Steelhead Alley Fishing Reports

The Mad has come up a bit with the rains the past two days but not really what we needed. The weekend should bring fishable water levels with just a touch of stain. Will most likely be back down to low status by Sunday.

The big problem the next 2-3 weeks will be the leaves. Pretty much going to limit us to nymph fishing. Streamer fishing will be challenging at best, as you will be snagging leaves on each cast. Large nymphs like Craneflies, Big Nasties, Jimmy Legs, Bitch Creeks etc. are really your best bet right now. Fish them deep as you can in the deepest holes. Also typically want to have some San Juan Worms this time of year. They typically do well when the leaves are falling for some reason. Maybe they just stand out?

Not much to report on the dry fly front other that some tiny BWO’s and Pseudocloens but the fish really haven’t been feeding much on them. Combine that with the leaves and again, best to stick to nymphs.

Hopefully we can get some more water in the river in time for the leaves to disappear and we can get to streamer fishing! There are plenty of big fish in the river and they need catching.

In the meantime, be sure to mark your Calendar for next Saturday, October 29th. There is a public forum entitled “The Mad River: Finding Common Ground II” Anyone interested in the Mad River Watershed is invited to attend. It will be held at the Gloria Theater in downtown Urbana.

You can find some information on the Madmen TU website HERE.

Let us know how you do this weekend and here’s a quick note that we got from good friend and contributor Jose Olivas:

“Went fishing in the Lower Mad and this happened:

Then went to the Upper Mad chub fishing and this happened:

Clearfork River

A slight bump in flows the past few days but still not really enough to get things cranking. The lower temps and change in weather will surely help things along though.

If you were to fish the Clearfork, surely it would be on the upper. The lower is still not much more than a trickle. Same story here though with the leaves. They are gonna be a major bummer the next 2-3 weeks or so. On a windy day, they could be a deal breaker.

Stick with nymphs and for now, the larger the better!

Here’s a quick report and pic from friend and customer Brian Urias:

“Was fishing with a buddy and he caught 2 browns and i lost one. We were fishing very hard from friday through saturday. Using, Tricos, Pheasant tails, hares ears, and mainly caddis larvae. But then my buddy got the idea to put a wax worm on a size 14 scud hook and it surprisingly did the trick.I’ll send a photo of the one of guys he caught”- Brian Urias

Clear Creek

Clear Creek is up and muddy as we speak. Looks like it may crest here and may be fishable Sunday? We’ll try to keep an eye on it and let you know with an update here….or call the shop.

Ryan has been fishing a bit down there and is struggling. He’s not finding many holdover fish which is not a great sign. With the Summer that we had, it’s not overly surprising. Hard to say.

With the change in the weather and a bit of water hopefully we can get some quality time on the stream and learn different.

If you get out, please let us know how you do!

Erie Steelhead

Finally, some rain that actually brings hope of Steelhead!

Here is what we know as of Friday night-

The Vermilion is coming up and pretty well blown out. Hard to say at this point when it will fish. We haven’t heard of many fish in the river yet though which is common. May be a few weeks yet and a few more pushes of water before we start thinking about fishing her.

The Rocky and Chagrin are blown out and will probably be the 1st of the week before we think about fishing. Once they do drop though there should be some fish around.

The Grand has also shot up and is a bit high. Hoping we can get out there on Sunday for the Class with Jeff. We just spoke to him and if not, the group will head over to the Conneaut.

The Ashtabula and Conneaut are both up and muddy right now but if they crest this evening, these two could be the HOT ticket in Ohio for the weekend….especially come Sunday.

Elk and the PA tribs are a bit blown today but should come down and fish this weekend. Most reports should have fish spread throughout PA with this water. It’s game on over there but will also be a zoo.

As with anywhere else in the state right now, leaves will be a problem. Mostly stick to nymph fishing and you should be fine. The streamer bite can be good to great though this time of year if you get a break from the leaves.

Once the leaves are gone though, we should see the water “green up”….and that’s when things really kick-in around here.

Several of our guides have been communicating with Charter Captains out on the lake and they are doing VERY well at the mouths of the creeks. Seems that fish are stacked-up out there and ready to run. More so than in years past. This is good news for the season and this push of water should kick things off here in Ohio.

In the meantime, we are looking forward to our visit from Jeff LIskay this weekend. Should have some reports and pics up on Social Media as it happens. Thrilled to offer this level of instructor to our clients!

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 4/8/16

October 23, 2026April 8, 2016

Mad River

After a banner weekend with the higher flows, things have slowed up this week. Pretty much expected with the gray, rains and cooler temps.

No reports of bugs this week and probably not going to be a weekend to look for dry fly fishing ahead anyways. Best we can hope now will be that things stabilize next week and we get some warmth and sun. We can tell you, that the 1st few days that we do get warm sunshine could be the best dry fly days of the year. Those who love fishing the Hendricksons should be watching the weather reports religiously and planning sick days!!!

The good news is that the river is in good shape for the weekend. Bad news is that they are calling for 1-2″ of snow overnight and it’s going to be cold. If you do get out, it’s going to be a nymph and streamer game for sure.

Pat Kelly is floating the river today with clients and we’ll hopefully get some pics at some point. Keep your eyes on Social Media today and tomorrow for updates.

Here’s a few pics from last weekend’s “streamer silliness”:

Frequent contributor and friend Bryan Clem was out with Josh and Jeff doing some filming for some upcoming promos you will see on YouTube.

MRO Guide Josh McQueen- Dirty Water + Pike Flies = Giant Brown Trout in Ohio

Later in the week, Facebook contributor Jerry Rodgers sent us this report:

“Hit the mad yesterday (4/5/16) in the afternoon. was quite a few fish feeding on or just below the surface. I was unable to convince any to strike. Threw pheasant tail (12 -n- 14) a cdc student (18) parachute adams (14 -n- 16) even tried a san juan worm and wooly buggers…..the chubs loved what I was tossing the trout not so much…”

****Please make note of the ODNR “Creel Survey” that is going on now…runs April 1st- November 1st. It is very important that we help these guys out by completing the Survey Cards and sending them in after outings. You can read more on our Blog from 4/2 and we’ll post it again periodically throughout the season.

The Survey cards are available in the shop and we can also send them out to you if you can’t make it in the shop. We’ll be happy to drop some in the mail to you free of charge. Once completed they are postage paid so all you have to do is drop them in the mail.

This is a great chance for those of us that fish the Mad to help the ODNR to help the river!

