Dow Lake Fishing
A 161-acre Ohio lake in Athens County, 10 HP limit.
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What an Ohio trip to Dow Lake offers
Division of Wildlife mapping gives Dow Lake a surface of 161 acres, all within Athens County. About 8.1 miles of shoreline give bank anglers room to spread out. Athens sits roughly 4 miles from the water, the shortest hop to a town. Field work here falls to ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).
ODNR lists 10 HP limit for boats here. ODNR pins fishing hot spots for catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and sunfish. ODNR counts 1 public launch here. The bottom holds 9 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 Dow 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 Dow Lake
Look for 9 placed structure sites at Dow Lake, placed in 2016, from 8 to 12 feet deep.
| Site | Type | Points | Depth | Year placed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-mas tree bundles | Tree | 9 | 8 to 12 ft | 2016 |
ODNR DOW Lake Fishing layer, fish attractors (type, year, depth as mapped), retrieved October 26, 2026.
Boat access around Dow Lake
- Strouds Run State Park on Dow Lakeconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 50 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 10 HP limit; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
Other launches a short tow from Dow Lake
- Fox Lake Wildlife AreaFox Lake, 9 miles west
- Lake Snowden Launch RampLake Snowden, 11 miles southwest
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Limits and seasons at Dow 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 Dow Lake, adjusted by any entry printed for it.
Lake-by-lake limits at Dow Lake
| Water as printed | Species | Limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass | 5; minimum None may be taken between 12 & 15 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 Dow Lake
ODNR crews stocked Dow Lake on 146 recorded occasions from 1970 to 2022; by count the top species are 231,925 redear sunfish, 202,948 saugeye, 193,200 rainbow trout.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout | 2,510 | catchable |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | 2,504 | catchable |
| 2021 | Saugeye | 18,258 | fingerlings |
| 2021 | Saugeye | 26,114 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | 2,586 | catchable |
| 2020 | Saugeye | 18,802 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Saugeye | 15,723 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Channel Catfish | 1,272 | yearling |
| 2019 | Channel Catfish | 1,630 | yearling |
| 2019 | Channel Catfish | 1,397 | yearling |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | 3,001 | catchable |
| 2019 | Saugeye | 39,536 | 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.
Dow Lake beside the closest Ohio lakes
The biggest neighbor in this table is Burr Oak Lake, with 668 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Lake | 161 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 4 | |
| Fox Lake | 9 miles west | 52 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 4 |
| Lake Snowden | 11 miles southwest | 143 | 1 | unlimited horsepower, no wake | 4 |
| Burr Oak Lake | 14 miles north | 668 | 4 | unlimited horsepower, no wake | 4 |
| Lake Hope | 17 miles west | 121 | 1 | electric motors only | 4 |
| Veto Lake | 20 miles east | 135 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
In the orbit of Dow Lake
Ohio lakes one county over from Dow Lake
- Fox Lake9 miles west
- Lake Snowden11 miles southwest
- Burr Oak Lake14 miles north
- Lake Hope17 miles west
- Veto Lake20 miles east
Shops that stock up Dow Lake trips
- Basswood Bait & Bowsbait and tackle shop, Vincent, 20 miles
- Hornbeck's Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Belpre, 21 miles
Ohio towns handy to Dow Lake
- Athens4 miles
- The Plains6 miles
- Glouster11 miles
Where Dow Lake falls, county by Ohio county
- Athens Countyseat: Athens
Piscifun spinning and baitcasting gear for Dow Lake
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Photo ID for the fish of Dow Lake
Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 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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Dow Lake: what Buckeye anglers keep asking
Which Ohio county holds Dow Lake?
Head for Athens County, ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office), about 4 miles from Athens.
How large is Dow Lake on ODNR maps?
Close to 161 acres, with about 8.1 miles of shoreline.
How many launches serve Dow Lake?
1 public launch, with Strouds Run State Park on Dow Lake first by parking.
Does Dow Lake hold saugeye or bass?
On file: catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, sunfish, steelhead, channel catfish and saugeye.
Which booklet rules govern Dow 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 Dow 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 Dow Lake?
Boats run under 10 HP limit.
Which listed Ohio tackle store is nearest Dow Lake?
Basswood Bait & Bows sits about 20 miles from the water.
Does ODNR stock Dow Lake?
The ledger shows 146 plantings, 1970 to 2022, mainly redear sunfish.
Are there fish attractors in Dow Lake?
9 sites, with depths in the table above.
Hook up the trailer and tow it to Dow Lake
Every Ohio fee and statewide limit is a click away.