*
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.
Bass
fishing has picked up big time around the city and throughout the
state. We have BIG Lake run Smallmouth heading into the tributaries as
the Steelhead are leaving, pond Largemouth bass are starting to head
shallow, local Smallmouth bass are being caught as the flows drop and
clear, and we are seeing White Bass and Hybrid Stripers pushing into
feeder creeks of the reservoirs. The Bass techniques are very
consistent focusing on sink tip lines and rods in the 6-8wt range and
lightly weighted to neutrally buoyant flies.
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.
Upcoming Trips
Alaska- "Silvers and Bows"
August 11th- 18th with host Josh McQueen
Click Here for details and pricing
San Juan River- Soaring Eagle Lodge
September 14th- 19th with host Brian Flechsig
1-Spot OPEN
Click Here for details and pricing
Alaska- "Naktoberfest"
September 29th- October 6th with hosts Jerry Darkes and Jeff Liskay
Click Here for details and pricing
Andros Island Bonefish
February 16th- 23rd, 2019 with host Brian Flechsig
Click Here for details and pricing
Midwest Fly Fishing Schools
David Mangels from Cincinnati attended our 2-Day Fly Fishing School in April- picutred here with instructor Jerry Darkes
Laurel Kennedy from Granville, Ohio caught her 1st trout on the fly during the 2-day School in April
Upcoming Schools-
Sunday, May 20th- 1-Day School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th- 2-Day School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Sunday, June 24th- 1-Day School- Zanesfield Rod and Gun Club- Register Here
Saturday, August 25th- 1-Day School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Saturday and Sunday, September 22nd and 23rd- 2-Day School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Sunday, September 30th- 1-Day School- Zanesfield Rod and Gun Club- Register Here
Saturday and Sunday, October 13th and 14th- 2-Day Intermediate School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Sunday, October 28th- 1-Day School- Sunnybrook Trout Club- Register Here
Warmwater
Flies
like Peanuts, Murdich Minnows, Dungeons, Bang Tails, Long Strip Craw,
Near Nuff Sculpin, Woolhead Sculpin, Zoo Cougar, Cactus Wooly, J-Pigs,
Reapers, and Articulated Fat Heads to name a few. As the streams warm
the fish will begin to push up out of winter holding areas heading
toward spawning locations.
Forecast:
Winter is officially over and the fish will continue to prep for spawning. In the ponds and lakes there are plenty of small bass roaming the shallows. Keep an eye out for those bigger fish as they will be moving shallower focusing on structure. With the temps this coming week spawning beds will start showing up and more cruising big fish. The big pre-spawn Smallies will continue to push up stream. Targeting holding areas below riffles, log jams, and bridges are a great place to start. These areas concentrate fish as they wait for raising water levels or conditions to improve. Make sure to have your stream thermometer handy as water temps are everything this time of the year. Grab your above mentioned rigs and head to the river or lakes.
Winter is officially over and the fish will continue to prep for spawning. In the ponds and lakes there are plenty of small bass roaming the shallows. Keep an eye out for those bigger fish as they will be moving shallower focusing on structure. With the temps this coming week spawning beds will start showing up and more cruising big fish. The big pre-spawn Smallies will continue to push up stream. Targeting holding areas below riffles, log jams, and bridges are a great place to start. These areas concentrate fish as they wait for raising water levels or conditions to improve. Make sure to have your stream thermometer handy as water temps are everything this time of the year. Grab your above mentioned rigs and head to the river or lakes.
"Thanks Jim Andrix for your creation of the lil bugger .
Never lets me down in the spring .Urban smallmouth on a lunch break"- Jeff Aufdencamp
Never lets me down in the spring .Urban smallmouth on a lunch break"- Jeff Aufdencamp
Dr.
Neal Murphy with a surprise Ohio Pike on a smallmouth float with guide
Josh McQueen. Ohio Pike fishing has been excellent as well.
There have been many calls and walk-ins asking about the current situation with the hatches. Bottom line is that we are not really sure what to tell you. We can tell you the Brian and the folks that have been guiding are claiming this has been one of the worst dry fly seasons in years. Not many bugs and even fewer rising fish.
Here is what we CAN tell you:
There continues to be sporadic Hendrickson throughout the river, but the Sulphurs have started showing up, and that usually signals the end of the Hendricksons. It seems that the Hendricksons have hatched sporadically throughout April and we really never saw a "peak". Light Cahills are also around along with March Browns and some various caddis. But yet.....few rising fish.
