Fairborn, Ohio · A beloved fishery for decades

Memories
Made Here

Sixty acres of pristine, well-stocked water in Fairborn, Ohio, just outside Dayton — trophy catfish, bass, crappie and more. Open around the clock, so the bite never has to wait on the gate.

Get Your Fishing Pass Explore the Lakes
60Acres of water
24/7Fishing access
8+Species stocked
5 minfrom Buc-ee’s

Field Guide · What’s Swimming

The Fishing

These lakes have fed local stringers for generations, and we keep them stocked heavy. Whether it’s your kid’s first bluegill or a midnight flathead that bends the rod double — it’s down there waiting.

Trophy water

Flathead Catfish

The trophy hunt. Big flatheads prowl the deep holes after dark — bring stout line and a net you trust.

Channel & Blue Cats

Steady action day or night on cut shad and nightcrawlers. Perfect for a lawn chair and a lantern.

Largemouth Bass

Work the banks at first light. Weed edges and shade lines hold fish from spring through fall.

Crappie

Minnows under a slip bobber. Find the brush, find the fish — and fill the fryer.

First-catch favorite

Bluegill & Perch

The kid-maker. A red worm off any bank turns a first trip into a lifelong angler.

Rainbow Trout

Powerbait on light line. A cool-water treat you won’t find in most ponds around here.

Walleye

The night shift. Low light, slow retrieve, and the best-eating fillets in Ohio.

Lines in at midnight

Fishing here runs 24/7 — no gates, no closing bell. Grab a pass online and the bank is yours.

See the Passes

On-Site · No Extra Stop

The Bait & Tackle Shop

Forgot the worms? Snapped your last hook? The shop at the water’s edge keeps live bait, rigs, and cold-day essentials so the only thing you have to bring is patience.

  • Rods, reels, line, hooks & terminal tackle
  • Live bait counted fresh, not scooped stale
  • Food & snacks for the long sits
Order Bait Ahead

Today’s Live Bait

  • Minnowscrappie & bass size
  • Nightcrawlersthe do-everything bait
  • Red wormspanfish candy
  • Wax wormsbluegill favorite
  • Shadcut bait for cats
  • Chubs & bullheadsflathead fuel
  • Black saltiestough & lively
  • Trout Powerbaitrainbow ready

— ask the counter what’s been hitting —

The Practical Stuff

Plan Your Day

Simple hours, simple pricing, one waiver. Here’s everything you need to know before the tailgate drops.

Hours

Fishing
Open 24/7 through October 2026
Adventure Zone
9am – 9pm daily
Bait shop
On site — call ahead for late-night runs

Before You Go

  • Everyone signs the waiver before hitting the water or the bounce zone — knock it out online and you’re set.
  • Bait, tackle, food & snacks are all available on site.
  • First time? The crew will point you to what’s biting.
Sign the waiver online

3491 OH-235, Fairborn, OH 45324 — five minutes from Buc-ee’s, worlds away from the highway.

Get Directions

Buy Before You Go

Get Your Pass

Pick what you need right here — each one goes straight to checkout, no digging through a catalog. Pay in a couple of taps and show up ready.

Most anglers start here

12-Hour Fishing Pass

$25

Twelve hours on sixty acres of stocked water, for one angler. Fish it at dawn, fish it at midnight — the gate never closes.

Buy Pass

Ages 6–12

Youth 12-Hour Pass

$17

The same twelve hours at a kid’s rate. Bluegill off the bank is how most anglers get hooked.

Buy Pass

Not fishing

Visitor Pass

$5

For anyone tagging along to watch, picnic, or keep the cooler company without putting a line in.

Buy Pass

Adventure Zone

Bounce Pass

$12

One to two hours in the bounce houses and obstacle courses — for the crew that didn’t come to sit still.

Buy Pass

Holiday specials drop through the season — worth a look before you buy.

Bring the Whole Crew

Beyond the Bank

Not everybody in the truck wants to watch a bobber. Good news: sixty acres leaves room for all of it.

Camping

Pitch a tent close enough to hear your bite alarm. Wake up already at the water.

Kayak & Canoe

Glassy morning water made for paddles. Bring your own or launch from the bank.

Adventure Zone

Bounce houses, obstacle courses, scheduled foam parties — and laser tag on the way. Kids leave tired. You’re welcome.

Gem Mine

Sift, sluice, and send the little ones home with treasure that isn’t a fish.

Events at the Lakes

Birthday parties, corporate outings, and weddings with sixty acres of backdrop. Tell us the occasion — we’ll handle the rest.

Ask about booking

New Stewards, Old Water

The Family Behind the Lakes

Michelle and Cassidy Helregel met in 2009 while serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just down the road. Cassidy — a former SERE instructor — now flies the C-17 and for Delta; Michelle went from military medic to realtor and holistic health advocate. Along the way came Ayden, Tristen, and Olivia.

When the chance came to take on a fishery that local anglers have loved for decades, it didn’t feel like a business decision.

“A calling to breathe new life into Rainbow Lakes.”

Their promise is simple: keep the timeless character of this water intact, modernize what needed modernizing, and build a place where the community connects — over fishing, kayaking, campfires, and everything in between.