# Clear Creek - a fun high water spot?



## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I am sure it's still high there. Has anyone driven through the park and can you give me a heads up on how high? The Hocking river online gauges differ from Clear Creek discharge often. 

There may be some nice fishing at the lower broken road/low water dam crossing after water lowers. This is your first pull over in the park. Aggressive smallies & eyes swimming up & a couple browns will be both stuck in that hole. bobg


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## billybob7059 (Mar 27, 2005)

Clear creek is not so clear right now. Its very high and muddy. But clear creek does clear faster than an other river I've seen. I drive by it every day so when it's back down I'll post it here.


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks! bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I am going to hit Clear Creek this Saturday. I know the water is probably still high, but need to fish. I'm going to hit the top of the park using olive/black/brown wooly buggers, unless I see a hatch. If nothing is hitting I will hit the broken dam, and wade towards the hocking. With the water up something has to be holding at the confluence, be it smallies, spotted, or eyes. 

Hopefully it will not be a fool hardy venture, but I have the itch to be waist deep in water waving a stick. The Hocking is still up & dirty so clear creek seems reasonable. Probably little pressure due to the high water, and lack of good hatch, and low water clarity. bobg


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## billybob7059 (Mar 27, 2005)

Let me know how ya do. Today the creek was a lot lower and cleaner than the hocking more stained than muddy. I'd try a black bait so it stands out against the color of the water. good Luck


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up & will define after. bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I was able to hit the creek around 3:30pm this Friday for quick recon prior to my weekend creek wade. I saw four vehicles parked at various river access points, all were from the Creekside meadows parking lot and above. None parked at the broken dam, or above Starner house.
I fished the written rock section, and the up & lower Fern picnic stretches. Water is still fairly high, and water is still pretty murky. You have to watch your step on the sides of several deep holes for fear of water going over your waders. (low water visibility) Current is fairly swift. 
As one would expect, fish are deep, either huddling in the slow deepest pools, or in semi swift 3-4 foot water holding on behind or next to the deeper root balls/logs/rocks. Also in the still points of the eddy out pockets. Water visibility is still very low. I should have brought buggers/streamers/nymphs with a heavier bead weight, to compensate for current & desired depth. I had to allow line to go limp now and then to acquire better depth, and will bring some better weighted ones for Saturday. (limp line - Bad fishing!) 
I got some hits in the upper fern Picnic area, but I failed to bring them in. Specifically on a long over hanging bank section. I did acquire two 10-11 inch browns on the lower Fern picnic area. Both were holding under a log strainer in moving but deep water. Casting is pretty short/crappy in this area, but the high/fast/cloudy water helped reduce the spook. 
There were two fly casters in the section below me, but was unable to check out what they were fishing. Several folks appeared to be re coning/driving the stream for this weekend, and two trucks stopped to watch me fish & fail to catch fish on different occasions. 
If anyone plans on hitting it this weekend, realize the trout/smallies are in slow metabolism mode, that means you need to hit a pool/pocket/strainer with multiple multiple casts and hope you place it in front of his nose, or close. 

Tight lines! bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I hit Clear Creek on Saturday. Water was way to cold, and did not get a single hit. Had to knock the ice out of my eyelets often. I saw several holdover size browns, but they were not interested in my offers. Interestingly, they were in 3 foot deep fast moving water. Almost made me want to look for a red. Someday they will stop stocking with sterile browns..... bobg


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## billybob7059 (Mar 27, 2005)

when I drove by the creek today it looked a ton better. heck I would call it clear creek again.


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up. I probably do Clear creek next weekend, but mainly for spring/warm up recon wader walk. Mainly upper park. 

Do you know of Johnston Covered Bridge access area of the stream? It is above the park. Is it worth a look/cast?

http://www.historicalparks.org/Johnston.htm

bobg


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## billybob7059 (Mar 27, 2005)

I am not familiar with this part of the creek. I normally just fish the park. I like to walk a small section of the stream at a time.


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## jholbrook (Sep 26, 2006)

I've been up to the covered bridge on two or three occasions. If I remember correctly, it is about a five minute drive from the western edge of the park. Definitely worth a look. 

Good to hear that someone had some success on Clear Creek. Your more recent trip sounds like the last three or four that I've made down there. Even so, as far as I'm concerned, it is the prettiest place to fish in all of Ohio.


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

"prettiest place to fish in all of Ohio". I agree 100%. 

Saturday has a possible warm up, but with all snow cold water I doubt I'll get a hit. Clear creek is a hard stream to fish. Early spring warm ups always seem to produce good ones though. (feb/march) Hit either the top of the park in deep pocket water above/below deep pools, or the big deep pools down stream near fern Picnic area and lower stream. They always seem to produce in spring thaw. Use white-gray minnow/ brown-red crawdad/leach mimics, and when in doubt a black woolly bugger. 

They are hard to catch, but what great stream to fish in. "Match the hatch" does not always work when most of their food swims. bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

jholbrook,

Thanks for heads up about covered bridge. I drive up there this weekend to look. bobg


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## jholbrook (Sep 26, 2006)

The best I did recently was rolling two fish - one definitely a smallie, not sure about the other - by pulling a sculpin through some of the deep water on the upstream end of the park. I've been to the other places mentioned as well and did ok doing the kind of fishing some fly-fishermen do when the fly tackle isn't working. (Spinning gear with a shad rap and in-line spinner).

If I remember correctly, and I may not, there is some nice water around the bridge. Please give us a report if you make it out.


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

"Please give us a report if you make it out." - will do. 

I am going to hit it on Saturday. There is supposed to be a warm up around 40 degrees, and might produce. Sculpin...hmm. I never thought of that, but seems very reasonable. I usually think of the Ozarks, Current River and such for fishing Sculpin mimic, but clear creek is very similar. Never thought of that & thanks for the heads up. bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I got none today, and the water is clearing up rather nicely. It should make for some good early February nymphing/streamer fishing. bobg


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## bobg12 (Jan 17, 2007)

I'm going to hit lower creek this weekend & hope for a hit. I love fishing in the snow


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

fished it last week a little, caught four up to 10in on tiny marabou jigs


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