Paint Creek Lake
Unlimited Horsepower
Crappie – Crappie fishing this spring has been excellent with good numbers of 9 to 12 inch
crappies. Use minnows, twister tails, or small tubes.
Bass - There are excellent numbers of bass in the lake. Use spinner baits or jig-and-pig in
the spring. During the summer & fall try crank baits, plastic worms, or tubes. In July and
August top water baits work well.
There is a daily limit of 5 and a minimum size of 15”.
Bluegill - Good to excellent numbers can be caught on wax worms or red worms around the
docks, in the back of coves, and on shallow points.
White Bass - In the spring look for white bass in the creek arms - Rattlesnake and Paint
Creek. Use in-line spinners (rooster tails, mepps, etc.) or twister tails. During the summer&
and fall look for them on the flats chasing shad - again try in-line spinners or twister tails.
Channel Catfish - Catch them on night crawlers, liver, large minnows or cut bait on the flats
in 4 to 7 feet of water.
Saugeye - Fair to good numbers have been caught the last couple of years in the fall
between the beach and the island and around the hazard zone. Cast jig heads with twister
tails or troll crank baits (shad raps).
Paint Creek Lake Tail Waters
Fishing in the tail waters of Paint Creek Lake can be good to excellent for
saugeye, crappie, and channel catfish.
Saugeye - Use twister tails, minnows, or small crank baits. There is a daily limit of 6.In May
2008 140,000 saugeye were stocked & and should be ready for this year.
Crappie - Fish with a minnow below a bobber, with jig heads and twister tails or small tubes.
Channel Catfish - Use night crawlers or liver to catch excellent numbers of catfish.
Bluegill - Use wax worms.
Shovel head (Flathead) Catfish - Use live bait - goldfish, chubs, or large minnows.
Remember that Paint Creek Lake was built for flood control. Water levels can vary
in the lake as well as in the tail waters - especially after heavy rainfall.
Call the Corps of Engineers at (937)365-1167 for a recording with current lake and
tail waters conditions.