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It’s work to keep C.J. Brown fish biting

Work by state lets C.J. Brown remain a top destination all year long.

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By Brian Plasters, Staff Writer Updated 10:59 PM Monday, May 25, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — After all the work that goes into making C.J. Brown Reservoir a recreational destination, it’d better be a good fishery.

Netting. Spring surveys. Walleye stocking. Measuring water levels. More surveys.

It’s all worth it, said Debbie Walters, a fish biologist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife District 5 office in Xenia.

“It’s a year-round process to keep the fishery going,” she said.

That process is why anglers can catch bluegill through the ice in winter, crappies from the bank in spring and walleyes in deeper water in the summer months. Most anglers are appreciative.

“If it wasn’t for (the ODOW), you’d never catch a quality fish,” said Marc Colwell, who said he’s been fishing at C.J. “since the day it was created.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the reservoir in 1966, and it was completed in 1973. The gates were closed on Jan. 2, 1974.

Colwell grew up less than a mile from the lake. He remembers watching the construction, then pulling huge bluegills out of the newly formed lake the first year it opened to the public.

Thirty-five years  later, Colwell is still fishing Clark County’s largest body of water, which has easy access from all points in Springfield.

“It’s so nice to be there in 10 minutes, and there’s nothing better to have not just a lake, but a good lake,” Colwell said. “They manage that lake quite well. It’s got enough for people who want to go out and fish in boats, and you might have to change the species you’re targeting, but you can catch fish off the bank year round.”

In mid-May, the marina area is popular for the  crappie bite. A minnow under a slip bobber will do the trick.

“The marina’s natural structure and depth draws them in,” Walters said. “Plus, on a relatively windy day you can find someplace around the marina to get out of the wind.”

According to the ODOW Web site, crappie, bluegill and white bass outlooks are good at C.J. Brown this year. Channel catfish and largemouth bass have fair outlooks.

The walleye outlook is very good. The state has stocked more than 3.2 million fingerlings since 2000. In 2008, Walters said over 400,000 fingerlings were stocked, and at least that many were ordered again this year. All walleye under a 15-inch limit must be returned to the lake.

An Ohio fishing license is required to fish at C.J. Brown. A resident annual license costs $19, and a one-day license costs $11.

ontact this reporter at (937) 328-0366

or bplasters@coxohio.com.

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