Clearfork River

The Clearfork has been up this week so not many reports but it looks like it could be a good weekend…..and a streamer weekend. If you have been keeping up, you know that the streamer fishing on the Upper stretch has been nothing short of fantastic!

The Upper is high and dirty right now but dropping and should be perfect conditions for throwing the big stuff. Black articulated flies like the Peanut Envy, Sex Dungeon or Articulated Fathead have been working extremely well. If black doesn’t do it, go to white. If that doesn’t do it, try olive, then yellow. Fish hard and you should be rewarded.

The lower is still pretty high and not too wadeable but that might change over the weekend. Of course, they are expecting more snow in this area than down here in Columbus so it might not be the best of conditions here for a few days. We’ll keep our eyes on it over the weekend and let you know.

****Send us a report and a pic from the Clearfork this week and we’ll get you out a FREE MRO Hat and the new MRO/Ohio sticker!!! Be sure to send along your address and we’ll get them right out as a thanks for contributing to the MRO Fishing Reports.

We’ll be posting the new MRO/Ohio stickers for all to see in the next reports coming up next week. Stay tuned…it’s a pretty cool sticker.

Clear Creek

The Clear Creek really didn’t budge this week much with all the rains….and that could be one of the answers to the question below. It does seem that the fishing did slow with the gray skies and cooler temps though. Not as many glowing reports this week as in the past few.

We did get this note from frequent contributor Elliot Cantwell:

“Fished for a few hours the last few days, saw two hendricksons before the rain started in. A few fish each day nothing like previos weeks. Olive caddis pupa and gold bead hares ear took all the fish.

Also there is this brown slime coating all the runs and rocks. I’m trying to figure out what it is. Any idea? It is completely smothering the stream bead in riffles and runs. I don’t know if this is common for this creek( this my first spring on it) but this won’t bode well for spring hatches, also should I have seen the hat you sent in the mail by now?”

MRO Responses:

Elliot,

Ryan Ratliff here in the shop who is our Clear Creek “guy” is checking into this. We have calls into the park manager and also to the EPA.

Our best guess is that this is pretty normal algae that bloomed during the warmer weather and has now died off due to the cold water temps (thus the brown color now). Combine that with the fact that the stream did not blow out with the rains and we might have our answer.

Ryan also said that he would get eyes on the stream tomorrow and get a better diagnosis.

We’ll let you know what we come up with. BTW….your Hat and MRO/Ohio sticker are on the way to you today! Thanks a ton as always for submitting reports and pics. Keep them coming!!!!

Erie Steelhead

After a few weeks here of good to fantastic steelhead fishing, it looks like we’ll be out of the game here for a few days.

Most streams have blown out with the precip and are just now cresting and starting to head in a positive direction. Regardless, it will be a few days here……

The V, Rocky, Chagrin and Conneaut are all blown out and we really won’t think of fishing until Sunday or Monday at this point. The Ashtabula and tribs to the Grand might be in play for tomorrow and Sunday and that’s really about it. Add to that, they are expecing MORE snow tonight and tomorrow and that may change things for the worse.

For those that have guide trips booked, no worries, we will get you out though as our guides have a few “tricks” up their sleeves as you have seen in reports from the past few weeks during high water situations.

The good news is that this push of water should bring us yet another push of fresh fish, giving us a fantastic mix of fresh fish, drop backs and spawning fish. We have had many folks asking if we thought the season was over and the answer is absolutely “No”. Especially with the “Winter Like” weather, we have WEEKS of good steelhead fishing ahead.

We’ll let you know as things change and we are back out on the main rivers. In the meantime, here’s a few highlights since the last report:

Good friend and great customer Chris Blau was out on a guide trip this past Sunday with guide Patrick Campbell-

“Brian,

You were right, I’m glad I called and got a trip booked. Patrick [Campbell] was a great guide and had us on fish most of the day. It was a slow start given the white out snow conditions the night before and freezing temperatures. I think final count was 8 in the net. Missed enough that I’m ready to go again.

Awesome trip!”- Chris Blau

MRO Guide Josh McQueen did a little fishing/scouting on his own this week and got this to the net! One of the cool things about steelhead fishing in Ohio this time of year is that you never know quite what will hit your fly. Sometimes the “by-species” can be just as much fun as the “target-species”

We’ll let you know what we do and always feel free to call the shop for an “up-to-the-minute” report!

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/29/16

October 23, 2026March 29, 2016

***THANKS for all of the reports and pics this week friends. Although we can’t use or reference all, they are appreciated. Keep them coming!***

Mad River

4/1/16 Weekend Update- The river did blow out pretty good with the rains. The very upper reaches may fish tomorrow and will probably be looking good on Sunday. The lower river will probably still be a bit high for most tomorrow and will come into great “streamer shape” on Sunday.

We did have more reports of Hendricksons on Wednesday but they were sporadic. There were fish feeding though. The rain Weds night and yesterday put the brakes on for a few but we may be back at it over the next few days. We’ll check in early next week and post some reports and pics from the weekend.

3/29/16- The Mad is in good shape and continues to fish well. We have been getting report after report of good catches. Mostly nymphs and streamers the past few days but will again be looking for dries as the weather warms.

As you saw in our last report, we did see confirmed Hendricksons a week ago today. A few other folks spottted them mid to lower river as well. Problem is, with the weather and temps fluctuating, they will be sporadic. Seems as if another cold front is coming through with some rain and that will probably slow them up yet again. They love warmth and sunshine and typically won’t hatch in this cooler weather. We’ll keep an eye out for sure and let us know if you see anything.

In the meantime, here’s some reports from friends over the past few days:

“Got out on the mad for the first time this morning. Drove 6 hours round trip to fish for two hours. Managed to get one before leaving, and moved another. Took a “mikes meal ticket”.

Water looked good despite the apparent spike in flow, although I’m not sure what it normally looks like. Nice green tint and about two feet of vis I would say. Fished down from county line. Only made it a couple hundred yards down though. My first time down there and my first time chucking streamers, unfortunately I was a little preoccupied to really be able to fish hard.

Can’t wait to get back down there. I know there are some big fish hunting that water.

Thought you might wanna pic for the report.”- Trey Keyes

Trey Keyes- Mad River Excursion

“The streamer bite was very good from 6:00 to 8:30 PM last Tuesday. I landed a number of smaller fish along with 1- 18” and a large male 23-24”. A white wooly bugger did the trick . Enclosed photo of the big one, could not get him to pose a good shot with my fly rod for scale.”- Bill Rice

Frequent contributor Bill Rice had a great day last Tuesday!

