* 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.
Mad River
Sorry for the delay in updated reports. We are still recouping from the great Selectivity weekend programs with Matt Supinski. Thanks again to all who participated. It was a GREAT weekend and we all learned alot.
The river was high late last week and into the weekend, but has been fishing great all this week. Look for EPIC hatches in the evenings. Brian had Matt Supinski out Monday evening and they were rewarded with one of the best Sulpher hatches we have seen in years! Maybe EVER! The reports the remainder of the week have also been of excellent to epic dry fly fishing.
There have been good hatches of Caddis, Light Cahills, March Browns and a few Blue Wing Olives mixed in everyday this week but the big news has been the Sulphers. It seems that the fish have been keying in on them although we did hear of fish choosing the Light Cahills last night.
Consistent dry fly fishing can be done throughout the river, but the section above Urbana would be a great place to start. With the forecast next week it looks like the evening dry fly madness will continue.
Pull out your 3-5wt fly rods, Wulff Triangle Tapers, Rio Perception, or Rio Gold fly lines, 4x Dry fly leaders, Floatant, pleny of Sulfurs and Light Cahills and hit the water! Make sure to have a good variety of dry fly styles. Comparadun, Thorax, Parachute, and Spinners are a must to cover every water type. Also be sure to have fly sizes #14-18. Other patterns to carry now and definitely in the next few weeks are Drakes, March Browns, Adams, Mr Rapidan and plenty of Caddis.
Nymphs and emergers are a good choice for earlier in the day and when there are no visible hatches around. The typical Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Prince, Copper John, and a good supply of Brown Drake Nymphs are a good choice. Swinging soft hackles always produces and is a good choice for beginners and when exploring new water and also imitates the action of the emergent nymph.
We'll try to update during the week as things progress but in the meantime, don't hesitate to give us a call.
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.
Mad River
Sorry for the delay in updated reports. We are still recouping from the great Selectivity weekend programs with Matt Supinski. Thanks again to all who participated. It was a GREAT weekend and we all learned alot.
The river was high late last week and into the weekend, but has been fishing great all this week. Look for EPIC hatches in the evenings. Brian had Matt Supinski out Monday evening and they were rewarded with one of the best Sulpher hatches we have seen in years! Maybe EVER! The reports the remainder of the week have also been of excellent to epic dry fly fishing.
There have been good hatches of Caddis, Light Cahills, March Browns and a few Blue Wing Olives mixed in everyday this week but the big news has been the Sulphers. It seems that the fish have been keying in on them although we did hear of fish choosing the Light Cahills last night.
Consistent dry fly fishing can be done throughout the river, but the section above Urbana would be a great place to start. With the forecast next week it looks like the evening dry fly madness will continue.
Legendary author and "Selectivity Man" Matt Supinski on a float trip Monday with Brian
Pull out your 3-5wt fly rods, Wulff Triangle Tapers, Rio Perception, or Rio Gold fly lines, 4x Dry fly leaders, Floatant, pleny of Sulfurs and Light Cahills and hit the water! Make sure to have a good variety of dry fly styles. Comparadun, Thorax, Parachute, and Spinners are a must to cover every water type. Also be sure to have fly sizes #14-18. Other patterns to carry now and definitely in the next few weeks are Drakes, March Browns, Adams, Mr Rapidan and plenty of Caddis.
Nymphs and emergers are a good choice for earlier in the day and when there are no visible hatches around. The typical Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Prince, Copper John, and a good supply of Brown Drake Nymphs are a good choice. Swinging soft hackles always produces and is a good choice for beginners and when exploring new water and also imitates the action of the emergent nymph.
We'll try to update during the week as things progress but in the meantime, don't hesitate to give us a call.
Clearfork River
Clearfork Map
The upper river is currently a little off colored due to some recent rain, but will clear out fast. Good hatches up high also. Much like the Mad River Report: pull out your 3-5wt fly rods, Wulff Triangle Tapers, Rio Perception, or Rio Gold fly lines, 4x Dry fly leaders, Floatant, pleny of Sulpersrs and Light Cahills and hit the water! Make sure to have a good variety of dry fly styles. Comparadun, Thorax, Parachute, and Spinners are a must to cover every water type. Also be sure to have fly sizes #14-18. Other patterns to carry now and definitely in the next few weeks are Drakes, March Browns, Adams, Mr Rapidan and plenty of Caddis. Dry fly fishing on the Fork has also been good to excellent the past few weeks, especially on the upper.
Have a good mix of Caddis nymphs and soft hackles as these have been productive. The upper river is going to be low and clear by the end of next week. This will make the fish very spooky. When the upper is low head down to the lower river below Pleasant Hill Dam. Here we like to fish streamers as there is a good mix of fish. Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, Rock Bass, Brown Trout and others are very common. The trout down low will key in on hatches so make sure to have caddis, midges, and typical nymphs. These patterns specifically are Nitro Caddis, Net Builder Caddis, Holy Grails, and Flashabou Caddis for caddis nymphs. Peasant Tails, Hares Ear, and Prince nymphs will round out your boxes well.
The upper river is currently a little off colored due to some recent rain, but will clear out fast. Good hatches up high also. Much like the Mad River Report: pull out your 3-5wt fly rods, Wulff Triangle Tapers, Rio Perception, or Rio Gold fly lines, 4x Dry fly leaders, Floatant, pleny of Sulpersrs and Light Cahills and hit the water! Make sure to have a good variety of dry fly styles. Comparadun, Thorax, Parachute, and Spinners are a must to cover every water type. Also be sure to have fly sizes #14-18. Other patterns to carry now and definitely in the next few weeks are Drakes, March Browns, Adams, Mr Rapidan and plenty of Caddis. Dry fly fishing on the Fork has also been good to excellent the past few weeks, especially on the upper.
