Friday, June 24, 2016

Fishing Reports- 6/24/16

* Please remember to call us for more up-to-date or detailed information! These reports are not meant to be your one and only, daily source of information. They are typically general, even seasonal type reports and we currently don't have a set schedule as to when we update. Please, just because we don't update as often as we like, it doesn't mean that we don't care.

There are many different approaches you should take in order to get a good game plan for a trip or a day of fishing. Also remember that things change and these reports are what we know at the time of posting only. Keep in mind that we do express opinions and personal preferences from time-to-time which may be different from yours or what you may read elsewhere. Thanks for checking and don't forget to call us if you need any further information or a more up-to-date report. 614-451-0363


Warmwater

Big news this week was the wild rain and storms we experienced here in Central Ohio on Wednesday night and into Thursday. Here in town we got upwards of 3" of rain and some areas North got upwards of 4". Some areas (the Mad) got virtually none.....which is horrible news.

The good news is that most streams that did shoot up are on the way back down and most everything should be fishing pretty good this weekend. Prior to the storms we were flooded with reports of good to excellent warmwater fishing throughout the state.

* Of course, the buzz word is Cicadas...as you have been reading here for a few weeks. Although they may be slowing down a bit in some areas, the Cicada fishing has been absolutely fantastic, providing on the of the best "topwater" bites we have ever seen. Carp in particular have been going nuts over these things!



Riley Srbljan with a nice carp in on a Cicada pattern!


"Seriously. The cicadas on the water are driving the carp insane. Great shot and big fish for people who have been frustrated with them in the past, or for kids to get into their first fish. 

Find a flat, throw something black and big that floats, and hand the rod to a kid, and tell them to hang on!- Ryan Srbljan"

****It has been such a frenzy that we have completely sold out of Cicada fly patterns. We are doing our best to get more but not having much success. We also can't get enough black and orange foam to keep up with the demand. Seems that everybody in the East is looking for flies and supplies and they have become hard to get. We'll keep trying though.

* Alot of reports coming out of the AEP lands and folks reporting bass and bluegill are smashing Cicadas as well. As an alternative, many folks are using Black Poppers/Sliders and hooking as many fish as they want. Seems that you don't have to be throwing a perfect pattern in order to get in on the action.

* Of course, Mulberry season continues in full-force as well providing us with one of the best Carp months we have seen in many years. Hopefully you have been following along. We'll be posting some more videos here this weekend and also putting up a tutorial on tying the "perfect" Mulberry fly. Stay tuned but in the meantime, here's some highlights from this past week:


Good friend and great customer Rob Brubaker finally putting his gear to work. Not bad for his 1st season fly fishing!



"This is Kevin Geib and his father Randy Geib.  Randy has been trying to catch a Carp on a fly for a while not only did we get it done but we got quite a few nice ones.- Andy Jensen"


* Got this great report from friend Michael Palatas last week:

"Weekend last I took out my new 7wt TFO with Scientific Anglers' Sonar Titan line. The setup is awesome by the way. The line pretty much throws itself.

The smallmouth picture included is from my very first cast with my new setup & a mini D&D--excepting the trip I took two Sunday's back, wherein i found out my drag bearing was flipped backwards. Which is definitely something that leads to some interesting technical difficulties on the water. Which wasn't all together a bad thing as it gave a heron and I the time to observe what I believe to be carp spawning. I'll include the bit of video I got before I ran out of storage. There are some very large carp in the area and they make a ton of commotion across wide sections of the river while spawning. The video cut out just as I was panning down to a group of three fish swimming sideways belly to belly no more than four feet from me.

Predawn to 9am you can see the smallies chasing baitfish through the river seams. The fish are very active near moderate currents below faster water and below any well defined transition. Be it midstream or more toward the banks. Saturday morning I had 4 fish in my first 20-30 casts. After 9 I've had luck working the banks but definitely slower fishing. The articulated patterns still work but crayfish are also a great option.