Clearfork River

4/1/16 Weekend Update- The Clearfork blew out pretty good with the rains. Both stretches a bit too high to fish today. The upper might come into good streamer shape tomorrow and be looking pretty good on Sunday. Hard to say with the lower. We’ll keep our eyes on it and try to update if they drop the lower. In the meantime, if you get out there, send us reports and pics. Should be some hogs caught on streamers as the water drops.

3/29/16- The Upper Clearfork is a bit high but perfect streamer water. Should shape up nicely over the next few days depending on how much precip we get Thurs/Fri. This piece of water continues to impress and the reports and pics we are getting are nothing short of fantastic. As much as the Mad gets the “press” for giant browns, the Upper Clearfork is the real sleeper. Nymph fishing has been good to excellent also with green caddis larva and hendrickson type nymphs in a size 14 or 16. Bead head pheasant tails or Trophy Nymphs have been working extremely well also. No great reports of bugs on the surface other than some midges and sporadic Blue Winged Olives #18-20. The water is still a bit high and cool for dry fly fishing but you never know….we will be there very soon.

The lower is a bit high today but chances are pretty good that they will bring it down to very fishable for the weekend. If you are adventurous and a good wader, you could get down there and throw monster streamers and see what happens. We are due for a hog to come from this water!

Here’s a report from last Wednesday from our friend and customer Eric Roth:

“First light on the Upper Clearfork Wednesday morning. Barely enough light to get a picture but my largest Ohio Brown Trout yet!”

Eric Roth from the Upper Clearfork….on a streamer of course!

Clear Creek

4/1/16 Weekend Update- The Creek didn’t budge that much. Pretty much the same report as below and it should be a good to great weekend of fishing. Be on the lookout for bugs and let us know what you see. Take a pic and send it! BTW- we are still offering MRO Hats and MRO stickers to those that send reports and pics from the Clear Creek. Be sure to include your address so we can send.

3/29/16- Clear Creek did come up pretty good with the rain on Sunday/Monday but is dropping nicely. Today and tomorrow could be good to great streamer water and then Thursday and into the weekend we should be back to normal Spring flows. Watch the weather though.

As you saw and read in our last report, there has been pretty good surface activity and some bugs hatching. Not confirmed but sounds like a few anglers experienced some Hendricksons, which is to be expected and should get better as we warm up a bit. Red Quills and BWOs have been catching fish with a good drift.

We have also been getting some nicer fish swinging soft hackles, which is always a good bet on any water but works especially well on Clear Creek. If green doesn’t work, try an orange or yellow.

Thanks again for the pics and reports…..let’s keep them coming. Still gonna be sending out hats and the new MRO/Ohio Stickers so be sure to include your phone number and address with the pic/report. We’ll get them out to you.

Erie Steelhead

4/1/16 Weekend Update-

The Vermilion is up and muddy. Gonna be a few days here but hopefully we can get out there early next week. This creek should be on fire here for a few weeks if not more.

The Rocky and Chagrin are both up and will probably be Sunday before we wet lines there again. The Chagrin is dropping a little quicker and MIGHT fish tomorrow afternoon? For sure it will be a swinging game with big bright flies until they both clear. Then back to eggs and nymphs. Most anglers have been reporting eggs working best.

The Grand is out for a bit but the tribs have been fishing well all week. We have even had folks on tribs to the tribs and found fish. Hopefully, we can get back on the Grand mid to late next week.

The Ashtabula and Conneaut are looking good. If you are heading out now…these are the streams to hit the next few days.

If you get out there, let us know how you do. Submitted pictures that make it here get a new MRO/Ohio sticker. Be sure to include your address and send to [email protected].

We’ll keep our eyes and ears out and check in early next week. Have a great weekend.

3/29/16- The streams did bump up pretty well on Sunday night and Monday. Pretty much everything blown out today so the guides have had to move onto some tribs to find water. Probably going to be Thursday before we start to see the main stems back in fishable shape but we’ll see. Check the gauges and feel free to give us a call but we have been telling folks that Thursday looks better than tomorrow.

The V is coming down and may be fishable level tomorrow, but will surely be muddy. Have some big and flashy flies and try swingin’. She should be full of fish. Let’s hope the weekend shapes up.

The Rocky and Chagrin may fish later in the day tomorrow and will surely come into play on Thursday. Let’s hope that we don’t get another shot of rain and the weekend looks good. Try larger and brighter flies the next few days and then move into smaller eggs and nymphs as the water drops. Pink and Cheese colored eggs have been hot tickets throughout the region.

The Grand is out for a bit but many folks have been on the tribs the past few days. There are plenty of fish around but they seem to have been in the creeks for a while. Most of the fresher and larger fish seem to be in the main river but that could change at any time. We’ll keep an eye on the big river and let you know when it comes back in.

The Conneaut is out for a few days. It’s pretty high and muddy. We’ll keep our eyes on it and hopefully Thursday and Friday things will start to shape up. Reports from the weekend on the Connie were either extremely good or extremely bad. Seems that the fish were condensed into certain areas and others were void of fish. This push of water should spread things out again at least for a few days and should have also brought a big push of fresh fish in as well. The Ashtabula should come into play late tomorrow and look pretty great on Friday.

Kevin Parsons, above, booked a guide trip with us a few weeks ago and told us that he would be happy just to catch 1 fish. Well, guide Josh McQueen accomplished that task pretty quickly and then moved into EXCEEDING his expectations. Kevin called up last night and paid for another day today saying that he had too much fun to limit it to one day. Here he is from earlier today.

We’ll get a weekend report up to let you know what we know and in the meantime, if you get out, let us know how you are doing!

Brandon Pecora sent us this photo from the Oswego River in New York. A beautiful fish caught on a Glow Roe 10mm bead.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/23/16

October 23, 2026March 23, 2016

***THANKS for all of the reports and pics this week friends. Although we can’t use or reference all, they are appreciated. Keep them coming!***

Mad River

3-25-16- Weekend update- The rain last night did bring the river up a bit but it should be looking perfect for the weekend. For those looking to throw streamers, the lower river should be in fantastic shape for this….especially tomorrow. With the front and the chill in the air we probably won’t see bugs for a few days but sounds like Sunday will be a sparkler so maybe a chance. Otherwise, we’ll be back on “Henny Watch” 1st of the week.