Have a good mix of Caddis nymphs and soft hackles as these have been productive. The upper river is going to be low and clear by the end of next week. This will make the fish very spooky. When the upper is low head down to the lower river below Pleasant Hill Dam. Here we like to fish streamers as there is a good mix of fish. Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, Rock Bass, Brown Trout and others are very common. The trout down low will key in on hatches so make sure to have caddis, midges, and typical nymphs. These patterns specifically are Nitro Caddis, Net Builder Caddis, Holy Grails, and Flashabou Caddis for caddis nymphs. Peasant Tails, Hares Ear, and Prince nymphs will round out your boxes well.
Clear Creek
Clear Creek Map
May can be a great month on Clear Creek. This small stream does not even come close to matching up to the Mad in quality, but if you happen to find yourself down in the Hocking Hills it will not disappoint. The smallmouth bass fishing firing up along with a few hatches and the wild flowers can make for a great time. The trout do not always take advantage of the hatching Sulfurs, March Browns, or drakes, but usually a small Elk Hair Caddis size #16 and smaller will produce. Make sure to have plenty of midges in both dries and nymphs along with caddis pupa and larva. We like the Nitro Caddis, Net Builder Caddis, Holy Grails, and Flashabou Caddis for nymphs. Your usual trout patterns will also produce Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Prince Nymphs, and Wet flies.
If you are looking for Smallmouth bass then make sure to have a few Kelly Galloup streamers like the Bottoms Up, Dungeon, and Barely Legal. Floating lines and heavy tippet to keep these fish out of the wood will always treat you fine.
Steelhead fishing is pretty well done for the Spring season and our thoughts are now onto smallmouth......big, lake run smallmouth. Yes there are a few leftover steelies here and there, but those fish are either spawning or heading back to the lake. The big deal is the Lake Run Smallies. THese fish are big and fat and readily take flies. Fish streamers in the lower rivers and you will be rewarded with the biggest Smallies of the year. Make sure to get your spots on the calendar as they are filling up very fast!
Here is a more detailed report on fishing the tribs from friend and customer Bill Harsha- "Thur PM & Fri AM: Elk on Thur was low and clear. Lots of quillbacks in the system some suckers. Bass were not aggressive.and not interested in large flies. Switched to small stuff just crawled across the bottom and started hooking up. Landed 6 in about 4 hours of fishing all on the new trout Spey.
Fri came back to fish Connie. Water good with a little stain. Lots of redhorse and some suckers. Hooked and losta bright steelhead on the swing with a chartreuse and white deceiver. Pretty much kicked my ass on the 4weight. A couple of nice bass on the same fly stripping and one on the swing. Again bass not very aggressive. Talked to a group from Chag. R. Outfitters same story with even less action. They quit bass and were nymphing with bobbers.They pulled out before I did.."- Bill
May can be a great month on Clear Creek. This small stream does not even come close to matching up to the Mad in quality, but if you happen to find yourself down in the Hocking Hills it will not disappoint. The smallmouth bass fishing firing up along with a few hatches and the wild flowers can make for a great time. The trout do not always take advantage of the hatching Sulfurs, March Browns, or drakes, but usually a small Elk Hair Caddis size #16 and smaller will produce. Make sure to have plenty of midges in both dries and nymphs along with caddis pupa and larva. We like the Nitro Caddis, Net Builder Caddis, Holy Grails, and Flashabou Caddis for nymphs. Your usual trout patterns will also produce Pheasant Tails, Hares Ear, Prince Nymphs, and Wet flies.
If you are looking for Smallmouth bass then make sure to have a few Kelly Galloup streamers like the Bottoms Up, Dungeon, and Barely Legal. Floating lines and heavy tippet to keep these fish out of the wood will always treat you fine.
Our good friend and great customer Steve Buckley sent us this photo of a brown taken this week on a Sulpher dry. Attending the "Selectivity Program" last Friday got him fired up!!
Erie Steelhead/Smallmouth
Steelhead fishing is pretty well done for the Spring season and our thoughts are now onto smallmouth......big, lake run smallmouth. Yes there are a few leftover steelies here and there, but those fish are either spawning or heading back to the lake. The big deal is the Lake Run Smallies. THese fish are big and fat and readily take flies. Fish streamers in the lower rivers and you will be rewarded with the biggest Smallies of the year. Make sure to get your spots on the calendar as they are filling up very fast!
Here is a more detailed report on fishing the tribs from friend and customer Bill Harsha- "Thur PM & Fri AM: Elk on Thur was low and clear. Lots of quillbacks in the system some suckers. Bass were not aggressive.and not interested in large flies. Switched to small stuff just crawled across the bottom and started hooking up. Landed 6 in about 4 hours of fishing all on the new trout Spey.
Fri came back to fish Connie. Water good with a little stain. Lots of redhorse and some suckers. Hooked and losta bright steelhead on the swing with a chartreuse and white deceiver. Pretty much kicked my ass on the 4weight. A couple of nice bass on the same fly stripping and one on the swing. Again bass not very aggressive. Talked to a group from Chag. R. Outfitters same story with even less action. They quit bass and were nymphing with bobbers.They pulled out before I did.."- Bill
Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Trips, Classes, Schools and more!
813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
614-451-0363
