# Ohio river for newbies



## countdogula (Jan 16, 2014)

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums and fairly new to Ohio fishing. I am looking to fish the Ohio river at some point soon, in the Cincinnati area, and was hoping that some of you could direct me to some decent areas.

I grew up fishing in California, off shore and inland waters, but Ohio is very different from all of that. So, any basic information is appreciated. We (me and my 6 year old boy) are open to any sort of catch and just want to enjoy what the river has to offer.

Thanks so much in advance for any direction and guidance.


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

lots of good crappie and spotted bass fishing along the tribs with seasonal opportunities for white bass, skipjack and hybrid stripers.

There is a year long fishery for blue, channel and flathead cats but youll have to work to get them as the commercial netters generally take everything with whiskers with no limits or enforcement to protect them. 

The big muddy also has a fabulous gar and sauger fishery not to be overlooked as well as lots of buffalo, carp and suckers and sheephead to always keep you busy. 

Basically something is always biting on the Ohio and better yet if you have a boat but still a lot of good shore access once you pin down where it is located. 

Let us know what your thinking about species and how far your willing to drive, if youll have a boat or not and we can start pointing you in the right direction

Salmonid


----------



## countdogula (Jan 16, 2014)

I will have a boat shortly. What exactly are the "tribs"? 

I am willing to drive, and I want to learn how to catch all sorts of fish in this area. I moved here from Ca. about 12 years ago and can honestly say that I haven't given fishing here much of a chance and it has been outside of my comfort zone with not having ocean fishing here. I want to pass on my love of fishing to my boy and am ready to start learning again. So, I am looking to learn how to catch anything and everything here.


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

tributaries are the feeder streams and bays that lead into the river, such as the Little Miami River, Great Miami River, Licking River on the Ky side and further down you have tanners Creek, Hogan and Laughery creeks that offer several miles of fishable water not to mention several marinas and oxbow style areas offering more of a lake style of fishing then river. Most tribs offer excellent fishing!!

What species are you thinking??

Salmonid


----------



## kickinbass (May 25, 2009)

I'm about 3 hrs up river from you but I know every February/march the saugeye go crazy just below the dams( one about every 30 miles or so and generally easy to find) A 3" curly tail grub will do the trick about every time just count it down to the depth they are hitting at or run it through the rocks. Hit it right and its a fish nearly every cast. Can be pretty cold but you can usually find a day or two warm enough to get the little guy out.


----------



## Skip2myalou (Apr 2, 2013)

countdogula said:


> I will have a boat shortly. What exactly are the "tribs"?
> 
> I am willing to drive, and I want to learn how to catch all sorts of fish in this area. I moved here from Ca. about 12 years ago and can honestly say that I haven't given fishing here much of a chance and it has been outside of my comfort zone with not having ocean fishing here. I want to pass on my love of fishing to my boy and am ready to start learning again. So, I am looking to learn how to catch anything and everything here.


The fishing here isn't Blue Water fishing, but it can still be phenomenal at times. I love taking kids out, so if you wanna go tackle a big mess of crappie this spring or catfish this summer pm me. Id love to have you and your son in the boat.


----------



## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

countdogula said:


> I grew up fishing in California, off shore and inland waters, but Ohio is very different from all of that.


if you still have your saltwater gear you could probally use that for some big river flatheads this spring. 

Just carolina rig a large hook with a live bluegill and fish the mouth of the tribs.


----------



## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Salmonid is right. There are a lot of great fishing opportunities on the Ohio river. I spend most of my time targeting catfish down there but have done my fair share of catching other species as well. It is a great white bass/hybrid fishery and have done very well for them at the mouth of the Little Miami as well as the mouth of the Mill creek. The sauger fishing is very good around the dams as well as bridges. Shad is going to be your main forage in the river so match any lures to that or you can always cast them in the creeks or marinas. The river does get pretty busy during the summer months as well as when there are concerts playing at Coney Island. I try and avoid the weekends and any concert days but you got to fish when you can.

If you have a specific species of fish you are looking to catch let us know and we can probably point you in a better direction.


----------



## Atwood (Sep 6, 2005)

What's your location ? That may help with specifics. I fished California for years, if you chased the river fish runs as they went north, you are ahead of the game and may not know it.


----------



## FishNerd (Apr 22, 2013)

Welcome to Ohio!
Ohio and freshwater fishing is certainly very different from California I'm sure. If you're interested in getting your boy into fishing, start by targeting the easier species. Public ponds and reservoirs normally have healthy quantities of sunfish and bass, as well as catfish and other species. If you plan on fishing the Ohio River, start by fishing the dam tailraces in February - Meldahl and Markland are the closest dams to you, and most dams have good fishing access and can be fished from either side with an Ohio license. Sauger (think small walleye) start biting around this time on twisty grubs, small spinners, etc. Next come the white bass and hybrid striped bass from March through the summer into fall. Whites and hybrids are migratory and congregate below the dams. Small whites will hold against rocky structure and are pretty easy to catch even for a kid. They'll take small minnows, spinners and grubs easily. Hybrid stripers (called "hybrids", "wipers", or sometimes just stripers) are bigger - some over 2 feet and 15 lbs - and hard fighters. Everyone has their favorite technique but start with anything that looks like their natural food - shad and minnows. During the summers channel cats, flatheads, and some blue catfish move below the dams. A container of chicken livers or some large live minnows/suckers will catch smaller catfish. Big flatheads and blue cats take big bait - chunks of skipjack herring or live suckers (these are both large native forage fish - skipjack also make a decent gamefish because large ones fight so hard) are a good place to start. It's not uncommon to catch 50+lb catfish from the Ohio River.
I've caught most of Ohio's native gamefish from the river, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, skipjack, freshwater drum, buffalofish, carp, and gar. And I only started fishing the river a few years ago.
There is a lot of information on these forums. I also recommend getting on the Ohio DNR website for fishing rules, regulations, and lists of species, as well as finding some of the local fishing publications (Ohio Game & Fish comes to mind). And don't be afraid to ask questions at local bait stores (there's also a brand new Bass Pro Shops opening in northern Cincy in a few months).
Good Luck!


----------



## countdogula (Jan 16, 2014)

Thanks so much for the great replies! Sorry for the late post but I have been busy securing a boat and could think of little else (I ended up with a 14" Smokercraft v-hull aluminum boat). 

Im thinking I will start out with crappie and cat fish to start and then branch out from there. i have fished for both on a fairly limited basis. I do not own any of my old salt water gear though. I actually moved out here about 12 years ago and never really got into the fishing here, for various reasons.

Once I get the boat all sorted out and do a few test runs on a lake to make sure it is sea worthy, I am going to get it out on the river and see how it handles. 

Skip, I would like to join you guys some time. When do you typically start fishing?


----------



## Skip2myalou (Apr 2, 2013)

I don't really stop. Haven't been out in a couple weeks because of cold. I might try for a while tomorrow with the warmer temps. Gonna try some of my sauger spots, just don't know how much a pain those ice chunks floating down will be.


----------