***Thanks again for all of the pics and reports friends. We’ll do our best to get them up here and on Social next week. Great to see the sense of community this Blog is creating!!!!

3-23-16- BREAKING NEWS! Hendricksons on the water yesterday!!!

Good numbers of bugs spotted yesterday around 3:00 p.m. and fish were responding in a big way. Quite a few folks reported good to excellent dry fly activity for a few hours. No reports of spinner falls yet, but it’s already time to be thinking of evening fishing. Although it’s hard to say what will happen with the cooler temps and precip expected the next few days, it’s safe to say that Spring is here….and it’s early. (It’s been many years since we have seen Hendricksons in March).

The upper river is in perfect shape for dries and nymphs and the lower river still has enough flows for larger nymphs and streamers. We are expecting a front to move through tomorrow with quite a bit of precip so we’ll see what happens over the next few days. May put the kabosh on the bugs for a few days at least. We’ll try to update on Friday for the weekend but for sure…word of the day….Hennies.

Shop rat and guide Ryan Ratliff was out on the Mad yesterday with young Jack Tjarden and his father and wrote up this little blurb:

Happy Jack on a guide trip with Ryan!

Eigth grader Jack Tjarden made the most of his Spring Break this week by giving his skills a little boost on the Mad. It was a cold windy start, but Jack soon had his mending, roll casting and even the single-hand spey stuff perfected by the time the midges were coming off thick. After seeing a few fish rising to midges we pulled out the Tenkara rod and Jack fell in love with the simplicity and ease of casting. As the day was starting to come to an end we found some more consistent rising fish. At closer inspection there was a good Hendrickson hatch starting. Jack was quickly introduced to the selectivity of the Mad’s inhabitants! Combine selectivity, complex current seems and 30mph winds things got pretty challenging…well down right frustrating! After watching many beautiful takes only to find too much slack in the line or a gust blew some line into the brush Jack finally had a fish to hand! His dad had to drag him off the water or he would have stayed there all week… Great time out with a young man who has a love for the outdoors and is a natural at the spey style casting! It is good to see our next generation with a love for fly fishing!- Ryan

Also got this note from Arthur Wolf:

“Thanks guys for all your help. Pulled this brown out of the Mad River on Friday. It’s my 2nd trout on a fly!!”

Clearfork River

3-25-16- Weekend Update- The Upper did come up enough to give us that streamer water we were looking for. Get out there!!! They did raise the lower a bit as well so it should fish well. Keep your eyes on the gage though as they might open her up a bit more tonight or tomorrow. Regardless, looks like a great weekend of fishing ahead. Keep your eyes out for bugs!!! Should be some BWO types and Hennies popping soon.

Thanks again for all of the pics and reports friends. We’ll do our best to get them up here and on Social next week. Great to see the sense of community this Blog is creating!!!!

3-23-16- The upper Clearfork is looking pretty good as we speak, maybe getting a touch on the low side. The lower is…well….pretty low. We could use this rain that looks like is going to hit tomorrow and into Friday. The lower stretch especially needs a bump.

Once again though the upper has been producing some fantastic fishing. Those willing to chuck big streamers have been rewarded big. Once again, Josh Snyder sent us these photos from Sunday:

“Got out on the UCF this morning to toss some meat. Fish were eager to chase! They wanted it as fast as I could jerk-strip it. Number of decent fish to the bank, including these two!” – Josh Snyder

No word on any bugs yet…and probably not going to happen this weekend, but with Hennies popping on the Mad the past few days they can’t be far behind on the Clearfork. Keep and eye out for Caddis as well and surely arm yourself with some caddis larva patterns. They will be key food along with the #12-16 mayfly nymphs.

Let us know if you get out!

Clear Creek

3-25-16- Weekend Update- The Creek is in good shape….just enough bump in flows that you might consider throwing some streamers. We did have some good to great reports the past few days and seems that the season is starting off great down there. We did get some hats and stickers out to those that have contributed and we’ll get the rest out 1st of the week.

***Thanks again for all of the pics and reports friends. We’ll do our best to get them up here and on Social next week. Great to see the sense of community this Blog is creating!!!!

3-23-16- Clear Creek is looking good right now and fishing has been surprisingly decent. We’ll see what the rains the next few days do for the weekend but we are hopeful we can get out.

The big story here is our friends Elliot Cantwell and Justin Shiflett.

Last week we challenged folks to get out on Clear Creek and send us some reports/pics. Well….Elliot and Justin did! We’ll let them take over here:

“Saw your report on clear creek and thought I would send you a report. Fished the last three days with good results, numerous fish per day with a few bigger than average. Nymphed consistently and caught most fish on a 16 grey hare’s ear, bed head hare’s ear, or dark grey scud pattern. Fish were in deeper holes half the time but picked up the fish above ( one of the nicest) in a thigh high run. Black caddis coming of sporadically Monday but no rising fish. Thanks for being an awesome shop, ordered from you guys a couple times. Hard to find in Ohio”

And yet another report from today:

“Today resulted much of the same as last week, some bwo coming off and a few winter stonefly but no rising fish. The drop and water temps seemed to slow things back down. Grey hares ear and scud patterns took most fish. Here’s some pics, will be out tmrw let you know if anything changes”- Elliot Cantwell

And from Justin:

“Since my bracket was busted, I decided to go try my luck for the first time at Clear Creek. Threw some streamers around looking for larger fish, but no luck. Caught plenty of the smaller guys on smaller streamers and nymphs. Decided to snap a few photos to share because, well, who doesn’t love a free hat? Thanks for pushing me to try a new spot.”- Justin Shiflett

Thanks Elliot and Justin for taking us up on the challenge and delivering. Free hats and new MRO/Ohio stickers are on the way to you guys. We really appreciate the participation and support.

Erie Steelhead

3-25-16- Weekend Update-

The V did shoot up overnight but has crested and will probably fish well tomorrow and for sure on Sunday. It will be a little dirty but probably good swinging water. This water should have brought some really nice fish in. We look for the V to be hot here for a few weeks.

The Rocky and Chagrin are pretty high and off color but should be fishable for the weekend. They have both been fishing pretty well this week and should continue and maybe even get better.

The Grand did come up to where it might not be the best choice for a few days. We’ll have to see what happens overnight and get some eyes on it. As soon as it does start to drop to safe levels….get out there…..she’s packed with large, fresh fish. This weekend though if the main stem is too much, try the tribs.

