Fishing the Olentangy

Have you seen people fishing in the Olentangy River and wondered what fish are found here, and whether they are safe to eat?

Since early in the 1900’s the Olentangy was known to sport fishers as a haven for Smallmouth Bass. After a decline in numbers mid-century, they are becoming more abundant. Fly fishermen are once again a common sight on the river.

Smallmouth Bass

A few years ago, Michael Merz, an avid fisherman, shared some tips with FLOW. His favorite location for Smallmouth Bass is the riffle area near Antrim Park; the best area for Freshwater Drum (Carp) is between King and Lane Avenues. For Rock Bass, try the Park of Roses area, south to the nearest dam. Sunfish: near the Broadmeadows bridge; Saugeye: near Dodridge dam, or near the Nationwide boat ramp heading north.

Are the fish safe to eat?

In general, fish on the Olentangy are considered safe for human consumption, but some restrictions and precautions do apply. If you have questions, check the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory. There is one fish advisory specific to the Olentangy: river mile 54.7 to river mile 0: Channel catfish, all sizes, no more than 2 per week due to mercury. Otherwise, one should refer to the general statewide guidelines. 

This map allows you to highlight specific rivers or lakes for local advisories. 

Rock Bass

According to the advisory: “In general, people can safely eat one serving of Ohio-caught fish every week (or 4 servings per month). Unless the full advisory table has more or less restrictive guidance for a specific fish species from a certain body of water, use this general rule to safely include Ohio fish to your diet.  Some fish are even safer, and people can safely eat two servings per week (or eight servings per month). These include popular species like yellow perch, and sunfish[es] like bluegill and green sunfish.”

Stocked lakes near the river

Rainbow Trout

Love rainbow trout? The Ohio Department of Natural Resources stocks Antrim Lake and Whetstone Park pond in early spring. (The Whetstone pond is being repaired in 2025 so it may not be available).

Fishing from a boat or kayak

Things to consider if fishing from a canoe or kayak:

Water levels

Be aware of current stream flow and water levels. During times of heavy rainfall, water may be released from the Delaware dam, raising river levels fairly quickly. You can check water levels and stream flow here:

• Real time stream flow (this statewide map shows stream levels at a number of monitoring sites, including Worthington and Delaware)
• More detail on gage height (Worthington)
• More detail on discharge data (Worthington):

Lowhead dams

The largest dam on the Olentangy is the Delaware reservoir dam, of course, but there are 5 lowhead dams (all in Franklin County) that impede boats and require portaging. The stretch between the Delaware dam and the 161/Antrim park dam is around 20 miles of dam-free boating. Details here

Combined sewer overflows

There are several locations on the river between Dodridge Road and downtown Columbus that can discharge sewage during periods of heavy rainfall. It’s advised to avoid these areas during those times. This map shows the locations.

Green Sunfish

Fishing help from the experts

Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers fishing tips by species here

Fly fishing? Check out Central Ohio Fly Fishers and Ohio Women on the Fly

Sustainable Fishing

We encourage the use of lead-free tackle, to avoid harming waterfowl, fish, and raptors. More info here.

If you are fishing at Antrim or Northmoor parks, FLOW has installed special boxes for recycling your leftover monofilament.