Oakthorpe Lake Fishing
A 43-acre Ohio lake in Fairfield County, 10 HP limit.
Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of Buckeye Lake: Dan Keck from Ohio, CC0 1.0
Oakthorpe Lake, sized up for Ohio anglers
The ODNR outline for Oakthorpe Lake measures 43 acres of water in Fairfield County. Roughly 1.6 miles of shoreline wrap around it on the ODNR outline. The nearest town on the Census list is West Rushville, about 3 miles off. The water sits inside ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office).
Boats run under a rule of 10 HP limit.
ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines (acres and shoreline miles), horsepower and fish hot-spot layers, Census places, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Fish the Ohio files name for Oakthorpe Lake
Each chip ties a fish to Oakthorpe Lake through an ODNR hot spot, a stocking record, a trout release or the record book.
ODNR fish hot-spot layers, ODNR stocking records and Outdoor Writers of Ohio records, retrieved October 26, 2026.
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Boaters bound for Oakthorpe Lake will find no ODNR ramp there, only the nearby list.
Where else boats go in near Oakthorpe Lake
- Rush Creek Lake launchRush Creek Lake, 3 miles southeast
- Buckeye Lake State Park – Brooks ParkBuckeye Lake, 7 miles northwest
- Alexander Landing on Buckeye LakeBuckeye Lake, 7 miles northwest
- Buckeye Lake MarinaBuckeye Lake, 7 miles northwest
- Fisher's Marina – *POSSIBLE RAMP CLOSURE DURING DAM REPAIR on Buckeye LakeBuckeye Lake, 7 miles northwest
- Buckeye Lake State Park – Fairfield BeachBuckeye Lake, 8 miles north
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
What the booklet allows at Oakthorpe 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 |
These are the Ohio inland limits; Oakthorpe Lake follows them except where the booklet names it.
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.
Fish planted at Oakthorpe Lake over the years
The Division of Wildlife ledger shows 27 plantings at Oakthorpe Lake from 1975 through 2021, mainly 16,519 channel catfish, 6,000 largemouth bass, 3,185 northern pike.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Channel Catfish | 1,155 | yearling |
| 2019 | Channel Catfish | 1,080 | yearling |
| 2017 | Channel Catfish | 1,075 | yearling |
| 2015 | Channel Catfish | 1,086 | yearling |
| 2011 | Channel Catfish | 708 | yearling |
| 2011 | Channel Catfish | 369 | yearling |
| 2011 | Channel Catfish | 245 | yearling |
| 2009 | Channel Catfish | 1,096 | yearling |
| 2008 | Channel Catfish | 1,220 | yearling |
| 2006 | Channel Catfish | 1,025 | yearling |
| 2004 | Channel Catfish | 1,462 | yearling |
| 2002 | Channel Catfish | 750 | yearling |
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.
Oakthorpe Lake and five Ohio lakes nearby
Of the five nearest Ohio lakes with pages, Buckeye Lake is the largest at 2,877 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakthorpe Lake | 43 | 0 | 10 HP limit | 0 | |
| Rush Creek Lake | 3 miles southeast | 289 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
| Buckeye Lake | 8 miles north | 2,877 | 7 | unlimited horsepower | 0 |
| Lake Logan | 19 miles south | 333 | 2 | 10 HP limit | 5 |
| Dillon Lake | 22 miles northeast | 1,279 | 3 | unlimited horsepower | 5 |
| Hargus Creek Lake | 26 miles southwest | 143 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Close by Oakthorpe Lake
Lakes a short drive past Oakthorpe Lake
- Rush Creek Lake3 miles southeast
- Buckeye Lake8 miles north
- Lake Logan19 miles south
- Dillon Lake22 miles northeast
- Hargus Creek Lake26 miles southwest
Where anglers around Oakthorpe Lake buy bait
- Gotch-Ya Bait & TackleShopbait and tackle shop, Rushville, 6 miles
- Alexander's Landingmarina, Millersport, 7 miles
- Fisher's Marinamarina, Millersport, 7 miles
- Buckeye Beach Marinamarina, Thornville, 8 miles
- Millersport Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Millersport, 8 miles
- Cranberry Pointe Marinamarina, Hebron, 9 miles
Villages and cities close to Oakthorpe Lake
- Thornville6 miles
- Bremen7 miles
- Somerset8 miles
Counties on the map with Oakthorpe Lake
- Fairfield Countyseat: Lancaster
Reels and line from Piscifun for Oakthorpe Lake
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Fish pictures for a trip to Oakthorpe Lake
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
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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
The usual Oakthorpe Lake questions, sorted
Which Ohio town gives the shortest drive to Oakthorpe Lake?
Ohio places it in Fairfield County, ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office), about 3 miles from West Rushville.
What does the ODNR outline say about the size of Oakthorpe Lake?
Roughly 43 acres by the ODNR outline, with about 1.6 miles of shoreline.
Where do Buckeye boaters back a trailer into Oakthorpe Lake?
The inventory shows none here.
Which species does ODNR tie to Oakthorpe Lake?
Expect channel catfish, northern pike and largemouth bass.
Which 2026-27 booklet limits cover Oakthorpe Lake?
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round.
Which Ohio license fits Oakthorpe 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.
Are gas motors allowed on Oakthorpe Lake?
ODNR lists 10 HP limit.
Can I grab crawlers and minnows close to Oakthorpe Lake?
Try Gotch-Ya Bait & TackleShop, roughly 6 miles off.
Which fish has ODNR released into Oakthorpe Lake?
27 releases from 1975 to 2021, mostly channel catfish.
Pick a morning for Oakthorpe Lake
Read the Ohio limits above, then pick the launch nearest your target.