The Ashtabula and Conneaut didn’t get much. The Ash is a bit low but may still be worth trying. The Conneaut has been good but it’s pretty clear. As the weekend rolls on it may get tougher as the water drops. For sure lighter tippets and more subdued colors are on the menu. Could have used a push of water but we’ll see what we hear over the weekend.

****Thanks again for all of the pics and reports friends. We’ll do our best to get them up here and on Social next week. Great to see the sense of community this Blog is creating!!!!

3-23-16- As we speak right now, we have several guides out on the water today having “Epic” days…to say the least. For those of you that follow us on Facespace or Google or Twittergram etc. you know what we mean.

Here’s just a taste of the day that Stephen Was had today:

Hopefully we can get Stephen to write something up about his legendary experience with MRO guide Josh McQueen today.

As you can see, Ohio Steelhead fishing is absolutely on fire. It seems that the past few days things have just lit up…and lit up chrome….even despite the mostly low and clear creeks. We are finding large numbers of large fish in the streams. Some drop backs but plenty of fresh fish as well.

The problem is, the waters are mostly getting pretty low and we are hoping for the rains tomorrow and Friday to freshen things up a bit. Depending on how much rain we get, the weekend and 1st of the week could again provide Epic fishing.

Most fish have been caught on small nymphs and egg patterns. The more subdued colors have been working better than the bright stuff…especially in clearer water. Black Stones, Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails and the like have been good and we have had to go to 3X and even 4X tippet to get takes. That should change with a bit of rain here. If all goes well, we should be back to swinging some big and bright stuff for at least a few days.

The Vermilion has really turned on and is getting pretty clear. A bit of rain will do this creek wonders and it should fish well moving forward. The Chagrin and Rocky are getting a little low. Don’t get us wrong, you can still go catch some fish, but this rain will help alot. Conneaut is on the low side and super clear, but folks have been doing very well but reports of the fish being a bit spooky. A bit of rain and it will turn on again big time! The Ashtabula is just too low right now and not really conducive to fishing until we get some more water.

The big news is that the Grand has come fishable in the past few days. It has been the hot ticket as you would expect. We really haven’t been on the main stem at all this spring but we know that the feeders have been full of fish. Hopefully this rain won’t completely shut it down for weeks again and we can get right back out there. Fishing the Grand River in the Spring is such a treat!

We’ll keep a close watch on the rain coming in and try to get a report up for the weekend. In the meantime, we’ll hope to get a story out of Stephen Was about his day today.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/18/16

October 23, 2026March 18, 2016

Mad River

The river has been dropping nicely the past few days and looks to be a good weekend ahead. Sounds like it will be a bit chilly….but it shouldn’t affect the fish much. The lower river is still a bit on the high side which only makes for good streamer water anyways. By the time tomorrow rolls around it should be really good.

Some good reports here the past few days. Frequent contributor Jose Olivas got some nice fish on St. Patrick’s Day and our new friend Bryan O’Mally finally got his 1st Mad River trout to the net-

From Jose Olivas- “I’m not Irish but I am Lucky! Best of 4 landed today”

From Bryan O’Malley- “Hooked 3 but landed only this one. Thanks for the help”

As you probably read last week in the updates, we did have confirmed BWOs and Blue Quills as early as last Tuesday. Fish were feeding on them, especially the Quills. Not any confirmed reports since then but with the warmer temps they have surely been hatching sporadically. Might not see much with the cool down this weekend but worth having a Blue Dun dry in size 16 and some BWOs 18-20 just in case.

Otherwise, it will probably be a nymph and streamer game this weekend. The lower river should still be good to great streamer water so have the articulated junk along if you head that direction. For sure you want to have some Hendrickson nymphs along with you and the fish should be focusing on these. A #14 Pheasant Tail or the standard Hendrickson nymph that we sell are must haves for the next few weeks. If that doesn’t do it, try a San Juan Worm or Cranefly Larva…..they always work this time of year.

If the warmer temps come back next week, “Hendrickson Watch” will be back on. If we do see them in the month of March, it will be the 1st time we can remember this happening in about 12-15 years or so. Just like old times!

Let us know how you do out there!

Clearfork River

The Clearfork is in good shape and should fish well this weekend. The upper is right about normal flows and they did drop the lower down this afternoon. It might even be a bit on the low side..

Not too many reports the past few days but would be looking for some dry fly activity up there. Have some midges and some 18-20 BWOs just in case. Otherwise, standard nymphs like Princes and Pheasant Tails 14-16 should be the hot ticket. Still decent enough water for streamer fishing in the upper as well. This stretch of water has been fishing extremely well and surely worth stripping an articulated fly through there and see what happens.

Let us know how you do if you get out……should be good!

Clear Creek

Clear Creek is also looking good for the weekend. Water is back down to fishable levels. Still enough to toss a streamer through the deeper holes and hunt for a larger fish.

Again, have some dry flies along just in case although the temps this weekend might prohibit bugs from hatching….we’ll see. Regardless, have some midges, some BWO types, 18-20 in the event of rising fish. Otherwise, stick with nymphs below an indicator. Pheasant Tails or Hendrickson style nymphs will be the best bet although flies like Copper Johns, Princes and others will work well too. If dead drifting isn’t doing it, try swinging a soft hackle. This is a great tactic down there (and anywhere). Start with green and if that doesn’t do it switch to a yellow or orange.

Get out there and let us know how you do! We need some pics from Clear Creek for the collection! Send us a pic this week from Clear Creek and we’ll send you an MRO Hat! How about that?

Erie Steelhead

Unlike last weekend, this weekend is “game-on”.

The streams are just coming into shape the past two days and all indications point towards a banner weekend for steelhead anglers along the Lake Erie shorelines. Good reports the past few days….mostly from the feeders to the Grand. Here is an e-mail we got from our good friend and customer Dan Dunkley:

Hello all.

I just wanted to let you know how this past Wednesday turned out for us steelheading.

I took my brother and son in law up to our comfortable spot on the Rocky but as expected the water wasn’t cooperating, fortunately I took Ryan’s strong suggestion and headed to a tributary off the Grand that I knew of.

I’m glad we did.

Our best day to date. We landed 19 steelhead between the three of us. It was my son-in-law’s first time and he ended up landing the most of us all-9 total, his first and largest and freshest was 28″.

Because of Ryan and Andy’s encouragement, I got out of my fishing comfort zone and explored and it sure paid off.

Thanks again to all the folks at Mad River Outfitters for all the knowledge, encouragement and time you spend with us. It is greatly appreciated.

