Grand Lake picks up tournament from beleaguered Buckeye Lake

Grand Lake will gain a Buckeye Lake bass tournament as officials there keep water levels low due to safety concerns over an earthen dam.

Brian Miller, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park manager, said he learned March 12 that Grand Lake would be hosting the June 6 tournament.

"We found out when the announcement was first made," he said, referring to the report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stating the earthen dam at the 3,100-acre Buckeye Lake, east of Columbus, was in danger of failing and threatening thousands of lives.

The 4.1-mile dam has mainly been weakened by the 370 homes built into it. The report said the dam should be rebuilt or the lake drained. One week after the report was released, Gov. John Kasich announced the state would replace the dam at a cost of up to $150 million, a 5-year endeavor that includes keeping the lake at a winter level of 3 feet deep.

The development is a loss for Buckeye Lake but a boon for Grand Lake, Miller said.

"A lot of them will come and pre-fish the lake to try to find where the fish are and sometimes they stay overnight and probably get some food and gas while they are here," he said of tournament participants. "During the actual tournament we see a lot of participants stay in hotels and the campground. Fishing tournaments definitely have an impact on the local economy."

Miller said teams usually consist of two people.

Grand Lake so far has 22 fishing tournaments scheduled this year. The lake each year typically hosts tournaments for bass, catfish and crappie.

Miller said he did not know how many people were signed up for the June bass tournament. An official organizing the Ohio Mega Bass tournament did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.