* 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.
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.
In the News
* Special THANKS again to Jeff Liskay for a GREAT "Switch and Spey" weekend a few weeks ago. He did a fantastic job and a good time was had by all. Also Thanks to Doug Scott from Patagonia who was on hand to help out as well and share some info about the great fly fishing related prodcuts from this great company. Seems we may have posted a Blog here where you can read a bit more about this great weekend but surely wanted to mention it here.
Keep your eyes on the website! Announced this week will be a "Swingin'" Alaska trip in September 2017 hosted by Jeff himself. He and a small group of lucky anglers will be holed up at Katmai Trophy Lodge on the Naknek and swinging flies for some of the baddest rainbow trout and arctic char on the planet! (look for pics soon too).
* The Louisiana Redfish Trip was off the charts this year. Brian and the gang had a blast and caught a ton...yes a ton....of giant redfish. He claims he'll be writing something up here for the Blog this week and will get some of the photos up. The 2017 trip is already on the website and mostly full. If interested, don't wait too long!
The 2016 Redfish Group at Woodland Plantation- A FANTASTIC group of guys!
* The guys and gals in the shop have been gearing up for the holidays and the store is looking good! Lots of new merchandise! If you're in the area, stop by and say hello...you'll be glad you did!
* If you are not on our e-mail list, you might want to sign-up. There will be some great promos, specials and events going on throughout the holidays. Hit the home page of our website and the link to sign-up is in the upper right.
* Linda Farner, our softgoods manager, is planning a "Ladies Night" coming up on Tuesday, December 5th. We should have details up on the website this coming week. Great chance for the gals to stop in and get some great deals for themselves or for gifts.
* We have started a new season of filming and will be posting new stuff on our YouTube Channel pretty regularly starting in a few weeks. We have posted a few teasers here recently but will get the good stuff up soon. Check out our YouTube channel HERE.
Warmwater
* Warmwater fishing throughout the state continues! Many folks still hitting the warmwater streams and doing well. Smallmouth, some white bass, a few stripers here and there. Even with all of the leaves in the water we are still hearing good to excellent reports from around Central Ohio.
* Musky fishing has been a bit tough but only due to the low water. Pat is still hoping for a good season, but gonna need some rain before it really kicks-in. He is out today on a guide trip down near the Ohio River but we have yet to hear how they did. Hopefully we'll have something to report here shortly.
* Pike fishing HAS remained strong. Guide trips are going extremely well and both Pat and Josh have been getting folks into great fishing.
"Had a great time on the water with our guide Pat. He went above and beyond the call to put us on fish. Was quite impressed with his wealth of knowledge and determination. Looking forward to booking again with Pat. Would give him an 11 on a scale of 1to 10
Thanks again"- Dan Germuska
Way to go Pat!!!- Continuing the tradition of EXCEEDING our customer's expectations.
* Anybody out there still doing well on warmwater species? Let us know! Any good photos the next two weeks will get a FREE MRO Hat! Send the photo with your name and address and we'll send you out a FREE Mad River Outfitters lid!!!!! (Warmwater species).
Mad River
Wow. Just as we have been saying all Summer, the Mad is horribly low. Again, not sure that we have seen anything like this in our 30+ years of fishing and guiding the river.
Factor in the leaves that are now clogging the system and it is making fishing tough to impossible.
Yes, this is getting old, but we aren't going to make up stories here just to get you out fishing. We desperately need the leaves off the trees and then a big push of water to clean them out. Until then, things will remain tough.
That being said, there have been a few folks out fishing and catching a few fish. Mostly on nymphs, as streamer fishing is next to impossible with the leaves.
Dry fly fishing is challenging also with the leaves but we have still seen some small caddis and some #18-22 BWO types flitting around. Not much surface activity though but we did have a few fish caught on dries in the upper river this week.
If you go, make sure it's not too windy.
Once the leaves fall, let's hope we get a gullywasher to get our Fall Streamer season kicked-in.
Clearfork River
Same story here....although maybe even worse.
Both stretches of the Clearfork are horribly low and the leaves are making fishing virtually impossible. Not that you couldn't go and catch a fish or two, as some have, but we simply cannot write a glowing report.
The leaves will come down. Hopefully another week and we'll be in the clear. But then, we need a really good push of water to get the Fall season going.
Until then.
Both stretches of the Clearfork are horribly low and the leaves are making fishing virtually impossible. Not that you couldn't go and catch a fish or two, as some have, but we simply cannot write a glowing report.
The leaves will come down. Hopefully another week and we'll be in the clear. But then, we need a really good push of water to get the Fall season going.
Until then.
Clear Creek
A few folks have ventured down to Clear Creek the past week and done o.k. but it's the same story. Low, clear, and choked with leaves. The fish that have been caught have been on small dries on the surface.
We have felt like a broken record here this season but it really has been horribly dry. WE NEED RAIN!!!!!!!
We have felt like a broken record here this season but it really has been horribly dry. WE NEED RAIN!!!!!!!
Erie Steelhead
Gonna be a busy weekend on "Steelhead Alley". We have had tons of folks through the shop and on the phone the past 3 or 4 days who are heading up tonight and tomorrow in search of steel. We hope to have some good reports here but as we have been telling folks, it's gonna be tough!
The big news is the leaves. With the water being so low, most streams are literally choked with leaves which makes the fishing challenging to say the least. Again, not that you can't go catch a few steelhead, but tough conditions at best.
As Jerry Darkes always says: "Once the leaves are off the trees and the water 'greens-up', that's when steelhead season starts".
Right now, the Vermilion is simply too low to fish. It's crazy how low it is. Much lower and it may just dry right up. No biggie though as it's still a bit early to be finding a bunch of fish that far
West anyways.
West anyways.
The Rocky and Chagrin did come up on Wednesday, which helped, but they are back down to very low and clear again right now. The Grand the same story although it might be a "best bet" for the weekend. Many times, being the largest trib, the leaf problem is not as dramatic as some of the smaller tribs.
The Ashtabula and Conneaut are also "best bets" for the weekend. Although low, clear and choked with leaves, they have still be producing a few fish. Conneaut in particular has a bit better flows than the rest right now.
We have been telling folks all week to "Head East".
Elk Creek over in PA, along with the mile creeks do have a mess of steelhead in them but combine the leaves with the low clear water and mix in about a million anglers lining the banks...you get the picture.
All this being said, we have had some guide trips out as well as a few scouting missions that proved pretty successful. There are certainly some fish, and some nice Manistee fish, showing up in the system.
Let's get this water "Greened-Up", get a few days of good rain, and we'll be in business.
Thanks for all the calls this week by the way....and the business. We really appreciate the trust you all put in MRO and MRO's guides. As always, if we haven't put a report up here, FEEL FREE to give us a call. We are always happy to share what we know. (Feedback helps too...let us know how you are doing).
Here's a few pics from the past week:
Mad River Outfitters
Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!
813 Bethel Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
614-451-0363