To a great spring season.

Dan Dunkley

The Vermilion has come down to fishable levels but it is still really muddy. Might think more along the lines of late tomorrow or Sunday for the V. Might be good swinging water though if you have the 2-hand and some big flashy flies.

The Rocky and Chagrin are looking good and should fish very well this weekend. Conneaut and the Ash are actually perfect right now but will start to get a little low as the weekend progresses. If you hit the Ash and it’s too low, head over to Connie.

The Grand is still too high and muddy but as you have read here and in previous reports, the tribs to the Grand have been pretty good. They have saved the day for quite a few folks this past week.

A variety of techniques have been working. Folks have been swinging and stripping flies as well as dead drifting nymphs and eggs. Hot nymphs have been the Brer Possum, Bloody Marys and Black Stones. With the off colored water we have also had some success on the Steelhead Candy. Bright colored Scrambled Eggs have been hot this week but we might see a trend towards the more neutral colors like Oregon Cheese or the Peachy Cream. Guide Josh McQueen swears by that Peachy Cream version…..better get to them before he does.

We do have guides out all weekend and we’ll check in 1st of the week. Send reports and pics!!!! Always helps.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/16/16

October 23, 2026March 16, 2016

Mad River

Since our last report…the river started to come down and then pretty much each day or so we have been getting a blast of rain. The upper river is getting close and may wind up fishing well tomorrow. The lower river maybe the same but it will surely be streamer water.

If things stabilize here for a few days, combined with the weather we have been experiencing, it could be a good to great weekend of fishing. Have seen some bugs too! Scroll back to the last updates from the 10th and 11th! Haven’t heard much since then but of course not many folks fishing with the high water.

We’ll get a report up on Friday for the weekend and in the meantime, if you get out, drop us a line.

Clearfork River

The Clearfork is still pretty well blown out and it may be a day or so more on the upper and hard to say for the lower. If we don’t get much more rain, they may drop the lower to fishable levels but right now it is out of the question.

If you are a good wader, the upper could be great streamer water the next few days. If you have been keeping track of reports and pictures, you well know it’s worth doing.

Should be seeing some bugs around up there as well as soon as the water stabilizes.

We’ll get a report up for the weekend and if you do get out, let us know how you do!!!

Clear Creek

Clear Creek is also blown and will be another day or so before we can get back out there. Can’t wait though! With these warm temps we should start seeing some good bugs and surface activity.

We’ll get a report up for the weekend but if you do get out there before we do, let us know how things look.

Erie Steelhead

Up and down. Up and down. Haven’t been able to catch a break since the original blowout on Thursday night.

The V is still up and of course muddy. So are the Rocky and Chagrin and of course the Grand is out of the question. Looks like the V, Rocky and Chagrin should be coming into fishable shape on Friday and into the weekend. We’ll keep our eyes on it and let you know on Friday. We did have quite a few folks over the weekend go up to find the high and dirty water and they were able to find fishable water and fish in the tribs to the Grand.

We can’t mention who sent this photo on Saturday. Hop on over to Facebook or Google + and read the hilarious post from Saturday afternoon.

The Ashtabula and Conneuat are actually looking good today and should be fishing well. Hoping to get some photos/reports from there today. Send us a note or shots if you have been out.

We’ll keep our eyes on things and be sure to get a report up on Friday with the weekend prognosis and let us know if anyone interested in a guide trip anytime soon. We do have guides available and ready to fish!!

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/10/16

October 23, 2026March 10, 2016

Mad River

***3/11/ Update- yes, we have fired our weatherman. The rain started up again after our report yesterday and just kept coming. The River shot up and blew out. It is dropping pretty quickly so the upper may fish tomorrow….the way upper. Otherwise upper river on Sunday should be good and the mid to lower river maybe late Sunday and into Monday.

Of note though….we did get a solid report of confirmed Blue Quills on Wednesday and a water temp of 52. They were spotted in good numbers around mid-day and there were good numbers of fish feeding. Could be an early season for a change?

We’ll try to keep you informed!

***Late 3/10 Update- the rain is falling and the river is rising. Hard to say what will happen overnight but right now the river is on a steady rise. The upper is still fishable but it looks like the lower will blow out here. We are all headed down to the Gateway Film Center for the F3T tonight so no more updates but we’ll get right on it in the morning. Regardless, get your streamers ready.

Early 3/10 Report- Looks like the rain won’t be as much as 1st reported which is good news for the weekend….or is it?

The river is in good shape. The upper is just about perfect and the lower river still has enough water to chuck the big stuff in hopes of a hog.

We have had varying reports this week. A few anglers did well over the weekend on streamers but no reports of monsters. A few anglers did not so well and a few skunks reported. It has almost always been the case that March is not our best month of fishing. Can’t say why but we have always said that it’s like the “calm before the storm” (Hendrickson hatch in early April). Regardless, with the Spring like weather we have been experiencing, it’s still better than staying home and who’s to say that you can’t “buck the trend”.

Did see some midges and some small Baetis/BWO types hatching over the weekend. Not much feeding but the bugs were out. No reports the past week on any Winter Black Stones but they should still be around, especially in the upper river now. Should start seeing a few of the #16 Blue Quills here as well but that is usually an upper river event. With the temps we have been experiencing, if it keeps up, we may be looking at hatches coming a bit earlier than recent years. Hard to say but we’ll be watching closely here over the next 2-3 weeks. Certainly want to get to tying or buying Hendricksons any way you look at it though.

In the meantime, nymphs and streamers are the way to go. Would still have some Black Stones or Copper Johns in #14 as well as Pheasant Tails/Hendrickson Nymphs in size #14 as well as some #16 and #18 for the Blue Quill/Baetis types. If this stuff isn’t working for you go bigger with a Cranefly Larva or large attractor nymph and fish them slow and deep. If fishing a cranefly might even try pulsing it a bit to get some action.

If for some reason the water fluctuates over the weekend we’ll try to let you know and always remember you can call the shop if you need an up-to-the-minute report.

* On another note: We did get a call from a local landowner this week asking if we could again post about folks walking through farmer’s fields. He said he had approached several folks who said that other anglers told them it was acceptable practice and/or that the farmers/landowners didn’t care. This is not the case. It is simply not acceptable to most if not all of the landowners to be walking through their fields. You must stay in the river corridor. We really need to get this word out to folks so that we don’t start seeing sections of the river closed all-together. Please stay in the river and out of sight of landowners!!!!

