Leesville Lake is a reservoir in Ohio, near Carroll County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Leesville Lake is a reservoir in Carroll County, Ohio. Leesville Lake covers about 1,012 acres, reaches a recorded 40 feet and holds about 37,400 acre-feet.
Leesville Lake is long and narrow, with steep banks, winding points and an old creek route close to shore. It is easier to fish one arm carefully than to run the whole lake.
Leesville is one of Ohio’s regularly stocked muskellunge waters. Bass, crappie, white bass, channel catfish and freshwater drum round out the fish list.
Fish reported from Leesville Lake include black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, largemouth bass, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, white bass, and white crappie. Stocking records for Leesville Lake also list muskellunge, though that does not mean those fish will be easy to catch on every trip.
For bass at Leesville, fish weeds, wood and shade with a jig, spinnerbait or Texas-rigged worm for largemouth, and drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and firm points for smallmouth.
For panfish at Leesville, use a small jig or live minnow beside brush for crappie, and fish a worm, cricket or tiny jig near weeds and shade for sunfish.
For roaming fish at Leesville, follow shad with a small spoon, jig or crankbait for white bass.
For bottom fishing at Leesville, put cut bait, chicken liver or a nightcrawler on bottom for channel catfish, and fish corn or dough bait on a simple bottom rig for carp.
For large predators at Leesville, throw a large bucktail or jerkbait along points and weed edges for muskellunge.
Another option at Leesville is to bounce a jig, worm or crayfish bait near bottom for freshwater drum.
Follow points with a bucktail, jerkbait or trolling plug for muskellunge, fish tubes on rock for smallmouth, and use jigs around protected wood for crappie.
On a first trip to Leesville, check incoming water, one bend in the old channel and a point near deep water with a moving lure, then slow down with a jig or worm where you get a bite.
Spring around Leesville is a good time to check warm coves and incoming water, and summer is a good time to fish shade, weeds and the first drop into deeper water. Fall around Leesville can bring fish back to windy points and banks, while winter calls for smaller baits fished slowly.
A medium spinning rod covers smaller lures at Leesville, while a heavier rod and stronger leader are better for pike or muskellunge.
The narrow shape keeps the old channel and deeper water close to many shoreline points.
Ohio regularly stocks advanced muskellunge fingerlings in the lake.
Fish a tube on rock for smallmouth or a small jig beside wood for crappie.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.