* 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.
Across the board most of the streams are on the drop and fishable. There is some rain in the forecast for Sunday and the middle of next week. The amounts are changing by the hour so make sure to contact us if you head up early in the week. This is a great time of the year as almost everything is active. Get out there and fish.
Warm Water
Smallmouth Bass fishing has been on fire lately! With the temps forecasted for next week it will not be long before they start to spawn. Many of the local streams are off colored. The fish are aggressive and feeding, but with low visibility make sure to have a wading staff with you. We do guide for smallies so get your trip on the books to take advantage of this pre-spawn bite! Bass and Panfish have also been the talk as the ponds continue to warm. Look for the Largemouth Bass to start thinking about spawning in the next couple weeks also.
Gear for Smallmouth Bass would be 6-8wt rods, Intermediate sinking lines, and flies 4-6" in length(Kelly Galloup style Modern Streamers). These same flies and rigs can be used for Largemouth Bass as well. Panfish or small pond Bass will be fine on a 4-5wt with floating lines. Flies will be small traditional sized trout streamers (Black Nose Dace, Muddlers, Matukas, Mickey Finns), Wooly Buggers, big nymphs (Prince, Hares Ear, Bears PM Caddis) and San Juan Worms
The Mad continues to be very productive! Look for lots of rising fish in the late afternoons and into the evenings. These fish are keying in on the tail end of the Hendrickson hatch. If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Yesterday, Brian and Donnie were both out on the water with clients. It was pretty windy so the hatch really didn't come off at all but the spinner fall was GREAT in the evening so the bugs are still around. Tons of fish eating the spinners from 7:30 till about 8:15 or so. We are truly experiencing a great dry fly season here with the best activity by far in the evenings, an hour or so before dark. Did also see a handful of March Browns and Light Cahills. No Sulphers yet.
Fishing in the mornings have also been good. The most productive has been nymphing and swinging Soft Hackles of various colors. Nymph with Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Copper Johns, and Prince Nymphs.
With the low clear water the streamer bite has not been the best so we suggest getting your streamer fix on one of the many Smallmouth Bass streams in the state. If you insist, the smaller stuff like muddlers, buggers and small sculpin patterns are the way to go.
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.
Across the board most of the streams are on the drop and fishable. There is some rain in the forecast for Sunday and the middle of next week. The amounts are changing by the hour so make sure to contact us if you head up early in the week. This is a great time of the year as almost everything is active. Get out there and fish.
Got plans this Summer? How about a trip to Montana?
Join Brian Flechsig and Kelly Galloup at the Slide Inn on the banks of the Madison River
July 30th- August 5th
Warm Water
Smallmouth Bass fishing has been on fire lately! With the temps forecasted for next week it will not be long before they start to spawn. Many of the local streams are off colored. The fish are aggressive and feeding, but with low visibility make sure to have a wading staff with you. We do guide for smallies so get your trip on the books to take advantage of this pre-spawn bite! Bass and Panfish have also been the talk as the ponds continue to warm. Look for the Largemouth Bass to start thinking about spawning in the next couple weeks also.
Local ponds are really starting to produce. Our good friend and customer Joe Olivas sent us this pic just the other day
Gear for Smallmouth Bass would be 6-8wt rods, Intermediate sinking lines, and flies 4-6" in length(Kelly Galloup style Modern Streamers). These same flies and rigs can be used for Largemouth Bass as well. Panfish or small pond Bass will be fine on a 4-5wt with floating lines. Flies will be small traditional sized trout streamers (Black Nose Dace, Muddlers, Matukas, Mickey Finns), Wooly Buggers, big nymphs (Prince, Hares Ear, Bears PM Caddis) and San Juan Worms
MRO Guide Pat Kelly on the Water today with clients
Hybrid stripers and white bass are also running throughout the region and we've been hearing some GREAT reports. Josh, Pat and Donnie have been scouting some new waters and are now ready to start booking trips. Anybody interested in catching a mess of these "white" fish, let us know. Interested in searching them out on your own, we can point you in the right direction there as well. A ton of fun on a fly rod and lots of opportunities around.
Send us pics this week to use in the reports? Be sure to include your address and such and we'll send you a FREE MRO "Fly Fish Ohio" sticker.
Click Here to view our full selection of "Cool Stickers".
Mad River
The Mad continues to be very productive! Look for lots of rising fish in the late afternoons and into the evenings. These fish are keying in on the tail end of the Hendrickson hatch. If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Yesterday, Brian and Donnie were both out on the water with clients. It was pretty windy so the hatch really didn't come off at all but the spinner fall was GREAT in the evening so the bugs are still around. Tons of fish eating the spinners from 7:30 till about 8:15 or so. We are truly experiencing a great dry fly season here with the best activity by far in the evenings, an hour or so before dark. Did also see a handful of March Browns and Light Cahills. No Sulphers yet.
Brian got to float in the AuSable boat yesterday with John Fisher from Batavia, Ohio
Anybody interested in a float trip in this boat, or with Donnie or Pat in their drift boats?
Let us know, we have some dates open and it's a great way to fish the river.
Click Here for details and pricing on our guide trips.
Fishing in the mornings have also been good. The most productive has been nymphing and swinging Soft Hackles of various colors. Nymph with Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Copper Johns, and Prince Nymphs.
With the low clear water the streamer bite has not been the best so we suggest getting your streamer fix on one of the many Smallmouth Bass streams in the state. If you insist, the smaller stuff like muddlers, buggers and small sculpin patterns are the way to go.
