Showing posts with label Steelhead Alley Fishing Reports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steelhead Alley Fishing Reports. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Fishing Reports- 11/20/18

* 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.


Big Weekend!

Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family! We hope that you enjoy a day off with good food and good people.

Around the shop here, we are thankful for 24 years in business and counting...and we couldn't have done it without you....so THANKS!

Of course, we will enjoy the Holiday...and then things change for us on Friday. Big weekend ahead to kick-off the holiday season.

* Black Friday- open at 8:00 a.m. for "Early Bird" specials and then great deals and "Cash Back" awards all day- full details will go out via e-mail and social media tomorrow

* Small Business Saturday- shop small and support locally owned business.

* OPEN Sundays through Christmas- look for Sunday specials each week

* Cyber Monday- our biggest internet shopping day of the year and we'll be offering 20% "Cash Back" awards for every online purchase.- full details will go out via e-mail and social media tomorrow

* Ladies Night- join Linda Farner on Tuesday, December 4th- from 5-9 p.m.- Click Here


As usual, Thanks for taking the time to read and we'll be in touch!!!!!!

Brian, Andy, Pat, Linda, Ryan, Judy, Roger, Dick, Cristina, Kevin, Josh and Rogue



Thanks in advance for supporting a small, locally owned, family business this Holiday Season!




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Warmwater

Seasons change overnight here in Ohio it seems.  Summer to Fall right into Winter.  Fishing local has been a weather window game.  Understanding fish seasonal movements are a must.  Hybrid Stripers, Smallies, Saugeyes and Panfish are been the quarry.  Most individuals have targeted the dams during higher water.  Big shad flies are the common choice.  High water in these areas can be very dangerous for both boating and wading.  If you do brave the conditions grab a buddy.  Looking for schools of shad have provided the most success.  Most of the time these fish are visible as they school tight together.  Once you find these baitfish casting sink tips and matched sized flies to the edges get the job done.


Forecast:

Although we are technically still in Fall most of the fish are in winter mode.  With Temps below freezing and highs in the 30’s and 40’s bass fishing will be limited to just a few hours on the warmest days.  Targeting Panfish will be your best bet.  Hit the coves, fish slow, and send us come pictures! 

Pike fishing continues to be great.  When the rain has given us a break there has been some great fish brought to boat.  There are a few openings on our calendars so shoot us a call.   


Dave Wineland with one of the largest Ohio Pike we've seen on a guide trip in quite some time. Congrats Dave...and guide Josh McQueen.


Seasonal:

Fall fishing in Ohio means change.  Being flexible will keep you on fish.  We have many streams that have great Smallmouth fishing.  This time of the year the fish are starting to school up and push around baitfish.  Your summer 5wt or even soft 6wt gets up away and out comes the better bass rod sizes of 7-8wts.  Sink-tip lines like the new Rio Big Nasty and SA Titan are your best bet.  If you fish the big rivers then a SA Sonar sinking line with a longer head is a better choice especially out of a boat.  Most of these fish are targeting dense schools of Shad.  Flies like Whitlock’s Deep Shad, Clousers, Half & Halfs, Bottoms-Up, Dungeons, Peanut Envy and Double Barrel Baitfish poppers are great choices for a floating line.  While fishing the more productive sink-tips lines we focus on flies like Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Murdich Minnow, Gummy Minnows, Zoo Cougars, Wooly Sculpin, Todd’s Wiggle Minnow, Stacked Blondes, and EP Minnows.  

Smallmouth Bass will feed heavily for the next couple months but you will need to target different water than where you find them in summer.  Look for the deeper water with good flow around large hard structure.  Bridge pilings, rip rap banks, large boulder fields, or other rock structure.  

