***PSA: This time of the year the ODNR stocks small Brown Trout at various bridges along the 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 dull colored fish in the 10” range change locations to another stretch of river far away from the bridges. Fall also means spawning time for Brown Trout. During this time some of the biggest fish in the river are in shallow water on gravel. Out of ethics these fish should be observed, but not pestered with fishing pressure.***
Flows have been a broken record for many months…low and clear. With the cold temps the fish have been more cooperative and prepping for their Fall spawn. Leaves continues to be an issue as the Sycamores and small bushes are dropping. Most of the leaves have not even begun to turn so we are in for a prolonged leaf hatch this year. Combine these with low flows and fishing can be a challenge. Success has come to those who are willing to be diverse in technique and stealthy in approach. With the amount of baitfish in the river this time of the year a lot of fish have been caught on small streamers dead drifted close to structure. Despite the low water some very nice fish have come to those who fish far from the stockers at the bridges and target ideal holding areas with flow.
Forecast:
Looking at the forecast we are not going to get any relief from the low and clear conditions. Make sure to be very stealthy and plan out your approach as you cover water. Caddis and a few very small mayflies will be your main dries. Nymphs will be caddis like Nitro, Core Caddis, Drowned Caddis, Net Builder and the like. Mayfly nymphs will be small Pheasant Tails, Peacock Hares Ear, Spanish Bullets, Purple Hot Spots, and Gray Quill jigs. Cover a lot of water and maybe explore a new section of the river with your “A” trout game and you will be rewarded.
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 streamers can be difficult. Nymphing is a better choice during these water conditions for numbers of fish. 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.
"Made a trip to the Mad River yesterday with modest expectations because of windy conditions that can dump lots of leaves in the river. As expected, the leaves were an issue with half of my drifts catching twigs, branches and leaves. I did however persevere and had a so-so day with several 12" trout landed from deep riffles later in the afternoon. Around 6:00 I decided to head back to the car and tied on a white streamer for my trip downstream. After 30 minutes I had not seen a strike and figured my day was over . As I approached a shallow glide downstream from a large log , I thought I saw a dimple on the surface of the water. I assumed it was a small - medium trout feeding on drifting insects and it occurred to me that a soft hackle fly would be a better choice than my white streamer. I made the change and swung the fly through the area . After several casts I was surprised by a 24" Brightly colored male Brown. Not sure if he would have eaten the streamer or if the surface dimple was a different fish, but it worked out OK. One of my better days on the river."
- Bill Rice- from October 4th
"A picture of a fish taken on a cell phone is just that. Dear friends let tell you i had a $1000 day at the Mad river today. I think because most of the canoe traffic has slowed down considerably. Today i caught ten brown trout that put as much bend in my rod as any smallmouth. My three flies that did the trick were the Adams dry fly, the Henryville special and the bwo. Two years ago when i took the entomology class (with Brian at the shop) i rejected all the flies. One by one a purchased each one of the top 5 flies. I fished them until i caught a trout. I began tying my own flies about one year ago. It seemed overwhelming at first when i priced out the cost of materials for just one or two flies. I just began collecting materials with an allowance i gave myself. I can only say that being able tie and put fresh flies into my flybox is more than worth it. The fish in the picture was caught on a size 14 Adams."
- Jacob Arima from October 3rd