Clearfork River

***3/11/ Update- the River did blow out over the night and not looking good today or probably tomorrow. It is dropping fast and the upper may fish on Sunday…..probably not tomorrow. The lower came up to pretty much un-fishable and hard to say when they will drop it again. Hopefully on Sunday or Monday. We’ll try to get a report up 1st of the week.

***Late 3/10 Update- More rain than we expected and the river is rising. The Upper looks like it will be pretty high and off color tomorrow depending on what happens overnight. They have opened up the dam a bit on the lower but it is still very fishable. Hard to say for tomorrow, watch the gauges. We are all headed down to the Gateway Film Center for the F3T tonight so no more updates but we’ll get right on it in the morning. Regardless, get your streamers ready.

Early 3/10 Report- Once again, the weekend is looking pretty good on the Clearfork. The rain has yet to make much of a difference and looks like that will remain the case through the weekend.

The Upper stretch doesn’t have as much flow as it did last weekend but should still be a good bet for chucking streamers. This stretch of water has been the “sleeper” in the state all Winter. Again, good to GREAT reports of large to extra large fish caught on big streamers. Our good friend Josh Snyder got out with his Dad over the weekend and although said that the water was cold and the fish were sluggish, he did manage a nice one…pic below. Frequent contributor Mike Letizia also sent us some photos of hogs from the upper over the weekend.

Josh Snyder with a gorgeous Ohio Brown Trout from the Upper Clearfork

The lower stretch of the Clearfork is a bit on the low side right now but very fishable. Very possible that with these temps we have been seeing you could probably find some fish eating dry flies. Probably mostly midges but should start seeing some small Olives here any day now. Otherwise, stick with nymphs or streamers and you should do well.

Thanks for all of the reports from up on the Fork by the way. We really appreciate it. We’ll try to get some more of the pics up here and keep sending them. Great to see this fishery doing so well this Winter. Should be a great spring.

Clear Creek

***3/11 Update- fired the weatherman. He’s outta here. The creek blew out last night with the rains and probably going to be a few days here. We’ll try to check-in 1st of the week.

Clear Creek is in good shape as well for the weekend. Ryan got out yesterday morning before work and did pretty well. He said that he did see some midges hatching a few fish rising to them. He stuck with streamers though and got a couple of above average fish. The larger fish seem to be holding in the deeper slots and have not moved out to feed yet but once the water warms and bugs start moving they should spread out.

If interested in smaller fish on the surface, have some Midge dries along with you. This can be super fun on a 2wt or 3wt rod! Otherwise, nymphs and streamers are the way to go here until we start seeing bugs on a regular basis.

The good news is that Clear Creek also seems to be fishing above average for this time of year and we are hopeful for a good Spring season down there. Even if not gangbuster fishing, you can’t beat the scenery!

Erie Steelhead

***3/11 Update- Again, our on-staff weatherman has been fired. Hiring a new one. More rain than expected and the creeks all blew out big overnight. Not good news for the weekend. They are dropping fast but it’s probably Monday before we get back out. Maybe a chance that Ashtabula fishes afternoon on Sunday? We will for sure get a full report up 1st of the week with the prognosis and may try to check in here if we find otherwise but not good for the weekend at this point. The good news is that there should be some big bright fish swimming in that high muddy water! Get ready!!!!

***Late 3/10 Update- Creeks are on the rise more than we expected. Might not be great news for tomorrow but probably great news for the weekend and into next week. The Vermilion is rising but still fishable. Same with the Rocky but it’s shooting straight up. The Chagrin looks like it will blow out and be a few days. Conneaut is rising but remains fishable as we speak. This precip could put the Ash back into the game here for the weekend. Hard to say….we’ll have to check 1st thing tomorrow and let you know. We are all headed down to the Gateway Film Center for the F3T tonight so no more updates but we’ll get right on it in the morning.

Early 3/10 Report- What a luxury it is to be a fly angler in Ohio eh? Especially when the steelhead are running.

It’s been a great week around here. We have had guides out on the water with clients and scouting for upcoming trips and they have been doing very well. Fishing has been good to excellent and there are decent numbers of fish spread throughout the system. As long as conditions are right, you can pick a river and have a shot at steelhead. No question.

Steve Krum was out on Tuesday with Josh and got his 1st Ohio Steelhead!

Here is what our guides are telling us as of yesterday:

The Vermilion has been fishing pretty well the past few days. Not tons of fish, but they are there. Most have been on the smaller side and it looks like we are still waiting on a big push of bright Manistees to arrive. Another push of water and the V may explode with steel! As of right now the river has not budged with the rains but keep your eyes on the sky and the gauge.

The Rocky and Chagrin are both in good shape and have been fishing well. The Chagrin seems to have some larger fish but who knows…that can change in a minute. The Chargin is starting to head upwards a bit as we write but it looks like the big rain expected may hold off. Should be good to go for the weekend on either side of Cleveland.

The Grand is still a bit too high but if this rain holds off, we may be on the water there before too long. We’ll try to keep you informed.

The Ashtabula is getting a bit low..might want to wait for a push of water here. Conneaut has good flow but is very clear. It’s full of fish and has been fishing very well but need to stick to the smaller flies and more subdued colors.

Over the weekend we were swinging Intruder style flies and doing very well. Black and Blue as well as Blue and Pink were hot colors. As the week progressed we switched over to Eggs and Nymphs. Chartreuse eggs have been working well in stained water and Peach or Creamy Peach in the clearer water. Black Stones have been the hot ticket on nymphs but pick your poison and you should do well. In the clearer water think about basic Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails or Chicken Hawks.

Looking forward to a great weekend of steelhead fishing throughout the region. Get out there and let us know how you do….send some pics!

We’ll update if things change for the worse as needed and for sure check-in next week for a report and more pics.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com
www.flippallot.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports for 3/4/16

October 23, 2026March 4, 2016

Mad River

Looking good for the weekend friends! Although still a bit chilly, and some precip in the forecast for tomorrow, still should make for a good to great weekend of trout fishing.

The Upper River is in good shape and nice and clear. The lower river is in great shape as well and still has enough water flushing that the streamer bit should be good.

Doubtful for tomorrow but some sunshine Sunday/Monday/Tuesday combined with the increasing temps may bring some dry fly fishing? Especially in the upper river. For sure have some BWO types and some dry midges along just in case. Otherwise, your standard, table fare nymphs will be the way to go. Black stones #12-14 have still been producing as well as #14-18 nymphs that imitate the upcoming mayfly hatches.