Pond and Lake fishing also continues to be fantastic as long as the water temps stay in the 50s.  Largemouth will also start to school and cruse feeding on baitfish.  Sinking lines like a SA Clear Tip or Rio Big Nasty are great options for these fish.  Flies like the Barely Legal, Bang Tail, Todd’s Wiggle minnow, Dungeon, and Boogie Man work great for fishing fast.  If fish are not chasing then slow down with the same lines, but change flies to Super Worms, Reapers, Bottoms-Up, and Gulley Worms get the job done.  Do not overlook the Bluegill and Crappie bite also.  Fish bobbers/indicators with nymphs or Crappie Specials under them and keep them close to drop offs with structure.  

Pike and Musky fishing continues to be great from now into winter.  Slowly stripping big flies on heavy sink tips is the game.  Josh and Pat’s schedules are usually locked in right now, but both do have some open dates.  Make sure to call the shop for details.  




Trout fishing has been great with the higher water.  Fish are done spawning and ready to eat.  This is streamer season and the high water is cleaning out the leaves and sustaining height.  Most success has come from those coving water either floating or moving fast.  Sink tip lines and big streamers like the Mini Masked Deceivers, Modern Deceivers, all of Galloups patterns, Legals and Dungeons especially and Half and Halfs are a great start.  This type of fishing is your best chance at seeing a fish well into the 20” range.  Other successful techniques are swinging Soft Hackles and nymphing.  Swinging Soft Hackles in tandem on a floating line or with a Versileader sink tip is a great way to cover water and work on your single-hand spey casting.  For this setup we like to lead with either a Bead Head Soft Hackle or a very productive Swing Nymph followed by a standard Soft Hackle.  Nymphing though has been the most productive.  Heavy nymphs like a Cranefly Larva, Double Stone or the new Jig style flies are must haves.  Either drop an unweighted fly behind these heavier ones or utilize a dropper higher up on your leader.  Make sure you get long drag free drifts and you will see success.  Those familiar with Euro Nymphing have consistently caught fish.  The new Quil jig flies have been producing very well the past few weeks also.    

Forecast:

We currently have great flows and it should hold through the rest of the week.  There are some cold night temps though so make sure you are prepared.  Streamer fishing will continue to be good as well as the usual nymphing.  There is some rain coming next weekend so keep an eye on the gauges or call the shop.  We should see great fishing for the next few months.  

Seasonal:

The past few years we have had prolonged low and clear water in the Fall.  We love streamer fishing, but with the low water from earlier has made fishing difficult.  That is not the situation now.  6-8wt rods with Sink tip lines line the SA Sonar Titan Sink Tip or the AirFlo Streamer Max Short are a great choice.  Select flies in the 4-6+ range and make sure to have various colors and designs to figure out what will get the attention of the fish.  Most of us carry a large array of colors of the same pattern also.  We take Kelly Galloup’s approach of switching colors until we find out what they want.  A good place to start would be Bottoms Up, Dungeons, Peanuts, Drunk and Disorderly, Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Fat Heads, and other Modern Streamers.  Wading can be difficult if you do not know the area or new to the sport.  Make sure to call the shop for conditions and safe water level suggestions.  Nymphing is most consistent choice choice for numbers of fish though.  Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry.  There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics.  We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started.  Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice, but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though.  Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices.  Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer and you are set.   




Clearfork River


Clearfork Map


***PSA:  This time of the year the ODNR stocks small Brown Trout at various locations along the upper river and Rainbow Trout below Pleasant Hill dam in the lower river. These fish are the future of our fishery and need extreme care when handling.  They are easy to catch, but take a beating from the pressure.  We advise if you do find yourself catching a couple small dull colored Brown Trout in the 8-10” range change locations to another stretch of river far away from the bridges.  The same goes for the lower river Rainbows.  If you find yourself catching a couple fish change locations as to spread out your impact on these fish.  It is legal to keep the Rainbows, but if we would like to catch fish through late Spring then putting them back is the best bet.***

The Clearfork is currently high in both the upper and lower river.  When the flows have been right the fishing has been good.  Many have reported that the stocked fish are very willing to take a fly, but there have been some larger fish being caught also.  With these high waters the locals or those familiar with the water have been fishing streamers with great success.  The upper river is small and challenging to cast a big streamer.  Those experienced with a fishing big flies on sinking lines are catching the biggest fish in the river.  Most numbers of fish have been caught on nymph rigs though.  Caddis larva like the Nitro Caddis, Flashabou Caddis, Core Caddis and Holy Grail are staples.  Team those up with a small Pheasant Tail, Gray Quil, Spanish Quil or Purple Hot spot for fishing slow and deep.  If you are fishing the faster and shallower water then a caddis larva and a small non-bead Pheasant tail or Hares Ear is a great choice. 