Michael Palatas- crayfish really working well

Evening on into the night crawfish and larger 4-6" leech patterns have been successful--smaller leech patterns jigged with a floating line in the shallows will catch you 8-12" smallies all day and even a catfish from time to time. But come night a larger profile leads to some nice fish. No pics this year but equal success as last year.

Saugeye are common on the leech pattern as well during daylight hours. Mostly in deeper sections of the river but with a retrieve that is still fairy shallow. 


Michael Palatas- Ohio Saugeye- great fun on a fly!

Welp...I've run on long enough. Time to go fishing!

P.S. It doesn't take much time to fill a small plastic grocery bag with trash, fishing line, lures & bobbers once you're done fishing for the day, especially on the more urban sections of our local waters.- Michael Palatas"

***Amen Michael! Great idea for all of us to carry a garbage bag and do our part to help keep our streams clean!



Mad River

Hard to believe, but the Mad really didn't budge at all with the rain. We all came into work on Thursday thinking it was time to bust out the streamers! Not so. The river remains low and super clear.

That being said, there are still some decent fish being caught. Stealthy is the keyword. Sneak up on them. Make a longer cast with a longer leader and you can still catch fish.

The lower river has been a bit slow but the upper has still been giving us some good to excellent dry fly fishing. Still some Light Cahills starting around 7:00 or 7:30 and they will be followed shortly after by the #18 Dorothea version of the Sulphers. Lots of #14 and #16 caddis flitting around as well.

There are Hexes on the Mad as well and a few have been spotted but so few people are fishing after dark that they usually get overlooked. Anybody willing to fish at night, have some big flies with you....with the water and temps the way they have been, would probably be a grand idea!!!

Nymph fishing has been ok......not as good as usual this time of year. If you were to fish sub-surface, stick with caddis larva and pupa. A green #14 larva with a green #14-16 soft hackle is a great bet and will produce fish if you slow down and don't spook the fish.

Also time to start thinking about fishing terrestrials although it has been slow to get going here. Especially if you are fishing during the day, have some ants and beetles along with you and fish them around overhanging bushes and branches. Hopefully this action will pick-up in the next few weeks.

Our good friend Jerry Rodgers sent this report a few days back:

"Hit the Mad this morn South of Millerstown rd. On the water by 6:30 -n- fished till 9 am.  No big ones but did land 4 all on a 14 BH hare;s ear. All but one was caught while swinging it like a wet fly."

*****Interested in upping your game when it comes to Trout Fishing with a fly rod? Want to learn more about the Mad River?

The On-River Seminar this Sunday has a few openings! Meet Brian Flechsig at Birchbark Canoe liver at 10 and learn/fish/laugh until 5! Click Here for details.



Clearfork River



Both stretches of the Clearfork did bump up with the rain Wednesday night but have dropped right back down pretty quickly here. Should be a fine weekend for fishing.

Trout fishing for sure will be better in the Upper stretch. A few folks reporting better smallmouth and carp fishing in the lower. Not to say that you couldn't catch a few trout, but be prepared for some warmwater fish as well. Streamers seem to be doing well on smallies down in the park. Black in particular.

The dry bug to have is a Light Cahill. Still decent hatches of them in the evenings and fish have been coming up for them. It seems that the Sulpher Also tons of caddis. Have some dries for the evenings and larva and pupa in the afternoons. Ants and beetles have also been producing a few good fish and shortly terrestrial fishing will be the focus for a while.

Although a slower time of the year on the Clearfork, still some trout to be caught! Let us know how you do! 


Clear Creek


Clear Creek did bump up pretty well with the rain but is on it's way back down as we speak. Tomorrow might still be a little off color but it should be back to normal (low) by Sunday.

Most anglers reporting fishing good early and late and they are resting it during the day. As stated before, the temps are getting up there so probably best not to stress the fish during the heat of the day. Fishing will be much better early and late anyways.

A few mayflies flitting around in the evenings but the main fare is by far the caddis. Have some dries if you see risers but otherwise the larva and pupa are the way to go. For sure have some soft hackles and you should do well. Also a few anglers reporting that small streamers on light leaders have been working well.

