Michael J Kirwan Reservoir fishing: Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye
Target species: Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye, Striped Bass, Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish, Sunshine Bass
Boat: 5 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at West Branch Campground Boat Ramp.
The reservoir
Michael J Kirwan Reservoir covers 2,633 acres in Ohio, across Portage County. It is a reservoir: 94.3% of it is 42 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 55 feet (16.8 m). Our records hold 9 species for this water.
7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass
- Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
- Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Striped Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- Flathead Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
- Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
- Sunshine Bass — Feeding water: 70–80°F. Nonnative.
Also recorded here: Sauger, White Bass.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 55 ft (16.8 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 94.3% of the water is 42 feet or shallower. We hold 156 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–3 ft: 5.3% of the water
- 3–6 ft: 9.3% of the water
- 6–9 ft: 8.6% of the water
- 9–12 ft: 8.4% of the water
- 12–15 ft: 9.1% of the water
- 15–18 ft: 7.6% of the water
- 18–21 ft: 7.4% of the water
- 21–24 ft: 6.2% of the water
- 24–27 ft: 6.5% of the water
- 27–30 ft: 4% of the water
- 30–33 ft: 6% of the water
- 33–36 ft: 5.5% of the water
- 36–39 ft: 4.7% of the water
- 39–42 ft: 5.7% of the water
- 42–45 ft: 3.4% of the water
- 45–48 ft: 2.2% of the water
- 48–50 ft: 0.1% of the water
Stocking: 7,599,300 fish, 1993–2022
Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife records list 7,599,300 fish released into this water from 1993 to 2022. The latest stocking on record is from 2022, more than three years ago.
- Walleye: 6,051,531 in 1981–2022
- Striped Bass: 193,119 in 1976–1988
- Muskellunge: 111,470 in 2002–2021
- Largemouth Bass: 30,000 in 1973
- Channel Catfish: 20,000 in 1973
- Flathead Catfish: 10,000 in 1973
3 more species on the stocking list.
5 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 5 boat ramps.
- West Branch Campground Boat Ramp — Charlestown, ODNR - Division of Parks and Recreation. Esworthy Road, Charlestown 44266- · phone (330) 296-3239 · website parks.ohiodnr.gov
- West Branch State Park - East Ramp — on Michael J. Kirwan Lake, Ravenna, ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation. Gilbert Road & Kestrel Way, Ravenna 44266-9659 · phone (330) 296-3239 · website parks.ohiodnr.gov
- West Branch State Park - Fishermans Lot — Ravenna, ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation. North on Knapp Road off of SR 14, Ravenna 44266- · phone (330) 296-3239 · website parks.ohiodnr.gov
- West Branch State Park - Marina — on Michael J. Kirwan Lake, Ravenna, ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation. 8109 Cable Line Road, Ravenna 44266- · phone (330) 296-9209 · website parks.ohiodnr.gov
- West Branch State Park - West Ramp — Ravenna, ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation. Rock Spring Road & Cable Line Road, Ravenna 44266- · phone (330) 296-3239 · website parks.ohiodnr.gov
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 5 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Only 5 public ramps are on file, so the launch decides where you fish.
Where this data comes from
- Ohio DNR — Ohio DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map, 2007.
- 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.
