Belmont Lake near Bethesda: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Ohio holds Belmont Lake, in Belmont County. The surface lies 1,096 feet up. It runs to roughly 114 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Belmont County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Bethesda, 3.5 miles away. Pittsburgh is the closest city, 60 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Belmont Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Fish documented in Belmont County include johnny darter, fantail darter, rainbow darter and stonecat. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Treat Belmont Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 27°F at the bottom of winter. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. At Belmont Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. A ramp is mapped within half a mile. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. Picnic facilities are recorded some half a mile out. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Bethesda Reservoir, 3.1 miles away. What applies at Belmont Lake may have changed since it was mapped.