Delaware Lake Fishing
A 1,215-acre Ohio lake in Delaware County and Marion County, unlimited horsepower.
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What an Ohio trip to Delaware Lake offers
Division of Wildlife mapping gives Delaware Lake a surface of 1,215 acres, all within Delaware County and Marion County. About 31.6 miles of shoreline give bank anglers room to spread out. Waldo sits roughly 4 miles from the water, the shortest hop to a town. Field work here falls to ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office).
ODNR lists unlimited horsepower for boats here. ODNR pins fishing hot spots for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and sunfish. ODNR counts 3 public launches here. The bottom holds 4 ODNR-placed attractors. Site-specific rules apply: 1 site-specific entry in the booklet.
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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This list for Delaware Lake draws on ODNR hot spots, stocking files and Ohio records together.
ODNR fish hot-spot layers, ODNR stocking records and Outdoor Writers of Ohio records, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Brush piles and structure at Delaware Lake
Look for 4 placed structure sites at Delaware Lake, placed in 2018, from 4 to 10 feet deep.
| Site | Type | Points | Depth | Year placed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| approximately 40 spider blocks | Tubes | 2 | 5 to 10 ft | 2018 |
| approximately 50 spider blocks | Tubes | 2 | 4 to 8 ft | 2018 |
ODNR DOW Lake Fishing layer, fish attractors (type, year, depth as mapped), retrieved October 26, 2026.
Boat access around Delaware Lake
- Delaware State Park – Main Rampconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 178 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Delaware State Park – South Rampconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 72 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Delaware State Park – Wildlife Rampconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 20 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Wildlife – District 1
Fishing Delaware Lake from the bank
- Youth Fishing Pond-Ages 15 and youngershore fishing, youth only
- Southwest fishing access near Radnorshore fishing
Other launches a short tow from Delaware Lake
- Alum Creek State Park – Howard RoadAlum Creek Lake, 9 miles southeast
- Alum Creek State Park – Campground/ChurchAlum Creek Lake, 12 miles south
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Limits and seasons at Delaware 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 |
Inland limits from the booklet apply on Delaware Lake, adjusted by any entry printed for it.
Lake-by-lake limits at Delaware Lake
| Water as printed | Species | Limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware (including the Olentangy River upstream to the Waldo dam, and Whetstone Creek upstream to State Route 229) | Black & White Crappie | 30; minimum 9 inches | 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.
Years of ODNR stocking at Delaware Lake
ODNR crews stocked Delaware Lake on 82 recorded occasions from 1970 to 2009; by count the top species are 4,221,220 saugeye, 87,238 largemouth bass, 69,784 walleye.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Saugeye | 1,020,970 | fry |
| 2008 | Saugeye | 994,560 | fry |
| 2007 | Saugeye | 48,174 | fingerlings |
| 2006 | Saugeye | 32,840 | fingerlings |
| 2006 | Saugeye | 16,000 | fingerlings |
| 2005 | Saugeye | 48,204 | fingerlings |
| 2004 | Saugeye | 49,280 | fingerlings |
| 2003 | Saugeye | 8,801 | fingerlings |
| 2003 | Saugeye | 40,095 | fingerlings |
| 2002 | Saugeye | 38,657 | fingerlings |
| 2002 | Saugeye | 11,785 | fingerlings |
| 2001 | Saugeye | 44,032 | 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.
Delaware Lake beside the closest Ohio lakes
The biggest neighbor in this table is Alum Creek Lake, with 3,331 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Lake | 1,215 | 3 | unlimited horsepower | 4 | |
| Alum Creek Lake | 11 miles southeast | 3,331 | 5 | unlimited horsepower | 7 |
| O'Shaughnessy Reservoir | 15 miles south | 896 | 4 | unlimited horsepower | 0 |
| Mount Gilead | 16 miles northeast | 13 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Hoover Reservoir | 19 miles southeast | 2,884 | 5 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
| Antrim Lake | 22 miles south | 42 | 0 | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
In the orbit of Delaware Lake
Ohio lakes one county over from Delaware Lake
- Alum Creek Lake11 miles southeast
- O'Shaughnessy Reservoir15 miles south
- Mount Gilead16 miles northeast
- Hoover Reservoir19 miles southeast
- Antrim Lake22 miles south
Shops that stock up Delaware Lake trips
- Norton Sporting Goodsbait and tackle shop, Waldo, 2 miles
- Alum Creek Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Sunbury, 11 miles
- Rods, Guns and Morebait and tackle shop, Marion, 14 miles
- Liberty Bait and Tacklebait and tackle shop, Powell, 17 miles
- Cabela's Columbussporting goods store, Columbus, 18 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Columbus, 1510 Polaris Parkwaysporting goods store, Columbus, 18 miles
Ohio towns handy to Delaware Lake
- Ashley5 miles
- Prospect8 miles
- Delaware8 miles
Where Delaware Lake falls, county by Ohio county
- Delaware Countyseat: Delaware
- Marion Countyseat: Marion
Piscifun spinning and baitcasting gear for Delaware Lake
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Photo ID for the fish of Delaware Lake
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: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Delaware Lake: what Buckeye anglers keep asking
Which Ohio county holds Delaware Lake?
Head for Delaware County and Marion County, ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office), about 4 miles from Waldo.
How large is Delaware Lake on ODNR maps?
Close to 1,215 acres, with about 31.6 miles of shoreline.
How many launches serve Delaware Lake?
3 public launches, with Delaware State Park – Main Ramp first by parking.
Does Delaware Lake hold saugeye or bass?
On file: catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, sunfish, saugeye, channel catfish and muskellunge.
Which booklet rules govern Delaware Lake?
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round. Its own booklet line sits in the limits band too.
How much does a visitor from out of state pay for Delaware 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 horsepower is allowed on Delaware Lake?
Boats run under unlimited horsepower.
Which listed Ohio tackle store is nearest Delaware Lake?
Norton Sporting Goods sits about 2 miles from the water.
Does ODNR stock Delaware Lake?
The ledger shows 82 plantings, 1970 to 2009, mainly saugeye.
Are there fish attractors in Delaware Lake?
4 sites, with depths in the table above.
Hook up the trailer and tow it to Delaware Lake
Every Ohio fee and statewide limit is a click away.