The lower river should start to drop soon offering you a great chance at catching some Rainbow Trout.  Nymphing bigger nymphs like the Rubber legs, Double Stone, Cranefly Larva, or even the TB Jig Bugger in conjunction with an egg pattern will keep you busy.  Fishing flashy streamers will also get the fishes attention.  For streamer fishing you will want some Skiddish Smolts, Crystal Buggers, Precious Metal, Egg Sucking Leaches, and Glass Bugger.  Swinging a light switch rod or using a sing-hand-spey setup can also be a great choice.  Here you can use the above streamers or a Micro Intruder. 

Forecast:  

The high water should slowly continue to drop thought the rest of the week.  There is some rain heading in this weekend so keep an eye on the flows.  This will mess up the upper if thing keep as forecasted, but the lower should continue to fish.  There are some cold nights heading our way so make sure to have some Stanley’s Ice off Paste for the early mornings.  Nymphing will be your best bet as usual for numbers.  Do not leave your streamer rod at home though.  Once the air temps are above freezing then stripping a streamer can be a good change to get the blood pumping.     


Seasonal:

In the lower river Rainbows are easily caught by small streamers, bright egg patterns and nymphs.  Once the fishing pressure picks up or we get a few rain events these fish will spread out and get selective.  If you are targeting Brown Trout then nymphing is a great choice, but streamer fishing should not be over looked.  Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry.  There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics.  We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started.  Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though.  Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices.  Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer and you are set.  

As for streamer fishing both in the upper and lower river these tactics will work.  6-8wt rods with Sink tip lines line the SA Sonar Titan Sink Tip or the AirFlo Streamer Max Short are a great choice.  Select flies in the 4-6+ range and make sure to have various colors and designs to figure out what will get the attention of the fish.  Most of us carry a large array of colors of the same pattern also.  We take Kelly Galloup’s approach of switching colors until we find out what they want.  A good place to start would be Bottoms Up, Dungeons, Peanuts, Drunk and Disorderly, Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Fat Heads, and other Modern Streamers.  




Clear Creek

Clear Creek Map


***Rainbows are scheduled to be stocked this fall. In fact, one round has been with more to come! Once fish do get stocked these fish are the future of our fishery and need extreme care when handling.  They are easy to catch, but take a beating from the pressure.  These fish are totally legal to keep, but we always encourage catch and release so we have productive fishing through Spring.***


Fishing has been good when the water levels has not been an issue.  We went from very low to high in just a week.  Fish have distributed themselves well and willing to take a fly.  Most individuals have been nymphing Flashabou Caddis, Hares Ear, Trophy Nymph, Jig Buggers, and others.  Streamer fishing has also been very good.  Mostly Buggers, Trick or Treats, Zonkers, Matukas, Skiddish Smolts, and Clousers are the best choices.


Forecast:  

We have gotten the rain that we needed a few weeks ago and it has not stopped.  The creek is currently high but will fish later in the week.  There is some rain predicted for Saturday so keep that in mind if planning on fishing this weekend.  Shoot us a call and we will let you know more specific if needed.  Bring some streamers along with your nymphing setup.  Covering water is a great choice with a streamer.  Make sure to have ‘Buggers, Zonkers, and other traditional streamers.  A sinking line is not a must but can help if you plan on stripping a streamer fast or swinging deep.  Nymphing rigs should have small floats like the Airlock or even a yarn indicator.  A simple bead head will get you down in most situations.  Also, do not overlook bringing your Tenkara rod.  These rods are great tools for this creek as you can fish many different techniques and offer a great fight on these fish. 

