McBride Lake, Ohio: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Scioto County, McBride Lake is an Ohio water. The country round it is mixed woodland from end to end. Small enough that any disturbance crosses the whole surface. It is a small entry by Scioto County standards. Head to Vanceburg, 8.7 miles away, for anything you forgot. West Portsmouth is 11 miles and Portsmouth 11 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on McBride Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name bluegill, longear sunfish, rainbow darter, spotted bass and fantail darter. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read McBride Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 74°F in July and bottom out at 30°F in January. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It holds true on McBride Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Pond Lick Lake, 2.7 miles away. None of that is settled for McBride Lake in what we hold.