Turkey Creek Lake Fishing
A 50-acre Ohio lake in Scioto County, electric motors only.
Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 Photo: Analogue Kid, CC BY 3.0
Turkey Creek Lake, sized up for Ohio anglers
The ODNR outline for Turkey Creek Lake measures 50 acres of water in Scioto County. Roughly 2.2 miles of shoreline wrap around it on the ODNR outline. The nearest town on the Census list is Friendship, about 6 miles off. The water sits inside ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office).
Boats run under a rule of electric motors only. There are 1 public launch on its shore. It drew 1 spring 2026 trout releases. Watch for 1 site-specific entry unique to this water.
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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Each chip ties a fish to Turkey Creek 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.
Where trailers meet the water at Turkey Creek Lake
- Shawnee State Park – Turkey Creek Lakeconcrete ramp, 2 lanes, 56 trailer spaces, courtesy dock, no launch fee, electric motors only; ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation
Where else boats go in near Turkey Creek Lake
- Shawnee State Park – Roosevelt LakeRoosevelt Lake, 1 mile southeast
ODNR Parks and Watercraft boating facilities and DOW facility points, retrieved October 26, 2026.
What the booklet allows at Turkey Creek 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; Turkey Creek Lake follows them except where the booklet names it.
Rules that differ at Turkey Creek Lake
| Water as printed | Species | Limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey Creek | 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.
Trout days at Turkey Creek Lake
ODNR listed 1 date for Turkey Creek Lake in its spring 2026 rainbow table; 1 release tied to a special angler event.
| Date | Size | Special angler event | Youth-only pond |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 25, 2026 | 10-13 inches | yes |
Ohio sells no trout stamp; the regular license covers trout and steelhead, $25.00 a year for residents and $76.96 for nonresidents.
ODNR Rainbow Trout Stocking Dates page, spring 2026 releases (trout 10 to 13 inches), retrieved October 26, 2026.
Fish planted at Turkey Creek Lake over the years
The Division of Wildlife ledger shows 90 plantings at Turkey Creek Lake from 1970 through 2022, mainly 165,406 rainbow trout, 38,094 golden trout, 22,746 largemouth bass.
| Year | Species | Number | Size or stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rainbow Trout | 2,668 | catchable |
| 2021 | Channel Catfish | 1,240 | yearling |
| 2021 | Rainbow Trout | 2,478 | catchable |
| 2020 | Rainbow Trout | 2,721 | catchable |
| 2019 | Channel Catfish | 1,228 | yearling |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | 402 | catchable |
| 2019 | Rainbow Trout | 2,387 | catchable |
| 2018 | Rainbow Trout | 2,933 | catchable |
| 2017 | Channel Catfish | 181 | yearling |
| 2017 | Channel Catfish | 1,047 | yearling |
| 2017 | Rainbow Trout | 2,456 | catchable |
| 2016 | Rainbow Trout | 782 | catchable |
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.
Turkey Creek Lake and five Ohio lakes nearby
Of the five nearest Ohio lakes with pages, Lake White is the largest at 333 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Launches | Motor rule | Hot-spot species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey Creek Lake | 50 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 | |
| Roosevelt Lake | 1 mile southeast | 15 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Pond Lick Lake | 3 miles southeast | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Adams Lake | 19 miles west | 35 | 1 | electric motors only | 0 |
| Lake White | 27 miles north | 333 | 3 | unlimited horsepower | 0 |
| Jackson Lake | 34 miles east | 252 | 2 | 10 HP limit | 0 |
ODNR lake outlines, horsepower and hot-spot layers and the launch inventory, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Close by Turkey Creek Lake
Lakes a short drive past Turkey Creek Lake
- Roosevelt Lake1 mile southeast
- Pond Lick Lake3 miles southeast
- Adams Lake19 miles west
- Lake White27 miles north
- Jackson Lake34 miles east
Where anglers around Turkey Creek Lake buy bait
- Dailey's Outfittersbait and tackle shop, Peebles, 19 miles
- Holiday Point Marinamarina, Franklin Furnace, 21 miles
- JR's Bait and Tacklebait and tackle shop, Piketon, 23 miles
Villages and cities close to Turkey Creek Lake
- West Portsmouth9 miles
- Portsmouth13 miles
- New Boston14 miles
Counties on the map with Turkey Creek Lake
- Scioto Countyseat: Portsmouth
Reels and line from Piscifun for Turkey Creek Lake
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Fish pictures for a trip to Turkey Creek Lake
Photo: Mike Heine, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, CC BY-SA 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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The usual Turkey Creek Lake questions, sorted
Which Ohio town gives the shortest drive to Turkey Creek Lake?
Ohio places it in Scioto County, ODNR Wildlife District Four (Athens office), about 6 miles from Friendship.
What does the ODNR outline say about the size of Turkey Creek Lake?
Roughly 50 acres by the ODNR outline, with about 2.2 miles of shoreline.
Where do Buckeye boaters back a trailer into Turkey Creek Lake?
ODNR lists 1 public launch; start with Shawnee State Park – Turkey Creek Lake.
Which species does ODNR tie to Turkey Creek Lake?
Expect steelhead, channel catfish and largemouth bass.
Which 2026-27 booklet limits cover Turkey Creek Lake?
Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: 5 (singly or in combination); minimum 12 inches; Open year-round. The booklet adds a rule just for this water, shown in the limits band.
Which Ohio license fits Turkey Creek Lake?
Ohio sells no trout stamp; the regular license covers trout and steelhead, $25.00 a year for residents and $76.96 for nonresidents.
Are gas motors allowed on Turkey Creek Lake?
ODNR lists electric motors only.
Can I grab crawlers and minnows close to Turkey Creek Lake?
Try Dailey's Outfitters, roughly 19 miles off.
Which fish has ODNR released into Turkey Creek Lake?
90 releases from 1970 to 2022, mostly rainbow trout.
Pick a morning for Turkey Creek Lake
Read the Ohio limits above, then pick the launch nearest your target.