In the lower river sling some meat and see what happens. Could be another big fish weekend? May also try some Cranefly larva fished deep and slow through the greener holes. It’s time again for them to start producing fish here. Attractor nymphs like Big Nasties and Bitch Creeks could also be a good idea.

Please note that the river has been pretty crowded on the weekends. Also remember that the Mad River is….and is surrounded by private property. We have heard some horror stories of folks walking through farmers fields (stay in the river corridor at all times) and also a few bad apples being pretty disrespectful in other ways to anglers out looking to enjoy themselves. Respect is always the best avenue….it’s only fishing.

If you get out let us know how you do and we’ll try to do the same early next week.

Clearfork River

Both stretches of the Clearfork looking good for the weekend. The lower is right about as high as we might deem safe so that makes for some good streamer water. It’s about time somebody reports a hog from the lower river. Throw some big streamers through those deep holes below the covered bridge and see what happens?

Otherwise, probably going to be a nymphing game this weekend. Black Stones, Pheasant Tails, Green Caddis larva and the like should all produce fish. As the temperature warms and the water drops a bit more you might also keep your eyes out for surface activity. Most likely it will be on midges and you don’t want to head that direction without them.

Had a few reports the past couple of days of folks doing very well on San Juan Worms in particular. Although they always work, thought we’d mention it in case they were onto something which they claim they were.

If you get out, let us know how you do!

Clear Creek

Clear Creek has come into good shape and looking good for the weekend. Should be decent fishing. Mostly a nymphing game but just like our other two trout streams, be on the lookout for any dry fly activity. It could happen especially if we get the temps predicted for early next week. Probably still midge activity but you might be lucky and see a few early BWO’s.

Did have reports from a few folks that the streamer fishing down there has been good to excellent the past few days. That may taper off a bit as the water drops and clears but surely be prepared. If the big stuff doesn’t work try some smaller flies like Wooly Buggers or Muddler Minnows. Be sure to let them swing in the current at the end of your retrieve also!

We have really been impressed with the reports from Clear Creek this Fall and Winter. Looking for a good to excellent season on this wonderful creek.

If you get out, try to let us know how you do! It always helps!

Erie Steelhead

Wow….thanks for the calls and the visits! We have been absolutely swamped the past two days with eager steelhead anglers. If we didn’t get to your phone call……keep trying…..we’ll get to it eventually. E-orders too…thanks! You can tell that steelhead are on the move, we’re gonna have to stay late on Friday night to fill fly orders!

All reports have most of the creeks pretty full of bright and fiesty steelhead. It should be a great weekend for those of you that can get out…and we hope that you can. We do have guides heading out so we should have some photo evidence for you next week. Feel free to send us photos! We love to see that the equipment and flies you are ordering are working!

The Vermilion has dropped to just perfect levels. Problem is that is is still pretty dirty and may not be great yet for a few days. If you are willing to experiment, it could be a good to great idea to swing some big bright stuff and see what you come up with. If not, you might want to wait until Monday or Tuesday and see how she looks.

The Rocky and Chagrin are both coming into shape as we speak and should be good to excellent the next few days. May try swinging or stripping some flies tomorrow as they may still have some color but otherwise, the traditional eggs and nymphs will be the ticket.

The Grand is still a few days at least from fishable. If things go our way though, we might get some lines wet mid to late next week. We are hoping to with as well as it fished in the Fall.

Ashtabula and Conneaut have both been fishing the past few days and the reports we are hearing is that fishing has been excellent. Fish are on the move so fish all of the likely holding areas. Egg patterns have been the weapon of choice but always have some nymphs with you as well. Brer Possums, Black Stones, Bloody Marys, Chicken Littles etc. They’ll all catch fish! Drop a nymph below and egg, crimp on some shot, lash an indicator to that leader and go fish!!!!!

Exciting times to be a fly fisher in Ohio! We love this time of year.

Keep us informed and we’ll try to do the same. With the weather and temps predicted early next week it’s truly “game-on”.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Fishing Reports- 3/2/16

October 23, 2026March 2, 2016

Mad River

Just as we were about to write up a report yesterday it started raining and did through the evening. It did bring the Mad up a bit and really should only be good news. The upper river may be good today and the lower should come into play tomorrow or Friday. For sure the lower will be looking good to great for streamer fishing through the weekend.

A few folks out this week that we have spoken to and they did ok. Mostly reports of small to medium sized fish on nymphs. Black Stones continue to work well although we have not heard any reports of adults flying around the past few days. If they are still hatching it will most likely be an upper river thing and may only last another week or so. Then we’ll switch over to Hendrickson style nymphs in preparation for the hatch. The nymphs are maturing and getting active as we speak!!!

With the warmer temps coming next week we may also start seeing some of the early Blue Quills and BWO’s as well. Might not be a bad idea to have a few #16-18 dries along with you just in case. Could also see some Midge activity on the surface….especially in the upper river.

We WILL get a report up on Friday and let you know how things are looking for the weekend. If you do get out, drop us a note and let us know what you find.

Clearfork River

The Upper was coming into really good shape the past few days but the rains yesterday brought it up again. Good news is that it is not too bad and should fish tomorrow if you are a good wader! The weekend saw aggressive flows but those that did get out found some nice fish on streamers of course. Our good friend Bryan Clem sent these photos:

The Lower Clearfork is in good shape as we speak. They have gradually been lowering the flows over the past few days. Hard to say if they will bump it up again with the rain yesterday. Watch the gauge if you are planning on heading up there. If it stays where it is it should fish well the next few days and into the weekend.

Again, the streamer fishing on the Clearfork has been good to fantastic for those willing to fish hard and aggressive. Otherwise, nymphing will be your best shot at catching a few fish. Not much to report on the dry fly front here as of yet but that should start to change here as we approach April.

We WILL get a report up on Friday and let you know how things are looking for the weekend. If you do get out, it’s always helpful when we get reports from the field!

Clear Creek

The Creek did rise a bit with the rains yesterday but should be fishable over the next few days and into the weekend. The next few days could be good streamer fishing and could give a shot at a larger fish down there. We did have a few reports here recently of folks catching larger than normal fish on streamers…..so it can be done.

Otherwise, small nymphs and midge larva bounced along the deeper slots are your best bet right now. May even try swinging a soft hackle and see what happens.

We’ll try to get some eyes on the water down there in the next few days and let you know. If you do get out, give us a shout….it always helps!

Erie Steelhead