Seasonal:

Rainbows are easily caught by small streamers, bright egg patterns and nymphs.  Once the fishing pressure picks up or we get a few rain events these fish will spread out and get selective.  With these past rains we are seeing fish well distributed.  Nymphing is the main tactic for numbers.  There are a couple methods that we like to use.  Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry.  There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics.  We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started.  Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice, but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though.  Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices.  If you prefer to indicator/bobber/float (just calling it what actually is here) fish then you can use the same technique, but just with your usual nymph rig.  We like to rig our droppers off our heavy fly (small streamer or big nymph) though.  Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer/nymph and you are set.  If you do decide to try a small streamer then you should focus on small white or natural colored flies with a little weight.  No need to pack the sink tip and 8wt here.  A 4-5wt rod matched with a size 6-12 streamer is all you need for this small creek.



Erie Steelhead

Gauge Links and Maps



Tom Baltazar with a nice fish- guide trip on Sunday 11/18


Click Here for information and pricing on booking a guide trip along "Steelhead Alley"


STEEEEEELS as we like to say…well just Josh.  Fishing has been good between high water events.  The cold temps did put the fish in a bad mood for a few days, but there is a steady flow of fresh fishing moving into the tributaries.  Those who are seasoned to fishing the Steelhead Alley know that being diverse and flexible is a must.  Fishing egg patterns under a float/indicator/bobber is typically the best option for numbers of fish.  Having an understanding of a swinging setup though is always good to have when you need to cover larger slices of the river.  We are seeing a good number of fish being caught swinging now that the temps have stabilized.  We are just at the beginning of good numbers of fish so there is plenty of time to plan a guide trip.  

Forecast:

Fishing this week is going to be great.  We do have cold temps though so make sure to be prepared with good layering and Ice off Paste.  Keep your stream thermometer handy as the day progresses.  A raise of just a few degrees can wake the fish up, or a drop can put them down.  We are seeing fish in their winter holding areas though.  Make sure to target these areas to find the most fish.  Next weekend looks like some more rain and higher temps.  This is what we wait for after a few days of cold.  Shoot us a call for up to date info and to make sure you get on our guide’s calendars.  

Seasonal:

Cold water has put the fish in winter holding areas a little earlier than usual.  Cold water techniques mostly limit the angler to fishing slower water.  Active fish can be found in faster water, but usually with decent depth.  The key to fishing all of these areas is to make sure your rigs are down for as long as possible.  Plenty of split shop, stack mending, and advanced line control is a must.  Casting these rigs can be frustrating for beginners.  Guide trips will help you perfect the needed methods with hands on training.  Rigs for nymphing consist of 1” floats plenty of BB-3/0 shot and two flies.  Flies change per water type, color, temp, and time of the day.  A good steelhead nymph box consists of an assortment of different color, size, and designed egg patterns along with nymphs of the same stipulations.  

This game requires a lot of extra flies especially if you are fishing the right water and depth.  Egg patterns are Glo Bugs, Sucker Spawn, Crystal Meth, Cyclops and Scrambled Eggs.  Nymphs that are must haves include Steelhead Stones, Steelhead Candy, Chicken Littles, Flashabou Caddis, Sparkle Magots, Squirminator, Wiggle Stone, and Schmidts Caddis to name a few.  Grab a 10’ 6-8wt and aggressive nymphing line like the SA Anadro, and a nymph rig and you are set.  Using a Switch rod offers you much more versatility though.  Selecting the right setup can be very confusing so make sure you stop in or shoot us a call to simplify this journey.  Your basic Indi Switch setup consists of a 5-8wt rod, Rio Switch line to match the rod and the materials to build out your leader.  The longer Switch rod offers much better line control and ease of casting these heavy rigs.  You can then simply grab another spool for a dedicated swinging setup or grab the right sink tips to add to your indicator line.  