Right now is the time to have a diverse box of Pheasant Tails and Hares Ear nymphs in 12-16, Soft hackles in green, yellow and natural pheasant also in the same sizes, and plenty of Sulphur dries in 16-18 and various colors. Right now the trout are not as finicky as they will be in a couple weeks, but that does not mean you can just slap a dry out there and catch a fish. Now is the time to perfect your reach casts and aerial mending. Match your 3-5wt rods with a Rio Gold, SA Trout, or Triangle taper and a Rio Supple Flex leader and you are set. If you need some help with these cast make sure to schedule a private casting class and we will help you change your dry fly game. If wet flies are more of your game nymphing and swinging Soft Hackles continues to produce. Mastering these techniques will produce just about any day of the year. The growing popularity with Euro nymphing offers a very productive tactic for those times when a hatch does not appear to be active above water. The TFO Drift rod or the Redington Hydrogen coupled with the Rio Euro Nymph line and leader are great options. Flows continue to be slightly elevated providing some good streamer opportunities for those willing to adapt to the clear conditions. Smaller streamers in natural colors is a good place to start.
Forecast:
We will continue to see great dry fly weather through next week. Look for caddis and midges to be the main morning action and mayflies to focus on the evenings. This is a great time of the year to fish the Mad as there is plenty of bug activity. All stretches of the river will be producing fish for those who come prepared and willing to change tactics.
"The beginning and the end of an amazing day, courtesy of Brian Flechsig and @madriveroutfitters- beautiful day, lots of fun. Brian made me a (much) better angler and oh yeah, caught some nice fish too. Mad river really is a gem- the shop and the water." - Will Umphres
A regular on Spring floats in the AuSable boat with Brian- Will Umphres from Cincinnati
Clearfork River
Clearfork Map
The Clear Fork has been a great choice for those wanting a change from Steelhead fishing up north. The upper river continues to offer good hatches in the afternoon and into the evenings. Most people are nymphing late mornings and then switching to dries as they find feeding fish. Hendrickson and Sulphurs are the main bugs right now, but we are starting to see a few caddis, March Browns and a few Cahills in the evenings. March Browns and Cahills are a must for the next few weeks and even into June.
The Clear Fork has been a great choice for those wanting a change from Steelhead fishing up north. The upper river continues to offer good hatches in the afternoon and into the evenings. Most people are nymphing late mornings and then switching to dries as they find feeding fish. Hendrickson and Sulphurs are the main bugs right now, but we are starting to see a few caddis, March Browns and a few Cahills in the evenings. March Browns and Cahills are a must for the next few weeks and even into June.
Streamer
fishing has been more focused on the lower river below Pleasant Hill
dam. This area offers a great opportunity to camp right next to the
river. Also the lower river holds a big variety of species. Stripping a
streamer can offer just about every game species of fish the state has
to offer. For the upper river have a diverse box of Pheasant Tails and
Hares Ear nymphs in 14-18, Soft hackles in green, yellow and natural
pheasant also in the same sizes, and plenty of Sulphur dries in 16-18
and various colors. The growing popularity with Euro nymphing offers a
very productive tactic for those times when a hatch does not appear to
be active above water. The TFO Drift rod or the Redington Hydrogen
coupled with the Rio Euro Nymph line and leader are great options.
Streamer options are 6-8wts, sink tip lines and various streamers in
shad colors like the Barely Legal, Dungeon, Clouser, Peanut, Bottom's
Up, Boogie Man and Murdich Minnow.
Forecast:
Look for dry fly fishing to continue to improve. Sulphurs, March Browns and Lt Cahills will be on the menu as the Hendricksons come to an end. Have your dry fly box well stocked with those and caddis of various sizes and colors. If you see only a few fish rising a good trick is to fish a dry with Galloup's Sunken Spinner as the dropper. This will give the fish a couple bug stages to choose from. In the lower river we have about a month before we have good popper fishing, but do not be surprised if you have some bass or panfish grab a caddis or mayfly dry while fishing for trout. Streamer fishing as mentioned above is the most productive choice for below the dam.
Look for dry fly fishing to continue to improve. Sulphurs, March Browns and Lt Cahills will be on the menu as the Hendricksons come to an end. Have your dry fly box well stocked with those and caddis of various sizes and colors. If you see only a few fish rising a good trick is to fish a dry with Galloup's Sunken Spinner as the dropper. This will give the fish a couple bug stages to choose from. In the lower river we have about a month before we have good popper fishing, but do not be surprised if you have some bass or panfish grab a caddis or mayfly dry while fishing for trout. Streamer fishing as mentioned above is the most productive choice for below the dam.
