Belmont Lake Fishing
A 109-acre Ohio lake in Belmont County, electric motors only.
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Meet Belmont Lake, an Ohio water
Belmont Lake spreads across 109 acres of Belmont County, by the Division of Wildlife outline. The outline traces close to 5.8 miles of bank. Count on about 2 miles of driving to reach Belmont, the nearest town. Management runs through ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).
The posted motor rule is electric motors only. Hot spots on the ODNR map cover catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, saugeye/walleye and sunfish. Boaters can use 1 public launch. ODNR placed 11 attractors for fish to hold on. The booklet prints 1 site-specific entry written for it.
ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines (acres and shoreline miles), horsepower and fish hot-spot layers, Census places, retrieved October 26, 2026.
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The fish below link to Belmont Lake by ODNR mapping, hatchery records or a state record, not by a full netting survey.
ODNR fish hot-spot layers, ODNR stocking records and Outdoor Writers of Ohio records, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Fish attractors placed in Belmont Lake
11 attractor points sit on the bottom of Belmont Lake, placed in 2006 and 2018, from 10 to 12 feet deep.
| Site | Type | Points | Depth | Year placed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-frame pallets | Pallets | 6 | 10 to 12 ft | 2018 |
| X-mas tree bundles | Tree | 5 | 10 to 12 ft | 2006 |
ODNR DOW Lake Fishing layer, fish attractors (type, year, depth as mapped), retrieved October 26, 2026.
Public ramps serving Belmont Lake
- Barkcamp State Park on Belmont Lakeconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 2 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, electric motors only; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
Nearby launch sites from Belmont Lake
- Kirkwood Ramp on Piedmont LakePiedmont Lake, 9 miles northwest
- Barnesville Memorial Park on Barnesville Lake #4Barnesville Lake #4, 9 miles west
- Reynolds Road Launch Ramp on Piedmont LakePiedmont Lake, 10 miles northwest
- Slope Creek Reservoir RampSlope Creek Reservoir, 12 miles southwest
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Daily limits for Belmont Lake
| Species | Daily limit and size | 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 |
The baseline at Belmont Lake is the inland table of the 2026-27 booklet.
The exceptions ODNR prints for Belmont Lake
| Water as printed | Species | Limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass | 3 fish split daily limit; minimum 2 fish less than 14 inches, & 1 fish 20 inches or longer | Open year-round |
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.
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.
ODNR releases at Belmont Lake, year by year
138 hatchery releases reached Belmont Lake from 1970 to 2022 in the ODNR ledger, the biggest totals 359,026 saugeye, 205,506 rainbow trout, 133,889 yellow perch.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout | 1,635 | catchable |
| 2022 | Saugeye | 11,122 | fingerlings |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | 1,640 | catchable |
| 2021 | Saugeye | 10,977 | fingerlings |
| 2021 | Yellow Perch | 27,370 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Channel Catfish | 2,324 | yearling |
| 2020 | Channel Catfish | 698 | yearling |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | 2,135 | catchable |
| 2020 | Saugeye | 10,175 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 27,400 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | 2,725 | catchable |
| 2019 | Saugeye | 24,300 | 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); retrieved October 26, 2026.
How Belmont Lake stacks up locally in Ohio
Among the nearby lakes listed, Piedmont Lake covers the most water, 2,377 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Lake | 109 | 1 | electric motors only | 5 | |
| Barnesville Lake #4 | 9 miles west | 14 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Piedmont Lake | 11 miles northwest | 2,377 | 3 | 10 HP limit | 5 |
| Slope Creek Reservoir | 12 miles southwest | 93 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Monroe Lake | 17 miles southwest | 39 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
| Clendening Lake | 19 miles northwest | 1,732 | 3 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Surrounding Belmont Lake
Still water near Belmont Lake in Ohio
- Barnesville Lake #49 miles west
- Piedmont Lake11 miles northwest
- Slope Creek Reservoir12 miles southwest
- Monroe Lake17 miles southwest
- Clendening Lake19 miles northwest
Tackle stops en route to Belmont Lake
- Academy Sports + Outdoors, 67800 Mall Rd Ste 100-05bait and tackle shop, Saint Clairsville, 8 miles
- Piedmont Lake Marinamarina, Freeport, 14 miles
- D&J bait tacklebait and tackle shop, Freeport, 14 miles
- Ohio River Fish Bait Companybait and tackle shop, Yorkville, 18 miles
- Woodland Outdoor & Supplybait and tackle shop, Tippecanoe, 19 miles
- Tappan Lake Marinamarina, Cadiz, 21 miles
Lodging handy for Belmont Lake
- Bethesda3 miles
- St. Clairsville7 miles
- Barnesville9 miles
Ohio county pages that take in Belmont Lake
- Belmont Countyseat: St. Clairsville
What to grab from Piscifun before Belmont Lake
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Camera views of fishing water by Belmont Lake
Photo: Paula R. Lively, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Jon Gudorf Photography, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Brian Rawson-Ketchum, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Jonathan A Brier, CC BY-SA 4.0
What first-timers at Belmont Lake want cleared up
In what part of Ohio is Belmont Lake?
On an Ohio map it sits in Belmont County, ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office), about 2 miles from Belmont.
How many surface acres does Ohio map for Belmont Lake?
The outline measures 109 acres, with about 5.8 miles of shoreline.
Does Belmont Lake have a public ramp?
Ohio boaters can try Barkcamp State Park on Belmont Lake, one of 1 public launch.
What bites for Ohio anglers at Belmont Lake?
The records point to catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, saugeye/walleye, sunfish, steelhead and channel catfish.
Which length limits apply on Belmont Lake?
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round. A site-specific entry changes part of that here; see above.
Does Ohio want a trout stamp for Belmont Lake?
Anglers 16 and older need an Ohio fishing license: $25.00 a year for residents, $76.96 for nonresidents and $10.00 for residents 65 and older.
What boats can use Belmont Lake?
The rule is electric motors only.
Which Ohio bait counter is handiest to Belmont Lake?
Closest on our list: Academy Sports + Outdoors, 8 miles.
How often has ODNR stocked Belmont Lake over the years?
Yes: 138 entries between 1970 and 2022, led by saugeye.
Where do fish hold on cover at Belmont Lake?
ODNR placed 11 attractor sites; see the map above.
Put Belmont Lake on the Buckeye fishing list
Buy the Ohio license online before the trip.