Dear Mad River Outfitters,
I visited the Mad recently and the water level was around 250 cfs and held a light green stain, the conditions were absolutely perfect for stripping streamers. The hot streamer for the morning was a red, white, and blue clouser minnow. Fish were rising in many of the locations I stopped at, and the morning was action packed. Many fish were caught, and it was the best morning of fly fishing I have ever had. Here are pictures of my two biggest browns for the day.
Keep doing what you're doing at the shop, its always a blast going in and being surrounded by those with the passion of fly fishing.
Tight lines, and sincerely,
-Murphy Coan
Clearfork River
Clearfork Map
The Clear Fork is starting to fire up. Dry fly fishing has been good to excellent in the evenings. Much like the Mad River report: These fish are keying in on the tail end of the Hendrickson hatch although it seems to still be going strong up there. Best activity has for sure been the evening spinner falls. Some reports of EPIC numbers of bugs and rising fish.
If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Most of the consistent fishing has been in the upper river focusing on the afternoon and into evening hatches. The lower river below Pleasant Hill Dam offers you a good mix bag of fish.
If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Most of the consistent fishing has been in the upper river focusing on the afternoon and into evening hatches. The lower river below Pleasant Hill Dam offers you a good mix bag of fish.
Clear Creek
Clear Creek Map
The recent rains have made the creek raise, but the levels are now dropping and will be good into the weekend. Saturday will still provide small streamer fishing along with nymphing. Look for Hendrickson, Caddis, Blue Wing Olives and midges to continue Sunday and into next week.
If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Nymphing is always productive. Nymph with Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Copper Johns, and Prince Nymphs. Also make sure to have a variety of sizes and colors of Soft Hackles.
Everything is blown out currently. the weekend outlook is not looking very good, but if you know the smaller rivers then the second half of Sunday will be your only bet. Early next week though is looking very good! With the high water and lower temps look for a fresh push of fish. From what we have been seeing over the past few weeks we are on a steep downward slope to the end of the season. Looking ahead at the air temps for the end of next week combined with the lack of significant rain the season will be close to over very soon. If you want to get a last trip or two in then make sure you clear out your schedule for Tues or Wed of next week. Conditions can change very quickly so we will keep you posted.
Rigs for this time of the year are the typical nymphing with two fly rigs and long rods and swinging setups. Indicator nymphing is a numbers game. Either rig a bugger/Zonker and egg or the double egg under a float. Focus on the faster deeper runs (waste and deeper) below the spawning riffles. If you want to swing this time of the year you can be rewarded with hot drop back/spawned fish and Lake Run Smallies. Swinging Dolly Llamas, Senyo's A.I. Intruders, and Flow Ryders are the best choices.
The Smallmouth fishing has been fantastic in the Tribs and should only get better as we get into May. If you want to focus on these fish look at the lower few miles of the rivers. Stripping big streamers is our go to tactic. Streamers like Kelly Galloups Dungeons, Monkeys, Peanuts, Totally Articulated, Fat Head Minnows and Deceivers. Load up your 6-8wt, Scientific Anglers Titan Sonar Clear Tip, heavy tippet and have fun!
The recent rains have made the creek raise, but the levels are now dropping and will be good into the weekend. Saturday will still provide small streamer fishing along with nymphing. Look for Hendrickson, Caddis, Blue Wing Olives and midges to continue Sunday and into next week.
If you want to take advantage of this dry fly fishing stock up on Rusty Spinners in various sizes, Parachute Adams, Thorax/Traditional style Adams, Red Quill, Quill Gordon, and Irrisistibles. With the cloudy forecast into the weekend make sure to have some Blue Wing Olives in your box also. In the next coming weeks stock up on Light Cahill, Sulfurs, March Browns, and Caddis.
Nymphing is always productive. Nymph with Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Copper Johns, and Prince Nymphs. Also make sure to have a variety of sizes and colors of Soft Hackles.
Erie Steelhead
Everything is blown out currently. the weekend outlook is not looking very good, but if you know the smaller rivers then the second half of Sunday will be your only bet. Early next week though is looking very good! With the high water and lower temps look for a fresh push of fish. From what we have been seeing over the past few weeks we are on a steep downward slope to the end of the season. Looking ahead at the air temps for the end of next week combined with the lack of significant rain the season will be close to over very soon. If you want to get a last trip or two in then make sure you clear out your schedule for Tues or Wed of next week. Conditions can change very quickly so we will keep you posted.
Rigs for this time of the year are the typical nymphing with two fly rigs and long rods and swinging setups. Indicator nymphing is a numbers game. Either rig a bugger/Zonker and egg or the double egg under a float. Focus on the faster deeper runs (waste and deeper) below the spawning riffles. If you want to swing this time of the year you can be rewarded with hot drop back/spawned fish and Lake Run Smallies. Swinging Dolly Llamas, Senyo's A.I. Intruders, and Flow Ryders are the best choices.
Repeat customer Mario Vezza on a guide trip with Josh earlier this week. He called us up the other day and signed he and his father up for the Alaska Trip this Summer hosted by Josh and Jerry Darkes.
Click Here for info and pricing on our "Alaska Sampler" Trip- July 22nd- 29th
The Smallmouth fishing has been fantastic in the Tribs and should only get better as we get into May. If you want to focus on these fish look at the lower few miles of the rivers. Stripping big streamers is our go to tactic. Streamers like Kelly Galloups Dungeons, Monkeys, Peanuts, Totally Articulated, Fat Head Minnows and Deceivers. Load up your 6-8wt, Scientific Anglers Titan Sonar Clear Tip, heavy tippet and have fun!
Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Trips, Classes, Schools and more!
813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
614-451-0363
