Riley Reservoir Fishing
A 31-acre Ohio reservoir in Crawford County.
Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo of Olentangy River: James St. John, CC BY 2.0
Riley Reservoir, sized up for Ohio anglers
The ODNR outline for Riley Reservoir measures 31 acres of water in Crawford County. Roughly 1 miles of shoreline wrap around it on the ODNR outline. The nearest town on the Census list is Bucyrus, about 3 miles off. The water sits inside ODNR Wildlife District Two (Findlay office).
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 Riley Reservoir
Each chip ties a fish to Riley Reservoir 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.
For the trout herePiscifun Carbon XT ultralight spinning reel25% OFFSale $59.99 Where trailers meet the water at Riley Reservoir
Boaters bound for Riley Reservoir will find no ODNR ramp there, only the nearby list.
Where else boats go in near Riley Reservoir
- Bucyrus Reservoir # 1 / Robert Clark Neff Reservoir launchBucyrus Lake #1, under a mile northwest
- Paul R Outhwaite Reservoir launchOuthwaite Reservoir, under a mile north
- Bucyrus Reservoir # 2 launchBucyrus Lake #2, under a mile south
- Powers Reservoir launchPowers Reservoir, 10 miles southeast
- Amanns Reservoir launchAmanns Reservoir, 10 miles southeast
- Amicks Reservoir launchAmick Reservoir, 10 miles southeast
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
What the booklet allows at Riley Reservoir
| 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; Riley Reservoir 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 Riley Reservoir over the years
The Division of Wildlife ledger shows 92 plantings at Riley Reservoir from 1970 through 2022, mainly 324,500 yellow perch, 188,597 saugeye, 173,797 walleye.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Saugeye | 3,278 | fingerlings |
| 2022 | Yellow Perch | 22,500 | fry |
| 2021 | Saugeye | 3,352 | fingerlings |
| 2021 | Saugeye | 2,858 | fingerlings |
| 2021 | Yellow Perch | 33,750 | fry |
| 2020 | Saugeye | 3,167 | fingerlings |
| 2020 | Yellow Perch | 18,750 | fry |
| 2019 | Saugeye | 3,246 | fingerlings |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch | 18,750 | fry |
| 2018 | Saugeye | 3,322 | fingerlings |
| 2018 | Yellow Perch | 33,750 | fry |
| 2017 | Channel Catfish | 1,588 | 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.
Riley Reservoir and five Ohio lakes nearby
Of the five nearest Ohio lakes with pages, Outhwaite Reservoir is the largest at 148 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Reservoir | 31 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Bucyrus Lake #1 | under a mile northwest | 38 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
| Outhwaite Reservoir | under a mile north | 148 | 1 | 25 HP limit | 0 |
| Bucyrus Lake #2 | under a mile south | 31 | 1 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
| Powers Reservoir | 10 miles southeast | 28 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Amick Reservoir | 10 miles southeast | 53 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Close by Riley Reservoir
Lakes a short drive past Riley Reservoir
- Bucyrus Lake #1under a mile northwest
- Outhwaite Reservoirunder a mile north
- Bucyrus Lake #2under a mile south
- Powers Reservoir10 miles southeast
- Amick Reservoir10 miles southeast
Where anglers around Riley Reservoir buy bait
- Rods, Guns and Morebait and tackle shop, Marion, 18 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Ontariosporting goods store, Ontario, 18 miles
- Mountain Man Trading Post Cobait and tackle shop, Tiffin, 23 miles
Ohio captains and guides for Riley Reservoir
- Eyes On Charterscharter, Lake Erie, Sandusky, (419) 357-0036
- Playin' Hooky Charterscharter, Lake Erie, Clyde, (419) 265-5122
Villages and cities close to Riley Reservoir
- Bucyrus3 miles
- Galion10 miles
- Crestline10 miles
Counties on the map with Riley Reservoir
- Crawford Countyseat: Bucyrus
Reels and line from Piscifun for Riley Reservoir
_1_(35741278345).jpg){kind=link}
Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.
Fish pictures for a trip to Riley Reservoir
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Photo: United States Fish and Wildlife Services, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain
.jpg){kind=link}
The usual Riley Reservoir questions, sorted
Which Ohio town gives the shortest drive to Riley Reservoir?
Ohio places it in Crawford County, ODNR Wildlife District Two (Findlay office), about 3 miles from Bucyrus.
What does the ODNR outline say about the size of Riley Reservoir?
Roughly 31 acres by the ODNR outline, with about 1 miles of shoreline.
Where do Buckeye boaters back a trailer into Riley Reservoir?
The inventory shows none here.
Which species does ODNR tie to Riley Reservoir?
Expect saugeye, channel catfish, yellow perch, walleye, bluegill, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.
Which 2026-27 booklet limits cover Riley Reservoir?
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round.
Which Ohio license fits Riley Reservoir?
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 Riley Reservoir?
ODNR prints no horsepower rule for it; check posted signs.
Can I grab crawlers and minnows close to Riley Reservoir?
Try Rods, Guns and More, roughly 18 miles off.
Which fish has ODNR released into Riley Reservoir?
92 releases from 1970 to 2022, mostly yellow perch.
Pick a morning for Riley Reservoir
Read the Ohio limits above, then pick the launch nearest your target.