Paint Creek Fishing Guides
The lower Paint Creek through Ross County, a substantial southern Ohio stream below Paint Creek Lake with good smallmouth and a run of saugeye and white bass.
Guides on the Paint Creek
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Paint Creek
Paint Creek is a creek in name only by the time it reaches Chillicothe. Draining a large watershed across southern Ohio, it arrives in Ross County as a genuine small river, wide enough that wading it means picking your crossings carefully and large enough to float comfortably. It runs through the Paint Valley past the gorge country and the Hopewell earthwork landscape before joining the Scioto at Chillicothe. Upstream, Paint Creek Lake and its dam regulate a good deal of the flow, which steadies the creek compared with the flashy farm-country streams further north.
Smallmouth bass are the main target and the lower creek fishes well for them, with the fish holding on rock ledges, current seams and the deeper outside bends. Rock bass are abundant through the riffle water. Channel catfish are numerous and flathead catfish reach good size in the bigger holes, making the creek a legitimate night fishery through the summer. Because the mouth opens into the Scioto, the lower reach also sees seasonal pushes of saugeye and white bass moving up from the river system, which gives spring and fall a different character from midsummer.
Flow is the planning variable. Releases from Paint Creek Lake and rain across the watershed both move the gauge at Chillicothe sharply, and the creek colours up quickly. At moderate and low levels it is excellent wading and kayak water; high and stained it becomes a catfish proposition. Access is a mix of road crossings, the state park and wildlife area upstream and public frontage around Chillicothe, and most guided or informal trips here are float trips in a kayak or small johnboat.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Paint Creek.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Chillicothe - the gauge location and the main city on the lower creek, with full services.
Paint Creek State Park - the state park and reservoir upstream, with camping and a ramp.
Paint Creek Wildlife Area - public land along the creek with walk-in access.
Bainbridge - the village upstream on the middle creek, near the gorge country.
Rocky Fork - the major tributary joining above Paint Creek Lake.
Scioto River - the mainstem at Chillicothe where Paint Creek ends.
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park - riverside public land near the creek mouth.
Seasons
Spring: high and stained, with saugeye and white bass pushing up from the Scioto as the water warms.
Summer: the best wading and floating of the year, with smallmouth and catfish both reliable.
Fall: cooling water brings smallmouth on hard and the creek clears to its best condition.
Winter: cold and high, with the deep holes and catfish the only consistent option.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What is the current flow on the Paint Creek?
As of Nov 2, 7:15 am, the USGS gauge Paint Creek at Chillicothe OH reads 181 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Paint Creek?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Rock Bass, Saugeye, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass on the Paint Creek in Ohio.
Where can you access the Paint Creek?
Chillicothe - the gauge location and the main city on the lower creek, with full services. Paint Creek State Park - the state park and reservoir upstream, with camping and a ramp. Paint Creek Wildlife Area - public land along the creek with walk-in access. Bainbridge - the village upstream on the middle creek, near the gorge country. Rocky Fork - the major tributary joining above Paint Creek Lake. Scioto River - the mainstem at Chillicothe where Paint Creek ends. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park - riverside public land near the creek mouth.
When is the best time to fish the Paint Creek?
Spring: high and stained, with saugeye and white bass pushing up from the Scioto as the water warms. Summer: the best wading and floating of the year, with smallmouth and catfish both reliable. Fall: cooling water brings smallmouth on hard and the creek clears to its best condition. Winter: cold and high, with the deep holes and catfish the only consistent option.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Paint Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Ohio agency site: https://ohiodnr.gov/rules-and-regulations/recreation-rules/fishing-rules