Just like the Mad and Clearfork, it's time to start thinking about ants and beetles as well. Might also have some crickets along as well as they typically do pretty well on Clear Creek. Terrestrial fishing will be the name of the game for the rest of the Summer as far as dry fly fishing goes.

***Have been hearing from the Park Rangers down on Clear Creek recently and they have been stating that they have seen alot of anglers this season. They also say that many have complained that they haven't been catching fish. These same anglers are almost always fishing from noon- 6 p.m. Want to catch fish? Fish early or fish late. Take a nap during the day!!!!!


Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363

Monday, June 20, 2016

More Mulberry Action!


Here's good friend and great customer Rob Brubaker from yesterday aboard the Fly-N-Carp with Andy Jensen. Mulberry fishing is in full-swing!


Pretty awesome considering he just got started in the sport about a year ago! Keep up the good work Rob!


As promised....here's part 4 and 5 of Flip and Brian chasing carp with "Fruit Flies"-

Part 4


Part 5


Stay tuned for more!!!!


Mad River Outfitters
Headquarters for "Carp on the Fly"

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

Friday, June 17, 2016

Gift Card for Father's Day!


Of course, Mad River Outfitters Gift Cards make GREAT Father's Day Gifts!



Order online up to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 18th and they can be e-mailed to you or to the recipient! These can be used in the shop or for online orders.

In the "Order Notes", simply write in that you would like it e-mailed. Easy!

CLICK HERE to get Dad an MRO Gift Card!


Mad River Outfitters
813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
614-451-0363


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Carp on Mulberry Flies!


It's Mulberry season around here and throughout the Midwest....and we couldn't be more excited!

We thought we'd begin the celebration by revisiting the Walker's Cay Chronicles that Flip Pallot and our own Brian Flechsig did back in 2004.

Here's part 1, 2 and 3. Part 3 and 4 to come.

Tutorial on how to tie the Mulberry fly coming later this week or early next. Will also be posting some segments of Brian and Dave Whitlock fishing Mulberries as well.


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3



Passionate about catching Carp on a fly rod!

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363


Monday, June 13, 2016

Fishing Reports- 6/13/16


* Please remember to call us for more up-to-date or detailed information! These reports are not meant to be your one and only, daily source of information. They are typically general, even seasonal type reports and we currently don't have a set schedule as to when we update. Please, just because we don't update as often as we like, it doesn't mean that we don't care.

There are many different approaches you should take in order to get a good game plan for a trip or a day of fishing. Also remember that things change and these reports are what we know at the time of posting only. Keep in mind that we do express opinions and personal preferences from time-to-time which may be different from yours or what you may read elsewhere. Thanks for checking and don't forget to call us if you need any further information or a more up-to-date report. 614-451-0363


Warmwater

Friends- we are looking for any and all reports on warm-water fishing here in the state or region. With the fantastic warmwater fisheries that we have here, it would be crazy not to add something here from time-to-time.

We obviously can't keep up with standard reports for all waterways so we are asking you folks to send us reports and pics! We would appreciate it and we know that are readers will as well.

Send pics and reports to admin@madriveroutfitters.com. If you include your address, we'll be sure to send you out one of the MRO "Fly Fish Ohio" stickers so you can show your Ohio pride.

* For sure, the news of the week and what everyone is talking about: CICADAS!!!! Providing some HOT fishing especially in the Eastern and SouthEastern part of the state.




"Folks if you aren't fishing cicada patterns you are seriously missing out.  Southern Ohio is on fire on top water. Spent several hours today being dive bombed by these critters.  The bite is fantastic.  Bass and bluegill by the bucket fulls. Also hearing the carp are eating them up also on several big public lakes.  The pattern doesn't have to be complicated. Pretty much orange on bottom and big thick black on top.  -Rob Compher"

* Carp season is also in full-swing and lots of reports of good to great fishing. We also have Mulberries throughout the state and the fish are responding. Watch the Blog here during the week for some info on Mulberry fishing.



