Salem Reservoir in Columbiana County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Salem Reservoir lies in Columbiana County, in Ohio. It stands 1,161 feet above sea level. At about 111 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. About 2.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is among the larger waters listed here for Columbiana County. 4.7 miles away sits Lisbon, the nearest town. Akron is the closest city, 40 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Salem Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Columbiana County records list fantail darter, rainbow darter, greenside darter, banded darter and johnny darter among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Salem Reservoir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 71°F and January near 25°F. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. That is the shape of the year on Salem Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Guilford Lake, 2 miles away. Rules at Salem Reservoir are worth checking on the day.