A dedicated swinging setup would consist of a Skagit head or integrated line from either SA or Rio, a running line if needed, and a variety of density and length sink tips.  Shoot us a call and we can help with selecting all of these.  If you need some help with learning the more advanced casts we are here to help.  Flies for swinging include Mini Indruders, Sili Leg Intruders, Jerry French Intruder, Dirty HOH, String Leach, Flow Ryder, A.I, Summer Sculpin and Stray Dog to name a few.  We have a lot of new flies for swinging so make sure to take a look as they have been treating us very well so far this season.  Calendars are filling fast for the remainder of the year so if you are planning on booking make sure you call in very soon.  We are here to help you with all your Steelhead needs.    


"Steelheading Made Simple" now available on our YouTube Channel:






Mad River Outfitters/Mad River Travel/Midwest Fly Fishing Schools

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Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363

Friday, December 15, 2017

Fishing Reports- 12/15/17


* 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.



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Warmwater


With the cold temps we have not been out fishing around town.  Water levels are starting to settle providing the hardcore fisherman some good opportunities for Saugeye and a few Hybrid Stripers.
    
Seasonal Tactics: 
Make sure to have some of Loon's Stanley's Ice Off Paste!  Focusing on Saugeye you will need sink tips fly lines with shad patterns, but most of your Smallmouth flies will do the trick.  The main objective here is to focus on patterns that give off plenty of vibration and have a lazy jigging motion.  Focus on hard bottom flats close to deep water during low light periods. This goes for both lakes and streams.  6-8wts with a sinking line like the Scientific Anglers Sonar series or Rio Streamer tip are your rigs of choice.  Flies will include Clousers, Mojo Minnows, Half and Halfs, Barely Legals, Mini and regular Dungeons, Meat Whistles, Whitlock's Deep Shad, Articulated Fat Head Minnow, Zoo Cougar, and other similar flies that push later and give off vibration.  If you tie your own flies make sure to add rattles, rubber legs, and Bucktail to your own versions of above.  

For the Crappie bite this time of the year (and when everything is not iced up) we like to borrow some tactics from the conventional fishing side the "Float n Fly Rig."  Fishing a float/bobber/indicator (whatever you want to call it) with a heavy minnow pattern like a Clouser and trail it with a smaller lightly weighted fly like a Crappie Special, Little Devil, or Wooly Worm is a great setup.  Target structure on drop offs either from shore or by boat.  These areas in the local reservoirs generally mean the dam faces and secondary or long points in the main lake.  

Do not forget that Pike and Musky fishing continues throughout the winter as long as conditions remain in our favor.  Shoot us a call if you are looking to book a trip!

Forecast:
Next week looks like things will warm up slightly.  Early on in the week with a touch of rain and above freezing temps look for the local waters to have a little stain from runoff as the top layers of soil thaw out.  Saugeye fishing will continue to be good along with Crappies if the ice melts off the local still waters.  



Mad River


Fishing has continued to be great despite the cold temps.  Icy guides and lines are just a part of the game this time of the year though.  Nymphing and swinging soft hackles deep have been the tickets.  Those fishing small streamers have also been picking up a fish or two, but with the air temps it has been a challenge.  Most individuals are focusing on the mid to lower river.  

We have some of the new Kelly Galloup's AirFlo lines in the shop!  These are what we have been waiting for a long time!  

Seasonal Tactics: 
Nymphing is the key this time of the year.  For this we like to fish long rods, indicators, and two flies.  The Rio Indicator leaders really help you cast these rigs.  The main go to nymphing sticks are the Sage ESN, Redington Hydrogen, TFO BVK and the new Pieroway Renegade 9'6" 5wt to name a few.  Tight line, High Stick, or Euro style tactics are also very productive. Grab a Euro Nymph and Euro Nymph line for that style or the Trout/Steelhead line for indicator/bobber fishing.  If you want to build your own leaders then add some Amnesia, Maxima Chameleon, Rio Two Tone Indicator tippet and a pack of tippet rings to your cart.  Don't forget the Fluorocarbon tippet also.

