* 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
Thanks as always for reading our reports friends. As the weather gets more conducive we should be reporting more regularly....but we need your HELP!
Send any and all reports to admin@madriveroutfitters and we'll do our best to get them up.
* Finally getting a bit of rain here in Ohio. In some places this will be a game changer. Some places not. Hopefully we can keep it coming and get this Fall season kicked into high gear.
* Brian and Company are headed to New Orleans in the morning for our annual Fall Redfish Trip. They'll be chasing bull reds around the Louisiana Marshes through Thursday. He'll surely check-in with updates so stay tuned on Social Media.
Thanks as always for reading our reports friends. As the weather gets more conducive we should be reporting more regularly....but we need your HELP!
Send any and all reports to admin@madriveroutfitters and we'll do our best to get them up.
* Finally getting a bit of rain here in Ohio. In some places this will be a game changer. Some places not. Hopefully we can keep it coming and get this Fall season kicked into high gear.
* Brian and Company are headed to New Orleans in the morning for our annual Fall Redfish Trip. They'll be chasing bull reds around the Louisiana Marshes through Thursday. He'll surely check-in with updates so stay tuned on Social Media.
* This week we topped over 70,000 "Likes" on Facebook. If you don't follow along there.....think about joining a pretty big club? We'd love to have you as one of our official friends! Thanks for the Likes!
Warmwater
* Warmwater fishing was still going strong earlier this week but that will most likely begin to taper off a bit here. Maybe a few weeks left we'll see. Regardless, no question that the leaves will begin to be a factor as well.
* Pike fishing continues to be HOT. Both Pat and Josh have been killing it on guide trips. Hop over to Facebook or Twitter for pics from recent trips. Josh was quoted recently that this has been one of the best Fall seasons he has ever seen here in Ohio.
Meanwhile, here's our favorite young angler with a pike of his own-
Guys,
Ethan totally agrees with Pat and Josh! Now is the time to target pike on the fly in Ohio! He took this one on a bucktail Game Changer that he tied! Proud dad here! Thanks for the loads of sound advice and encouragement!
Best wishes,
Steve Hall
* Musky fishing has been heating up as well and Pat does have some trips on the books. Past few days have been rained out but we should see good Musky activity from now through the Winter.
Mad River
The Mad has come up a bit with the rains the past two days but not really what we needed. The weekend should bring fishable water levels with just a touch of stain. Will most likely be back down to low status by Sunday.
The big problem the next 2-3 weeks will be the leaves. Pretty much going to limit us to nymph fishing. Streamer fishing will be challenging at best, as you will be snagging leaves on each cast. Large nymphs like Craneflies, Big Nasties, Jimmy Legs, Bitch Creeks etc. are really your best bet right now. Fish them deep as you can in the deepest holes. Also typically want to have some San Juan Worms this time of year. They typically do well when the leaves are falling for some reason. Maybe they just stand out?
Not much to report on the dry fly front other that some tiny BWO's and Pseudocloens but the fish really haven't been feeding much on them. Combine that with the leaves and again, best to stick to nymphs.
Hopefully we can get some more water in the river in time for the leaves to disappear and we can get to streamer fishing! There are plenty of big fish in the river and they need catching.
In the meantime, be sure to mark your Calendar for next Saturday, October 29th. There is a public forum entitled "The Mad River: Finding Common Ground II" Anyone interested in the Mad River Watershed is invited to attend. It will be held at the Gloria Theater in downtown Urbana.
You can find some information on the Madmen TU website HERE.
Let us know how you do this weekend and here's a quick note that we got from good friend and contributor Jose Olivas:
"Went fishing in the Lower Mad and this happened:
Then went to the Upper Mad chub fishing and this happened:
Clearfork River
A slight bump in flows the past few days but still not really enough to get things cranking. The lower temps and change in weather will surely help things along though.
If you were to fish the Clearfork, surely it would be on the upper. The lower is still not much more than a trickle. Same story here though with the leaves. They are gonna be a major bummer the next 2-3 weeks or so. On a windy day, they could be a deal breaker.
Stick with nymphs and for now, the larger the better!
Here's a quick report and pic from friend and customer Brian Urias:
If you were to fish the Clearfork, surely it would be on the upper. The lower is still not much more than a trickle. Same story here though with the leaves. They are gonna be a major bummer the next 2-3 weeks or so. On a windy day, they could be a deal breaker.
Stick with nymphs and for now, the larger the better!
Here's a quick report and pic from friend and customer Brian Urias:
"Was fishing with a buddy and he caught 2 browns and i lost one. We were fishing very hard from friday through saturday. Using, Tricos, Pheasant tails, hares ears, and mainly caddis larvae. But then my buddy got the idea to put a wax worm on a size 14 scud hook and it surprisingly did the trick.I’ll send a photo of the one of guys he caught"- Brian Urias
Clear Creek
Clear Creek is up and muddy as we speak. Looks like it may crest here and may be fishable Sunday? We'll try to keep an eye on it and let you know with an update here....or call the shop.
Ryan has been fishing a bit down there and is struggling. He's not finding many holdover fish which is not a great sign. With the Summer that we had, it's not overly surprising. Hard to say.
With the change in the weather and a bit of water hopefully we can get some quality time on the stream and learn different.
If you get out, please let us know how you do!
Ryan has been fishing a bit down there and is struggling. He's not finding many holdover fish which is not a great sign. With the Summer that we had, it's not overly surprising. Hard to say.
With the change in the weather and a bit of water hopefully we can get some quality time on the stream and learn different.
If you get out, please let us know how you do!
Erie Steelhead
Finally, some rain that actually brings hope of Steelhead!
Here is what we know as of Friday night-
The Vermilion is coming up and pretty well blown out. Hard to say at this point when it will fish. We haven't heard of many fish in the river yet though which is common. May be a few weeks yet and a few more pushes of water before we start thinking about fishing her.
The Rocky and Chagrin are blown out and will probably be the 1st of the week before we think about fishing. Once they do drop though there should be some fish around.
The Grand has also shot up and is a bit high. Hoping we can get out there on Sunday for the Class with Jeff. We just spoke to him and if not, the group will head over to the Conneaut.
The Ashtabula and Conneaut are both up and muddy right now but if they crest this evening, these two could be the HOT ticket in Ohio for the weekend....especially come Sunday.
Elk and the PA tribs are a bit blown today but should come down and fish this weekend. Most reports should have fish spread throughout PA with this water. It's game on over there but will also be a zoo.
As with anywhere else in the state right now, leaves will be a problem. Mostly stick to nymph fishing and you should be fine. The streamer bite can be good to great though this time of year if you get a break from the leaves.
Once the leaves are gone though, we should see the water "green up"....and that's when things really kick-in around here.
Several of our guides have been communicating with Charter Captains out on the lake and they are doing VERY well at the mouths of the creeks. Seems that fish are stacked-up out there and ready to run. More so than in years past. This is good news for the season and this push of water should kick things off here in Ohio.
In the meantime, we are looking forward to our visit from Jeff LIskay this weekend. Should have some reports and pics up on Social Media as it happens. Thrilled to offer this level of instructor to our clients!
Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!
813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
614-451-0363