Friend and customer Michael Kohr on a guide trip Sunday with Andy


"Caught a nice 11 pounder on the Mulberry, Muzzy is on fire. This is Michael Kohr's first Carp ever. Landed a couple nice fish. Fishing has been great and trips booking NOW!- Andy Jensen"

(Join Andy for "Carp School" at the Muzzy Lakes Club- Saturday, June 25th- info Here)



Our own Ryan Ratliff proving that he's deserving of his new Tenkara "Pro Staff" designation. "TENKARPA"

* Warmwater fishing throughout the state has been fantastic. You name it......largemouth, smallmouth, pike. It's great to be a fly angler in Ohio!!!!!


Kevin Lottes with a nice Olentangy smallmouth caught on an Enrico Puglisi Yellow Peanut Butter

* Keep the reports coming folks! Over 1,000 people per day now visting this Blog.....



Mad River

The Mad is getting ridiculously low. Hard to believe with all of the rain we had in May, but it's just getting worse. We desperately need a blowout here!

Big news this week is the Brown Drakes.....or lack thereof we should say. After kicking off strong the 1st part of June there, they came and went pretty quick. Had the 1st sightings on the 2nd and 3rd....and a few folks had good to great fishing. Then, by Monday and Tuesday, they were pretty much gone from the middle and lower river. A few sightings over the weekend in the Upper river but not much. Brian guided on Tuesday and did a late trip in hopes of catching them but not one spotted. You might still see a few in the upper river the next few nights but it is probably safe to say that they are over.

The good news is that there are plenty of other bugs around and in certain areas, the fish are responding. The Light Cahills have been pretty strong the last week or so. They have been coming off in the early evenings, then followed shortly by the #16-18 Sulphers. Fish have been eating both but seem to be more focused on the Sulphers. Also tons and tons of caddis around, especially in the evenings. Make sure to have a good selection of larva, emergers (soft hackles) and dries as Caddis will be the hot ticket for a while here.

Also time to start thinking about ants and beetles. Had a few anglers report great fishing on #12-14 black ants. Won't be long and beetles will become your most important fly as well!

Hope for some rain and here's a few pics and reports from customers this week:

"Hello, I stopped in on 6/11 to get some insight and pick up some supplies before heading to the Mad on Saturday afternoon. I fished up and downstream from the 36 bridge, from about 2:00PM till 8:00PM.  Fished nymphs for the first 2.5 hours, switched to drys after that.

Observations:
1) a lot of recreational traffic on the river (paddlers, tubers, swimmers)

2) saw some caddis flying around approx size 16

3) saw some mayflies (sulphur) most size 18 some maybe 14

4) occasionally saw rises in the afternoon, had one fish hit on a caddis, that was about it

5) I never encountered any thick insect activity, but I may have left too early (8:00)

Ended up being a slow day, but please thank Pat for passing along some great insight on strategy, technique, and location.  I will definitely leverage that info going forward. Thanks!  I've been an online customer for awhile now, but had never previously had the chance to stop by the shop.


Omar Moneim

Frequent contributor Ed Muldoon has been out in full-force the past few weeks looking for bugs:



"Fished Friday night had huge spinner fall, small bugs primarily, and no visible rises, and fished until after 11. Below Dallas. Took fish on nymphs in pocket water, caddis larvae and pheasant tails. Today 94 degrees and took this guy and a friend just as big far downstream of Old Troy Pike. Turkey biot caddis larvae, both of them high sticking. Another massive spinner fall and crazy amounts of caddis below Dallas this evening but again no obvious rising to spinners. Never saw another drake. You think they're still there?- Ed"



Clearfork River



Despite the low water, the Upper Clearfork has been fishing pretty well and dry fly fishing in particular. Most activity is in the evenings and has been on Caddis and Light Cahills. Although we haven't had many reports from customers this week nor have we had a guide up there in over a week, we find it strange that we have had no reports of Brown Drakes. Anybody see any Drakes the past week on the Clearfork? 

