenpop. 27,475
- Barbertonpop. 25,191
- Hudsonpop. 23,110
- Twinsburgpop. 19,248
- Tallmadgepop. 18,394
- New Franklinpop. 13,877
- Macedoniapop. 12,168
- Nortonpop. 11,673
- Fairlawnpop. 7,710
- Portage Lakespop. 6,407
- Remindervillepop. 5,412
- Montrose-Ghentpop. 5,254
- Munroe Fallspop. 5,044
Next county pages over from Summit County
- Portage County18 miles east
- Medina County19 miles west
- Stark County23 miles southeast
- Wayne County27 miles southwest
Reels and line from Piscifun for Summit County
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Fish pictures for a trip to Summit County
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Hunting in Summit County
Public hunting land, seasons and processors for Summit County are on State Hunting Spots, our sister site.
Summit County waters: frequent questions
How many boat launches serve Summit County?
10 public launches are listed above, 8 with concrete lanes.
Where is the most open water in Summit County?
Portage Lakes, 804 acres by its ODNR outline.
Do Summit County lakes have horsepower limits?
1 electric-only lakes and 3 with any motor rule.
Which Summit County stores carry Ohio tackle?
13 in the county, such as "224" Bait&Tackle (On Springfield Lake).
Which guides list Summit County?
Count 1 guide or charter with a county address.
Which community is seat of Summit County?
Akron is the seat.
How much does an out-of-state angler pay for Summit County water?
Ohio residents buy a $25.00 annual license, out-of-state anglers $76.96, and seniors living in Ohio $10.00; the rule starts at 16.
Which counties surround Summit County?
The nearest county pages are Portage County, Medina County and Stark County.
Which ODNR district covers Summit County?
ODNR places it in ODNR Wildlife District Three (Akron office).
What tournaments run in Summit County?
1 event on file from organizer pages, none still ahead.
Does ODNR stock steelhead in Summit County?
Cuyahoga River, stocked through the ODNR steelhead program.
Choose an ODNR lake in Summit County
Open a lake for its ramps, limits and stocking history.