AFT Ohio Central at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir

Delaware Lake and O’Shaughnessy Reservoir sit within a few miles of each other in Delaware County, Ohio, forming the primary freshwater recreation corridor for greater Columbus. O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, the southernmost of the two, was created in 1925 when the Columbus Division of Water dammed the Scioto River, producing a 1,188-acre impoundment that supplies a portion of the city’s drinking water and supports a warmwater fishery that has anchored competitive bass and walleye tournaments for decades. The American Fishing Tour Ohio Central event runs June 1 through July 19, 2026, with competition organized by AFT through its club and regional circuit at the reservoir’s primary launch facilities in Delaware, Ohio.

The AFT circuit is one of the nation’s more accessible professional-development tournament organizations, structured to give competitive anglers a pathway from local club competition toward nationally recognized events without the financial barriers associated with the top-tier bass fishing circuits. Ohio’s reservoir system around Columbus, which includes O’Shaughnessy, Hoover Reservoir to the east, and Delaware Lake to the north, gives central Ohio anglers a compact regional tournament geography that supports year-round competition across varied water types. O’Shaughnessy’s smallmouth bass population, concentrated around the rocky main-channel structure and tributary creek mouths, is the fishery element most AFT regulars target first on the reservoir.

Delaware, Ohio and the Reservoir Setting

Delaware, the county seat at 15 miles north of Columbus on US-23, was the birthplace of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States, whose restored home is now the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums at 1337 Hayes Avenue. The Delaware County Courthouse, built in 1873 on the town square, anchors a compact historic district with independent restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance of the reservoir’s main public access points. Olentangy Indian Mounds State Memorial, five miles south of Delaware on Route 23, preserves two burial mounds of the Hopewell culture dating to approximately 100 BCE to 500 CE, with a museum and interpretive trail that provide a clear introduction to the archaeological presence in the Scioto River valley for families extending their visit beyond the tournament.

Good to Know
O’Shaughnessy Reservoir is a drinking water source for Columbus, and access policies for motorized watercraft are more restrictive than typical recreational reservoirs. Confirm current launch permit requirements and motorized craft regulations with the Columbus Division of Water before planning any boating activity during the tournament period. Electric motors and human-powered craft are typically permitted; confirm gasoline engine access for non-tournament vessels separately.

Where to Stay

Delaware has a modest hotel inventory on US-23 within a 10-minute drive of the reservoir access points. Columbus’s full range of lodging and dining is 15 miles south. For vacation rental properties in the Delaware County and central Ohio lake corridor, look on Lake.com for options that position anglers and visiting families within easy reach of both O’Shaughnessy’s launch facilities and the broader Scioto River recreation corridor.