Flies to have right now are nymphs like Double Stones, Cranefly Larva, Guides Choice Hares Ear, Trophy Nymphs, Psycho Prince and your typical trout nymphs like the Prince, Copper John, and Hares Ear.  As we move further into winter conditions have some Phlamin Pheasants, Steelhead Candy, Formerly Known as Prince, Shop Dips, and Chicken Hawks to name a few.

Streamer fishing into the winter will consist of timing flows that are on the fall.  This window is very small, but well worth the wait.  Without the crops in the fields look for the water to take a bit longer to clear out, but that just means a few more hours for us streamer junkies.  When the conditions hover around freezing ice in the guides is just something that we deal with.  Stanley's Ice off Paste helps along with tapping the grip of the rod to shake off the excess water.  

Rigs for streamer fishing consist of 6-8wts and a sink tip line.  Fill your fly boxes with a vast array of fly colors and designs.  Galloup's Dungeons, Bottoms Up, and Atriculated Fatheads flies are a good start.  Also take a look at Kelly Galloup's book Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout to help you sort things out.  As always shoot us a call if you want a guided streamer trip. We run these all winter and typically produce some of our biggest fish of the year.  

Adding some spey casts to your arsenal can help keep the ice in the guides to a minimum. This is specifically helpful when nymphing.  The 9'6" 5wt or 10'6" 6wt Pieroway Renegade combined with the appropriate SA Anadro or Spey Lite Scandi are the top choices.  Also bring along your tenkara rods as this is a great option for the winter.  Combine these with the 4.5 Tenkara USA Level line and a yarn indicator if needed and your set.  

Forecast:  
Looking into this coming week things are going to be much easier.  The air temps will be above freezing pushing 50.  There is a slight bit of rain predicted that will only color up the water for a few hours.  This stain in the water will give us a small window to fish a few streamers.  Do not look for the flows to raise though.  Continue to fish your small streamers like Barely Legals, Sumps, Peanuts, Cactus Woolys, Cougars, and the like all on a sink tip lines.  Nymphing will continue to be your numbers choice though.  For things to get really good we need some significant rain really bad!  Nothing is in the forecast that will bring up the levels, but keep your fingers crossed! 




Clearfork River


Clearfork Map


The upper river is very low, slushy, and locking up in a few places.  With these conditions few individuals have been out fishing.  The lower river below Pleasant Hill Dam has been the most consistent water in the state.  Those that have made it up that way have found good flows with some shelf ice along the banks.  Most have been fishing tandem nymph rigs with a Double Stone trailed by a caddis nymph.   Ice in the guides has been a problem so those limiting the amount of line stripped through the guides have been the most successful.  Streamer fishing below the dam has also been a good choice, but with the air temps and icy guides it has been a challenge.

Seasonal Tactics: 
Like on the Mad, nymphing is the key this time of the year.  For this we like to fish long rods, indicators, and two flies.  The Rio Indicator leaders really help you cast these rigs.  The main go to nymphing sticks are the Sage ESN, Redington Hydrogen, TFO BVK and the new Pieroway Renegade 9'6" 5wt to name a few.  Tight line, High Stick, or Euro style tactics are also very productive. Grab a Euro Nymph and Euro Nymph line for that style or the Trout/Steelhead line for indicator/bobber fishing.  If you want to build your own leaders then add some Amnesia, Maxima Chameleon, Rio Two Tone Indicator tippet and a pack of tippet rings to your cart. Don't forget the Fluorocarbon tippet also.

Flies to have right now are nymphs like Double Stones, Cranefly Larva, Guide's Choice Hares Ear, Trophy Nymphs, Psycho Prince and your typical trout nymphs like the Prince, Copper John, and Hares Ear.  As we move further into winter conditions have some Phlamin Pheasants, Steelhead Candy, Formally Known as Prince, Shop Dips, and Chicken Hawks to name a few.

