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Ohio lakes and reservoirs

Rush Creek Lake Fishing

A 289-acre Ohio lake in Fairfield County and Perry County, 10 HP limit.

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Photo of Buckeye Lake: Dan Keck from Ohio, CC0 1.0

Fairfield County

Rush Creek Lake by the ODNR numbers

Inside Fairfield County and Perry County, Rush Creek Lake covers 289 acres on the ODNR lake map. Its edge measures near 10.3 miles on the Division of Wildlife map. From the lake point, Rushville is the nearest place at about 2 miles. It belongs to ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office).

Outboards follow a limit of 10 HP limit. Launching is possible at 1 public launch. ODNR gives it 1 site-specific entry of its own.

289acres
10.3shoreline miles
1public launches
10 HPmotor rule

ODNR Division of Wildlife lake outlines (acres and shoreline miles), horsepower and fish hot-spot layers, Census places, retrieved October 26, 2026.

Species

Ohio fish roster for Rush Creek Lake

Species shown for Rush Creek Lake come from Division of Wildlife layers and the stocking ledger.

ODNR fish hot-spot layers, ODNR stocking records and Outdoor Writers of Ohio records, retrieved October 26, 2026.

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Launches

Launch sites on the shore of Rush Creek Lake

  • Rush Creek Lake launchconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 19 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, 10 HP limit; Rushcreek Conservation District

Backup ramps around Rush Creek Lake

  • Clouse Lake Wildlife AreaClouse Lake, 5 miles east
  • Alexander Landing on Buckeye LakeBuckeye Lake, 10 miles northwest
  • Buckeye Lake State Park – Brooks ParkBuckeye Lake, 10 miles northwest
  • Buckeye Lake State Park – Fairfield BeachBuckeye Lake, 10 miles northwest
  • Buckeye Lake MarinaBuckeye Lake, 10 miles northwest
  • Fisher's Marina – *POSSIBLE RAMP CLOSURE DURING DAM REPAIR on Buckeye LakeBuckeye Lake, 11 miles northwest

ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.

Limits

Booklet rows for Rush Creek Lake

SpeciesDaily limit and sizeSeason
Blue & Flathead Catfish (under 35 inches)No daily limitOpen year-round
Blue & Flathead Catfish (35 inches or larger)1 of each (statewide); minimum 35 inchesOpen year-round
Channel Catfish (under 28 inches)No daily limitOpen year-round
Channel Catfish (28 inches or larger)1 (statewide); minimum 28 inchesOpen year-round
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inchesOpen year-round
Muskellunge1Open year-round
Striped, Hybrid-Striped, & White Bass30 (singly or in combination); minimum No more than 4 over 15 inchesOpen year-round
Trout5 (singly or in combination)Open year-round
Walleye, Sauger, & Saugeye6 (singly or in combination)Open year-round
Yellow Perch30Open year-round

For Rush Creek Lake, start from the statewide inland rows shown here.

Booklet rules written for Rush Creek Lake

Water as printedSpeciesLimit and sizeSeason
Rush Creek LakeLargemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass5; minimum 15 inchesOpen 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.

Stocking

Ohio stocking ledger for Rush Creek Lake

From 1982 to 2017 the Ohio stocking file holds 51 lines for Rush Creek Lake, with 239,893 channel catfish, 27,919 largemouth bass, 27,467 bluegill at the head.

Channel catfish239,893
Largemouth bass27,919
Bluegill27,467
Redear sunfish15,861
YearSpeciesNumberSize or stage
2017Channel Catfish575yearling
2017Channel Catfish1,835yearling
2017Channel Catfish2,809yearling
2016Channel Catfish718fingerlings
2016Channel Catfish15,743fingerlings
2015Channel Catfish652yearling
2015Channel Catfish2,407yearling
2015Channel Catfish1,939yearling
2013Channel Catfish1,212yearling
2011Channel Catfish617yearling
2011Channel Catfish4,466yearling
2011Channel Catfish1,386yearling

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.

Compare

Nearby Ohio lakes measured against Rush Creek Lake

Buckeye Lake tops the nearby list for size at 2,877 acres.

LakeDistanceAcresLaunchesMotor ruleHot-spot species
Rush Creek Lake289110 HP limit0
Oakthorpe Lake3 miles northwest43010 HP limit0
Buckeye Lake11 miles northwest2,8777unlimited horsepower0
Lake Logan17 miles south333210 HP limit5
Dillon Lake22 miles northeast1,2793unlimited horsepower5
Burr Oak Lake26 miles southeast6684unlimited horsepower, no wake4

ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.

Nearby

Near Rush Creek Lake

Ohio reservoirs around Rush Creek Lake

Minnows, crawlers and line for Rush Creek Lake

  • Gotch-Ya Bait & TackleShopbait and tackle shop, Rushville, 2 miles
  • Alexander's Landingmarina, Millersport, 10 miles
  • Buckeye Beach Marinamarina, Thornville, 10 miles
  • Fisher's Marinamarina, Millersport, 11 miles
  • Millersport Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Millersport, 11 miles
  • Cranberry Pointe Marinamarina, Hebron, 11 miles

Home bases within reach of Rush Creek Lake

  • Somerset5 miles
  • Bremen6 miles
  • Thornville8 miles

Ohio counties around Rush Creek Lake

  • Fairfield Countyseat: Lancaster
  • Perry Countyseat: New Lexington
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Piscifun reels to stow for Rush Creek Lake

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Pictures

Shorelines and reservoirs by Rush Creek Lake, photographed

Lake Logan, Ohio
Lake Logan 17 mi
Photo: Andyang45, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dillon Lake, Ohio
Dillon Lake 22 mi
Photo: Paula R. Lively, CC BY 2.0
Hocking River, Ohio
Hocking River 12 mi
Photo: dankeck, CC0 1.0
Licking River, Ohio
Licking River 20 mi
Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0
Answers

Questions to settle before heading for Rush Creek Lake

Where in Ohio is Rush Creek Lake?

ODNR maps it in Fairfield County and Perry County, ODNR Wildlife District One (Columbus office), about 2 miles from Rushville.

What surface area does ODNR give Rush Creek Lake?

Some 289 acres of water, with about 10.3 miles of shoreline.

Which ramp has the most trailer parking at Rush Creek Lake?

There are 1 public launch; Rush Creek Lake launch leads the list.

Which Ohio gamefish does the record tie to Rush Creek Lake?

ODNR sources name channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish.

Is Rush Creek Lake named in the Ohio site-specific table?

Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round. One or more lines in the booklet override that here, printed above.

Do I need an Ohio license at Rush Creek 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.

Can I run a big outboard on Rush Creek Lake?

The horsepower layer shows 10 HP limit.

Who sells minnows on the road to Ohio's Rush Creek Lake?

Drive about 2 miles to Gotch-Ya Bait & TackleShop.

What has ODNR stocked in Rush Creek Lake?

ODNR records 51 releases through 2017, most of them channel catfish.

Give an Ohio weekend to Rush Creek Lake

Check the daily limit before a fish goes in the cooler.