Knox Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Channel Catfish

The reservoir

Knox Lake covers 462 acres in Ohio, across Knox County. It is a reservoir: 91.3% of it is 14 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 25.7 feet (7.8 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 31 feet (9.4 m) at full pool. Our records hold 6 species for this water.

Knox Lake Dam 2.jpg
JBTHEMILKER · CC BY-SA 4.0

6 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Depth: down to 25.7 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 25.7 ft (7.8 m). USGS RESSED gives 31 ft (9.4 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. 91.3% of the water is 14 feet or shallower. We hold 30 depth contours for this water, drawn from 7,825 soundings.

Knox Lake Dam.jpg
JBTHEMILKER · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • 0–2 ft: 35.3% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 12.9% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 16% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 12.5% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 1.1% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 0.2% of the water

Stocking: 429,486 fish, 1970–2022

Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife records list 429,486 fish released into this water from 1970 to 2022. The latest stocking on record is from 2022, more than three years ago.

Knox Lake State Wildlife Area 2.jpg
JBTHEMILKER · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Yellow Perch: 302,787 in 2019–2022
  • Channel Catfish: 85,395 in 1970–2017
  • Bluegill: 22,000 in 1972
  • Largemouth Bass: 10,040 in 1971–1973
  • Muskellunge: 7,764 in 1970–1984
  • Rainbow Trout: 1,500 in 1973

What is hard here

With 91.3% of the water 14 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards.

Where this data comes from

  • Ohio DNR — Ohio DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.