Streamer fishing into the winter will consist of timing flows that are on the fall.  This window is very small, but well worth the wait.  Without the crops in the fields look for the water to take a bit longer to clear out, but that just means a few more hours for us streamer junkies.  When the conditions hover around freezing ice in the guides is just something that we deal with.  Stanley's Ice off Paste helps along with tapping the grip of the rod to shake off the excess water.  

Rigs for streamer fishing consist of 6-8wts and a sink tip line.  We have some of the new Kelly Galloup's AirFlo lines in the shop that will be perfect for this type of fishing.  These are what we have been waiting for a long time!  Fill your fly boxes with a vast array of fly colors and designs. Galloup's Dungeons, Bottoms Up, and Atriculated Fatheads flies are a good start.  Also take a look at Kelly Galloup's book Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout to help you sort things out.  As always shoot us a call if you want a guided streamer trip.  We run these all winter and typically produce some of our biggest fish of the year.  


Adding some spey casts to your arsenal can help keep the ice in the guides to a minimum. This is specifically helpful when nymphing.  The 9'6" 5wt or 10'6" 6wt Pieroway Renegade combined with the appropriate SA Anadro or Spey Lite Scandi are the top choices.  Also bring along your tenkara rods as this is a great option for the winter.  Combine these with the 4.5 Tenkara USA Level line and a yarn indicator if needed and your set.  

Forecast:  
We are finally going to get some above freezing air temps.  Look for both sections of the river to be fishing well next week.  The upper will continue to be very low.  Long casts and drifts will be the top technique.  Euro nymphing tactics will put numbers to hand as well as slowly swinging small soft hackles.  Make sure to have your winter dry fly box handy as we can see some midge activity.  The lower river will continue to produce fish both nymphing and stripping streamers.  With the flows in the upper river being low look for most people to be heading to the Covered Bridge area below the dam.  We need some rain bad, but we will at least have decent conditions going into Christmas weekend. 



Clear Creek

Clear Creek Map


Fishing has been tough as the flows are low and the water is Gin clear.  Combine that with slushy water and most people have just been heading to the Mad River.  For those that have found some good water nymphing continues to be the best bet.  A small bead head fly like the Phlamin’ Pheasant, Psycho Prince, Copper John, and Trouphy Nymphs have produced the most success.  Trail these with an unweighted Hares Ear, Prince, or wet fly and your set. Tenkara setups are also a great choice for this creek.

With these conditions nymphing has been the most productive.  Yarn indicators and small bead heads have produces the best results.  Tenkara rods are a great choice for Clear Creek also.  For those willing to cover water and adjust tactics they have been rewarded with fish.  These fish are small, but the scenery is what usually brings people to the area.  

Seasonal Tactics:
Rigs for nymphing will consist of 3-5wt 9-10' + rods.  These rods provide great control, feel, and reach.  Although this creek is not very big a long rod allows for the best presentation and longer drifts.  Use a Rio Indicator Leader when float/bobber/indicator fishing or a Rio Euro Nymph leader when using Tightline tactics.  Streamer rods for this situation will be fast 4wts or 5-6wts. An aggressive Scientific Anglers MPX, Wulff Ambush or Rio Grand a 9' leader and a weighted streamer will set you on the right path.  As for Tenkara we really like the TFO Cutthroat, Tenkara USA Rhodo, Amago or Iwana for this creek.  Match those rods with either the Level Line 3.5/2.5 or the Tapered Nylon leader by Tenkara USA and you are ready to go.  If you want to use a small yarn indicator then bump your line up to the 4.5 Level Line or a Furled Mono that matches the rod length or slightly longer.  

Flies to have going into winter will be nymphs like Double Stones, Cranefly Larva, Guide's Choice Hares Ear, Trophy Nymphs, Psycho Prince and your typical trout nymphs like the Prince, Copper John, and Hares Ear.  Streamer fishing will require Mini Dungeons, Barely Legals, Wooly Buggers, Autumn Splendor, Clousers, Trick or Treats, Orange Blossoms, Cougars, Wooly Sculpins, Cactus Wooly, and Near Nuff Sculpin to name a few. 