A few anglers also reporting doing very well on caddis larva and pupa patterns, which is to be expected. Also time to start thinking about terrestrials with the warm weather we are experiencing.

The lower stretch is pretty dang low and starting to get warm. Might want to think about chasing smallmouth and carp down there. Not to say that you couldn't catch a trout or two, but it may be tough here for a while until we get some rain. Keep your eyes on the water temps too....surprisingly high for this time of year.


Clear Creek


A few reports this week of decent dry fly activity in the evenings, but also some scary reports of low water and high water temps. Actually got up to 76 degrees the other day and only down to 64 in the evenings.

Unfortunately, we might want to think about fishing elsewhere until this changes. That's pushing it, even for brown trout, and it's probably best to leave them alone until we get some water and the temps come down a bit.

Try the Hocking for smallmouth!!! Have had some reports that it has been smokin' hot. Water is super clear too and folks talking about sight fishing for big smallies and carp.



Erie Steelhead

Still some good to great Lake Run smallmouth fishing to be had in the region. Water is low and clear and most of the good fishing has been in the lower parts of the creeks. Reports of good to excellent topwater activity.....big fish slamming Boogle Bugs. What could be better?

Also had some reports of the Carp fishing up that way turning on this past week. The fish are off spawn and on the hunt for food. Carp in the lake should be getting good too here.

Obviously, steelhead reporting is over for the season but we are already planning the attack for Fall. Stay tuned...we have some cool steelhead events lined up!




Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Carp School 2016





Join us on the hallowed carp waters of the Muzzy Lakes Club near Urbana, Ohio for a 6 hour "Carp School"

Saturday, June 25th




Carp Guide Andy Jensen will meet the group at 9:00 a.m. and spend about 3 hours going over the "ins-and-outs" of carp on the fly. He will cover topics like: carp history, carp feeding and behavior habits, lake vs. stream fishing, basic equipment, flies and presentation and much more!

The group will then head to the water for some 1st hand experience!

Some basic equipment (6-8 wt fly rod) and a few carpy flies are really all you need for this....and a pen and note pad!!!!

Group is limited to 6 anglers and the cost is $125.00

a map and further instructions will be provided upon sign-up


any questions please give us a call at 614-451-0363 or e-mail atadmin@madriveroutfitters.com



Click Here to register for "Carp School"


Click Here to learn more about our Carp Guide Service- "The Fly-N-Carp"

Stay tuned here for more "Carp Goodies" coming throughout June!


Mad River Outfitters
Midwest Fly Fishing Schools


614-451-0363

Friday, June 3, 2016

Fishing Reports- 6/3/16

* Please remember to call us for more up-to-date or detailed information! These reports are not meant to be your one and only, daily source of information. They are typically general, even seasonal type reports and we currently don't have a set schedule as to when we update. Please, just because we don't update as often as we like, it doesn't mean that we don't care.

There are many different approaches you should take in order to get a good game plan for a trip or a day of fishing. Also remember that things change and these reports are what we know at the time of posting only. Keep in mind that we do express opinions and personal preferences from time-to-time which may be different from yours or what you may read elsewhere. Thanks for checking and don't forget to call us if you need any further information or a more up-to-date report. 614-451-0363


Warmwater

Friends- we are looking for any and all reports on warm-water fishing here in the state or region. With the fantastic warmwater fisheries that we have here, it would be crazy not to add something here from time-to-time.

We obviously can't keep up with standard reports for all waterways so we are asking you folks to send us reports and pics! We would appreciate it and we know that are readers will as well.

Send pics and reports to admin@madriveroutfitters.com. If you include your address, we'll be sure to send you out one of the MRO "Fly Fish Ohio" stickers so you can show your Ohio pride.

* Big news is that Carp season around here is really picking up! The Cottonwood Seeds are flying and that always marks the un-official start. Also getting some reports as you will read that the Mulberries are starting to ripen.