"Dear
friends at Mad River Outfitters, thank you for the information that you
have taught me from conversations we've had while I was in shopping and
visiting, the classes, the online tutorials. I have learned more about
the art of fly fishing than I ever thought I would. This mourning I woke
up and made coffee and decided to drive out to Clearfork and possibly
even the mohican state park. To do that i needed to tie a few flies for
the days adventure. I tied 2 henryville specials, a muddle minnow and an
olive woolly bugger. I stopped off the road on the upper section and
made a few casts and observed march browns and fish rising. Thanks for
everything."- Jacob Arima
***We
absolutely love to hear kind words like this from great friends and
customers. It has been our pleasure to help Jacob along his journey and
to watch him grow as an angler. One of the many blessings of being able
to do what we do for a living. Thanks right back at you Jacob. We
appreciate your friendship and keep up the good work!
Clear Creek
Clear Creek Map
Hatches of small caddis, a few Hendricksons, and some Sulphurs have been showing up.
Despite
these hatches most fish have been caught on nymphs and wet flies.
Right now is the time to have a diverse box of Pheasant Tails and Hares
Ear nymphs in 14-18, Soft hackles in green, yellow and natural pheasant
also in the same sizes, and plenty of Sulphur dries in 16-18 and various
colors. The growing popularity with Euro nymphing offers a very
productive tactic for those times when a hatch does not appear to be
active above water. The TFO Drift rod or the Redington Hydrogen coupled
with the Rio Euro Nymph line and leader are great options. This is
also a great location to perfect your Tenkara technique. The Iwana or
the new Hane are great choices from TenkaraUSA while the whole line from
TFO also get the job done. Fishing continues to be tough as
regulations have changed allowing people to keep anything. The fish
that have been caught are very small. Despite what the Wildlife
officers state it seems like the stocking amounts were also lower last
fall. We will see what happens this fall when they change up the
stocking program. As for Smallmouth fishing it is a little early, but
there have been a few resident fish caught.
Forecast:
Hatches will continue to improve as we go into next week. Look for the evening to be the best opportunity to dry fly fish. Cover water using a stealthy approach is the best way to catch fish when conditions are very clear. Euro Nymphing or using a small yarn indicator is a must to find success. Having a 5-6wt and a box of small bass streamers is a good choice as there can be some good bass fishing as the water warms.
Hatches will continue to improve as we go into next week. Look for the evening to be the best opportunity to dry fly fish. Cover water using a stealthy approach is the best way to catch fish when conditions are very clear. Euro Nymphing or using a small yarn indicator is a must to find success. Having a 5-6wt and a box of small bass streamers is a good choice as there can be some good bass fishing as the water warms.
"I
caught this brown at Clear Creek Park this morning on a hare's ear
nymph. Thanks for the advice yesterday. Keep up the great work!"- Daniel
Green
Erie Steelhead
Gauge Links and Maps
Probably our last Steelhead report of the season. Although there are certainly still a few fish to be had, it is mostly winding down. The warm weather the past week has any remaining steelhead moving back into the lake.
Our thoughts are now turning to Lake Run Smallmouth!
Forecast:
As stated, you can still find some steelhead around but we are in the final stages of the Spring 2018 season. Good numbers of huge smallmouth are showing up and man are they aggressive. We should see good smallie fishing in the tribs up into the 2nd week of June or so. Big white streamers are just about all you need on a sink tip or Titan Clear Tip line. Stop in the shop or give us a call and we can help you out.
Probably our last Steelhead report of the season. Although there are certainly still a few fish to be had, it is mostly winding down. The warm weather the past week has any remaining steelhead moving back into the lake.
Our thoughts are now turning to Lake Run Smallmouth!
Guides have been out and are ready to go! Lake Run Smallmouth Trips booking now!
Forecast:
As stated, you can still find some steelhead around but we are in the final stages of the Spring 2018 season. Good numbers of huge smallmouth are showing up and man are they aggressive. We should see good smallie fishing in the tribs up into the 2nd week of June or so. Big white streamers are just about all you need on a sink tip or Titan Clear Tip line. Stop in the shop or give us a call and we can help you out.
Thanks for an amazing 2017/2018 Steelhead Season! Our best on record by a long shot! We appreciate the opportunity to help find and catch Erie steelhead whether through our guides, on the phone, in the shop or the online store. We thank you for your trust and support.
“I want to thank you all, for your help. THANKS!”- Lori Ash
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