Forecast:  
Looking ahead the warm up will be very welcomed.  Look for fish to be well distributed throughout the park.  Nymphing with your typical flies will be a good choice.  Make sure to have small indicators like the New Zealand yarn or the Loon Tip Toppers as the water is very clear. Make sure to have your winter dry fly box handy also as the midge fishing can be very good. We need some water bad.  So let’s hope for some rain or snow runoff soon.




Erie Steelhead

Gauge Links and Maps



Good friend and great customer John Myers started taking classes with us and buying gear this Summer. This was his 1st "official" fish on a fly rod.....on a MRO Float Trip with Josh McQueen last week.


ICE!  ICE!  ICE!  There is some open water, but it is very limited and only found in the fastest runs.  Most people have been heading to the Clear Fork, Mad River, or tying flies.  Those willing to cover miles of water and spend a lot of time in the car have found a FEW fish.  

Seasonal Tactics:
You will want to be prepared for just about any situation this time of the year as the weather can change very quickly.  Ideal conditions for us are flows with stain that keeps the fish comfortably on the feed and move.  The typical Indicator rig for us is either an Air Lock or Thingamabobber float on a custom build leader tied to our 7-8wt Scientific Anglers Anadro or Rio Trout Steelhead line.  These lines offer you the best line control and short roll casting ease.  

Our go to rods are 10' single handers or a switch rod in the 6-8wt range.  On this rig we will usually fish tandem fly rigs of two eggs, an egg and a nymph or a Wooly Bugger and an egg. Actual patterns for this type of fishing will include various colors of Wooly Buggers, Glo Bugs, Crystal Meth and Scrambled Egg also in various colors, Bloody Mary nymphs, Steelhead Candy, Chicken Littles, Steelhead and Wiggle Stones.  Do not overlook having a box of Trout Beads and Daiichi X510s or Tiemco 105s especially for those low clear flows.  Tippet sizes will range from 0x-3x fluorocarbon.  

The typical rig for swinging flies will consist of a switch rod in the 10'6"-11'9" 6-8wt range.  The new Jerry French Pieroway Renegade rods are the big talk in the shop as they are effortless to cast and light weight making them a dream to fish all day.  We have a great assortment of rods in the shop to meet your specific needs so make sure to stop by or shoot us a call.  Matching your switch rod with the right line can be intimidating if you do not have the proper guidance so make sure to also give us a call for advice!  For swinging either a Skagit or Scandi line with a  Rio or SA sink tip that meets your needs will get the job done.  Add a short piece of 12-20lb tippet and a Flow Ryder, A.I Intruder or others and you will be ready to find those "grabby" fish fresh out of the "Big Lake."  

As conditions hover around or below the freezing point learning some spey casts with mid to long belly lines keep the ice in the guides to a minimum.  These casts can be done with any fishing tactic not just swinging.  The most versatile lines for this are the Rio Switch and SA Anadro lines. Keep in mind that swinging flies can be done at any flow or condition, but a couple grabs will be a great day this time of the year.  

Forecast:
Going into next week we will see warmer temps and more open water.  Once the tribs open up, look for fish to be active and feeding.  Nymph rigs will put numbers in the net, but do not overlook your switch rod and swinging.  It only takes a few degree temperature change to make these fish fire up get grabby.  The flows will continue to be low, but will spike slightly due to runoff and the slight chance of rain.  Make sure to be prepared for any water condition as things change very quickly up there this time of the year.  



Good friend and great customer Erik Arce on a float trip with Josh last weekend. Yet another Midwest Fly Fishing School Alumni. Love to see our students and their successes.


We are continuing to book guide trips daily so make sure to contact us with a couple of your date options! We have a few tricks up our sleeve and are still getting folks into fish despite the tough conditions.


Click Here to check out the details and pricing on our Steelhead Alley Guide Service



Mad River Outfitters/Mad River Travel/Midwest Fly Fishing Schools

Fly Shop, Guides, Trips, Classes, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363