Grand Lake St. Marys Fishing
A 13,396-acre Ohio lake in Mercer County and Auglaize County, unlimited horsepower.
Pick for walleyePiscifun Viper X spinning reel50% OFFSale $39.99 Photo: Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0
What an Ohio trip to Grand Lake St. Marys offers
Division of Wildlife mapping gives Grand Lake St. Marys a surface of 13,396 acres, all within Mercer County and Auglaize County. About 144.7 miles of shoreline give bank anglers room to spread out. Acres above are the sum of 16 ODNR outline pieces. Montezuma sits roughly 4 miles from the water, the shortest hop to a town.
ODNR lists unlimited horsepower for boats here. ODNR counts 13 public launches here. The bottom holds 13 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.
Species on record at Grand Lake St. Marys
This list for Grand Lake St. Marys 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.
For the walleye herePiscifun AlumiX spinning reel46% OFFSale $64.99 Brush piles and structure at Grand Lake St. Marys
Look for 13 placed structure sites at Grand Lake St. Marys, placed in 2019, from 3 to 7 feet deep.
| Site | Type | Points | Depth | Year placed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stakebed – Campground | Posts | 2 | 4 to 6 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Hot Water Hole | Posts | 2 | 3 to 5 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – West Bank | Posts | 2 | 4 to 6 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Anderson Rd. | Posts | 1 | 4 to 6 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Bass Haven | Posts | 1 | 4 to 6 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Harmon's | Posts | 1 | 3 to 5 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Little Chickasaw | Posts | 1 | 4 to 7 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Montezuma Bay | Posts | 1 | 3 to 4 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Windy Point East | Posts | 1 | 3 to 5 ft | 2019 |
| Stakebed – Windy Point West | Posts | 1 | 3 to 5 ft | 2019 |
ODNR DOW Lake Fishing layer, fish attractors (type, year, depth as mapped), retrieved October 26, 2026.
Boat access around Grand Lake St. Marys
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – West Bank Rampconcrete ramp, 4 lanes, 121 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Marina Rampconcrete ramp, 4 lanes, 117 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Windy Pointconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 35 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Its It Rampconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 12 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Mercelina Parkconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 8 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; City of Celina
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Campground Rampconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 7 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Village of Montezuma Ramp Facility on Grand Lake St. Marysconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 7 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; Village of Montezuma
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Boat Club Rampconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 4 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – Fries Channel Rampconcrete ramp, 1 lane, 4 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, unlimited horsepower; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
- East Bank Launch ramp on Grand Lake St. Marysboat ramp; public
- Frys channel boat ramp on Grand Lake St. Maryshand launch; public
- It's It Boat Launch on Grand Lake St. Maryshand launch; public
- Public launch on Grand Lake St. Marysboat ramp; public
Fishing Grand Lake St. Marys from the bank
- Park Grand Fishing Areashore fishing
- Anderson's fishing access near St. Marysshore fishing
- Schells Fishing areashore fishing
- Coldwater Creek Fishing Areashore fishing
Other launches a short tow from Grand Lake St. Marys
- Lake Loramie State Park – West Bank RampLake Loramie, 12 miles southeast
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Gauge reading for Grand Lake St. Marys
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Lake St Marys Near Celina Oh | 870.95 ft lake elevation | Oct 28 11:15 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Oct 28, 2026 11:32 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.
Live USGS numbers for Grand Lake St. Marys load in the panel above.
Limits and seasons at Grand Lake St. Marys
| 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 Grand Lake St. Marys, adjusted by any entry printed for it.
Lake-by-lake limits at Grand Lake St. Marys
| Water as printed | Species | Limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Lake St. Marys | 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 Grand Lake St. Marys
ODNR crews stocked Grand Lake St. Marys on 292 recorded occasions from 1970 to 2020; by count the top species are 56,460,769 walleye, 47,273,285 yellow perch, 449,454 northern pike.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 1,897,500 | fry |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 100,382 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 3,782 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 332,405 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 120,292 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 1,837,500 | fry |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 817,500 | fry |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 35,822 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 21,186 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 13,380 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 61,347 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 129,100 | 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.
Weigh-ins held at Grand Lake St. Marys
For Grand Lake St. Marys weigh-ins, schedules and launch sites, open the tournament page.
Grand Lake St. Marys beside the closest Ohio lakes
The biggest neighbor in this table is Lake Loramie, with 870 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Lake St. Marys | 13,396 | 13 | unlimited horsepower | 0 | |
| Lake Loramie | 12 miles southeast | 870 | 6 | unlimited horsepower | 0 |
| Williams Reservoir | 19 miles northeast | 426 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bresler Reservoir | 20 miles northeast | 583 | 1 | electric motors only | 6 |
| Van Wert City Reservoir 1 | 23 miles north | 61 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Delphos Gillmor Reservoir | 26 miles north | 49 | 0 | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
In the orbit of Grand Lake St. Marys
Ohio lakes one county over from Grand Lake St. Marys
- Lake Loramie12 miles southeast
- Williams Reservoir19 miles northeast
- Bresler Reservoir20 miles northeast
- Van Wert City Reservoir 123 miles north
- Delphos Gillmor Reservoir26 miles north
Shops that stock up Grand Lake St. Marys trips
- Kozy Marinamarina, Celina, 2 miles
- D & W Marinamarina, Celina, 3 miles
- Windy Point Marina Incmarina, Celina, 3 miles
- Grand Lake Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Saint Marys, 4 miles
- The Outdoorsmanbait and tackle shop, Saint Marys, 4 miles
- Ohio Marine Incmarina, Minster, 10 miles
Ohio towns handy to Grand Lake St. Marys
- St. Marys5 miles
- Celina5 miles
- New Bremen8 miles
Where Grand Lake St. Marys falls, county by Ohio county
- Mercer Countyseat: Celina
- Auglaize Countyseat: Wapakoneta
Piscifun spinning and baitcasting gear for Grand Lake St. Marys
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Photo ID for the fish of Grand Lake St. Marys
Photo: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, Public domain
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Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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Grand Lake St. Marys: what Buckeye anglers keep asking
Which Ohio county holds Grand Lake St. Marys?
Head for Mercer County and Auglaize County, about 4 miles from Montezuma.
How large is Grand Lake St. Marys on ODNR maps?
Close to 13,396 acres, with about 144.7 miles of shoreline.
How many launches serve Grand Lake St. Marys?
13 public launches, with Grand Lake St. Marys State Park – West Bank Ramp first by parking.
Does Grand Lake St. Marys hold saugeye or bass?
On file: walleye, largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike, striped bass, steelhead and channel catfish.
Which booklet rules govern Grand Lake St. Marys?
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 Grand Lake St. Marys?
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 Grand Lake St. Marys?
Boats run under unlimited horsepower.
Which listed Ohio tackle store is nearest Grand Lake St. Marys?
Kozy Marina sits about 2 miles from the water.
Does ODNR stock Grand Lake St. Marys?
The ledger shows 292 plantings, 1970 to 2020, mainly walleye.
Where can I see the water level at Grand Lake St. Marys?
Check the USGS panel above.
Are there fish attractors in Grand Lake St. Marys?
13 sites, with depths in the table above.
Hook up the trailer and tow it to Grand Lake St. Marys
Every Ohio fee and statewide limit is a click away.