Dan Dunkley sent us this report and pic:

"Hello Guys. Went out tonight chasing carp for the first time this season. Several feeding on floating cottonwood seeds. This one took on top on a "seed" pattern that I tied up. At least all that cottonwood flying around is good for something.  Have a great spring season- Dan"



***Interested in learning more about Carp fishing with a fly- Why not join Andy Jensen for Carp School- coming up on Saturday, June 25th. Held at the Muzzy Lakes "Carp Sanctuary" and the Mulberries should be ON!

* We have been hearing really good reports of smalllmouth and warmwater fishing on the Scioto, Olentangy and both Darby creeks locally. Most fish eating baitfish imitations but the "Boogle" fishing heating up as well. 

Rob Compher sent us this great and varied report with pics:

"Some pics from this past weekends kayak trip to Paint Creek and Lake Katherine. The white and chartreuse gurgler is still my go to fly for big bull gills. It just continues to produce for me. And I have still been getting into the crappie in the Paint Creek area using minnow patterns and while dumbell eyed Wooly Buggers fished deep. Also those nice purple berries are starting to show up so it's time to get those carp rods out and catch some rubber lips! Thanks- Rob"






* Memorial Day "Pike Camp" was....well.....interesting. Let's just say you'd better ask Brian or Pat how it went. Regardless, you will be hearing about it soon as we HAVE decided to put it on the schedule later in the Summer.


Guide Pat Kelly at "Pike Camp"

* Lots of reports of decent to HUGE Cicada hatches as well the past week or so. They seem to be concentrated in the Southeastern part of the state but the boys up at Pike Camp last weekend had them as well up near Dover. Tons of carp and smallmouth eating them. No reports on the Mad, Clearfork or Clear Creek yet.

* Have folks headed out to the AEP Recreation lands this weekend armed with Cicada flies looking for Bass and Bluegill. We'll let you know how they do and hopefully get some pics!!!

* Good friend and great customer Mark Coldiron sent us this note a few days ago:

"A big shout out to, Ryan Ratliff and Mad River Outfitters.!!!  Ryan set me up with my first new Fly Rod and Reel... And within 3 hours of buying it, I landed my first fish.!!  I truly appreciate the great customer service I receive at MRO... Best Fly shop around....Thanks again.!!"


Thanks for the kind words Mark! Glad to have you as a customer and always happy to help!



Mad River

Mad River Map


Brown Drakes spotted TODAY!!!! Next week or so the best dry fly fishing of the season!


6-4-16- Weekend Update-

"Here's a hanger on from the car this evening. The fish weren't really keying in on the duns and spinners yet this evening. Probably take a day or two. Did well on the #18 quill Adams again. Looking forward to the next couple of days!- Ed Muldoon"


6-3-16- Pretty much the same report as last weekend with two exceptions.....The water is lower and Brown Drakes are ON!!!

Just had the 1st confirmed sightings this afternoon. Not sure whether we will get a spinner fall tonight or not. Should be plenty of folks out the next few days looking for the monster bugs so we'll try to update. If the spinner fall doesn't happen for you though, no worries as there will be caddis, Light Cahills and #18 Sulphers to choose from!

If you get to the river and don't see risers or bug activity, for sure have some Brown Drake nymphs to bounce along the bottom. Want to better your chances? Hang a #14 or #16 Green Soft Hackle off the BDN and you'll slay fish!!!

Keep in mind that the Drake hatch usually lasts under a week or so. Better get out there and get a hall pass to come home late!

Here's a few reports from this week-

Ed Muldoon sent us this report and pic:

"It'd be nice to get some rain and get a good bump in flows, yeah? Took this large fella from below 36, size 18 quill Adams of all things. Sporadic sulphurs, handful of large ones but mostly #18s, many caddis, been swinging caddis larva deep and doing moderately well. Have yet to see the sulphur spinners.  Large fish have been sipping starting around 6:30 but it's a tough time - I'm at my max length on a 14" leader, everything is glassy, low, and slowwww.  Drakes soon. Talk to you soon. Ed Muldoon"



Ed was in the shop the other day and also shared this pic:


He had hooked this fish on the Sulpher dry...and the knot slipped on him. Lost the fish. Two days later he came through again fishing the nymph (famous Brer Possum), and hooked the same fish, this time landing him. Congrats Ed on getting your Sulpher back. Check those knots!

Jon Horn, COFF President, sent us this report:

"Hope everyone had a good weekend!  A few quick trout reports to share:

UCF: fished great on Saturday during the morning and afternoon.  Fish looking up for caddis, cahills, and a few leftover spinners.  Dry fly fishing has been good up there the last couple of weeks (especially early and late with plenty of caddis and a smattering of spinners). A couple of stretches have been downright excellent on top.  Sunday was blown out.

LCF: low water Saturday put the fish in low gear, despite a monster spinner fall between storms that evening/night.  Sunday fishing was much better (water came up to slightly better levels), with a mild sulphur spinner fall and A LOT of sz 18 tan/brown caddis out in the evening.  Some fish looking up, but most were eating subsurface.  Caught a holdover fish in the middle of the park (14” – only holdover so far this year).   Not much bass activity for me.

Mad:  Friday night the sulphurs were good, not great near 55.   No drakes by 10:45pm.

Whew!  Must be May!

(now, it’s cicada time!)


Jon Horn"

Ann Heuerman wrote in last weekend:

"Went up to the mad last week and caught six  browns between me and my three friends. Caught mine on a copper john and although it wasn't big, it was still my personal best for the mad. Once the sun started going down, others caught them on sulfers and rusty spinners. Sincerely, Ann Heuerman"



Way to go Ann!


Get out there and enjoy the weekend and let us know how you do! 



Clearfork River



Just like the Mad, pretty much the same report as last weekend. A big ol' crazy mix of bugs!!! Low water, but fishing has been good to excellent. Mostly evening fishing but some activity during the day and we have been getting a few reports of decent morning fishing as well. 

No Drakes yet but should be any moment now.....especially with sightings on the Mad today. Keep your eyes out for them and let us know if you see them. Most likely on the Upper with Light Cahills and Caddis being the main fare on the Lower.

Along with the mix of mayflies and caddisflies though, it's time to start thinking terrestrials up here as well. Don't leave home without ants and beetles in particular.

Frequent contributor and good friend Mike Letizia wrote in this week:

"Steve and I fished the UCF last evening. A few Cahills, some midges, small mayflies and Caddis seen. Steve got 7 on top, two real nice fish and had a good one break him off. I got 4."

Josh Trammel sent us this note on Wednesday:

"Fished the lower Clearfork last Saturday evening for about 5 hours and landed around 25 browns with several decent fish brought to hand! A small olive nymph under a caddis dry was the ticket. Thanks a bunch!- Josh"


Glad to see a great report from the lower. Caddis all the way down there although should be seeing good to Epic Light Cahill hatches in the evenings.

Get out there and enjoy the weekend and let us know how you do! 


Clear Creek


Again, pretty much the same report as last weekend with the water even a touch lower. Low and clear to say the least. There have been plenty of bugs though and the dry fly fishing has been good to excellent. Mostly early or late with the best fishing coming right before dark.

Most activity has been on caddis and midges, as you read last week. Also don't forget your soft hackles. A few decent fish taken this week on them but that's not news.....

You may need to go longer and lighter on your leaders with these flows and the clarity. A gorgeous time to be in the park down there!

Let us know how you do this weekend!



Erie Steelhead

Low and Clear water throughout the region but still plenty of Lake Run smallies to be had!

Heard of some ginormous fish being caught this week!!! The popper fishing in particular has really picked up. They are smashing Boogle Bullets and Poppers!

Didn't get guides out as we promised last weekend as the clients opted for Pike fishing instead but hoping to get some pics for our next report.

Should be a great weekend for smallmouth fishing around the state but of course we LOVE the Erie tribs when the lake fish are in!


Send a report and photo....get a sticker. Make sure to include your address to send to.


Check back tomorrow afternoon for an update.



Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363