# Hocking Combat Fishing



## Klinger (Nov 15, 2006)

Felt like my son and I had been in some kind of battle after doing a wade of the Hocking this past Sunday. Once we found a spot to drop down in to the river, we knew it was a mistake. Muck and mud everywhere we tried to go. Back up the steep bank and dropped back down. I slipped and wiped out. My son took a wrong step and was in up to his chest. Tried to wade across and that was bad. Got in some current and had trouble getting out with all the silt. Then on the way out it was a sea of nettles. Bad news and then the mosquitos found us. The highlight of the wade was a dandy 18 inch smallie my son landed. Just not sure it's worth wading the Hocking.


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## Mykidsr1 (Mar 19, 2009)

I took my kids canoeing this weekend on the Hocking river (Yes I know I am an idiot but they wanted to go pretty bad), I noticed the same thing. Thank god for Kayaks.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

Sounds like you were down river from Athens. If so, you can thank O.U. and the Army Corps of Engineers for that mess.


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## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

I Fish said:


> Sounds like you were down river from Athens. If so, you can thank O.U. and the Army Corps of Engineers for that mess.


LOL HOORAY for channelization and sweet runoff!


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I Fish said:


> Sounds like you were down river from Athens. If so, you can thank O.U. and the Army Corps of Engineers for that mess.


I wade the Hocking all the time, both above and below Athens (within sight of Athens). You can find hard bottoms and soft bottoms above and below Athens. I'm not saying what they did in Athens was a good thing, but it's foolish to think that there's muck bottom only below Athens because it's just not true. I've found mucky bottom composition around Logan and hard rock bottom a mile below Athens, it just depends on how the river is flowing in a given area. Find faster current, you'll find rock. Slow deep pools will be muddier and there will be more silt. My favorite wade below Athens is about a 1/2 mile stretch and it's hard bottom the whole way.


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## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

I agree, I wade the Hocking a few time a week usually , And I know of alot of hard bottom Fishing Areas.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

You guys are right, there are hard bottom spots in that river, but, if the mess from Athens wasn't there, you most likely wouldn't be wading it. I remember when the hole at the confluence of Strouds Run and the river used to be 30' deep. I know of several guys that hunted, fished, and trapped it thru the 70's. They never had to get out of their boats from the Guysville Dam all the way up to behind the Pepsi plant, running 14 and 16 foot jon boats with up to 25hp outboards. From there, with the exception of a couple of shallows, you could go all the way up and fish below Whites Mill. It was the same going down, except for going around the other 2 dams (which, I think, are now gone). It's hard to even imagine it was ever possible, seeing it now.

I wish, with all of the Enviro Nazi's down there, they would make Athens, OU, and the Corps clean that mess up. All of my old fishing holes are silted in, and it's getting all the way down the river. The mouth at the Ohio used to be 90' deep. Last time I was there (4 years ago) it was only 25. 

Sorry for the vent. This just brought back all the old memories of what that river was, but is no more, and it's mostly due to greed. The Old Timers have mostly died, and everybody else seem to have forgotten, or never even knew, what a great resource that river was. It helped feed my grandmothers (and lots of others) family, and countless hobos during the Great Depression. Yes, there are a few fish to be had, but comparing what is now to what was, is like comparing Lake Erie to Burr Oak.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I Fish said:


> You guys are right, there are hard bottom spots in that river, but, if the mess from Athens wasn't there, you most likely wouldn't be wading it. I remember when the hole at the confluence of Strouds Run and the river used to be 30' deep. I know of several guys that hunted, fished, and trapped it thru the 70's. They never had to get out of their boats from the Guysville Dam all the way up to behind the Pepsi plant, running 14 and 16 foot jon boats with up to 25hp outboards. From there, with the exception of a couple of shallows, you could go all the way up and fish below Whites Mill. It was the same going down, except for going around the other 2 dams (which, I think, are now gone). It's hard to even imagine it was ever possible, seeing it now.
> 
> I wish, with all of the Enviro Nazi's down there, they would make Athens, OU, and the Corps clean that mess up. All of my old fishing holes are silted in, and it's getting all the way down the river. The mouth at the Ohio used to be 90' deep. Last time I was there (4 years ago) it was only 25.
> 
> Sorry for the vent. This just brought back all the old memories of what that river was, but is no more, and it's mostly due to greed. The Old Timers have mostly died, and everybody else seem to have forgotten, or never even knew, what a great resource that river was. It helped feed my grandmothers (and lots of others) family, and countless hobos during the Great Depression. Yes, there are a few fish to be had, but comparing what is now to what was, is like comparing Lake Erie to Burr Oak.


Speaking of the mouth of the Hocking, somewhere I have photos of that area from several years back when the Belleville Dam had its major problem with a runaway barge wedged in one of the doors, making it impossible for them to close the door and stop the water from dropping. I think in the channel, last time I checked, it's around 30' at the mouth, but with the water drawn down something like 15', man you could see all the structure! You could see exactly how those points lay, see the dropoffs, very cool (but sad at the same time) to see.


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## Klinger (Nov 15, 2006)

For the record, my son and I were wading somewhere between N'ville and Logan. I've tried wading different spots of the river about a half dozen times and it's by far the most difficult river/creek I've ever waded. And I've waded quite a few across the state. With the tremendous amounts of silt and mud thats prevalent, I'm surprised anything survives there let alone some decent smallies. And from some of the posts, conditions sound even more drastic from The Plains on down to the Ohio. What a shame.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

TheCream said:


> Speaking of the mouth of the Hocking, somewhere I have photos of that area from several years back when the Belleville Dam had its major problem with a runaway barge wedged in one of the doors, making it impossible for them to close the door and stop the water from dropping. I think in the channel, last time I checked, it's around 30' at the mouth, but with the water drawn down something like 15', man you could see all the structure! You could see exactly how those points lay, see the dropoffs, very cool (but sad at the same time) to see.


I was down there and seen that too. If you had to guess, would you have ever imagined there were that many empty barrels in those rivers? I tell myself they are all from old docks, but I can't make myself believe it.


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

I waded that area too and almost stayed stuck to my neck. Never would wade it again.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Klinger, do your self a favor and wade Salt Creek. It's a fun wade and man oh man, in certain spots the smallies are stacked up big time. You may not get a 16 incher but you'll catch enough small ones to make it worth while.


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## ts326802 (Aug 9, 2008)

The Rockbridge to Haydenville section of the Hocking is a large and great area to fish for smallies - and yeah - I've tried wading several times. It's just not worth it. Take a jon boat or kayak and cover a lot of territory - just park on the sand bars and fish for a bit until it's time to move to the next area. An 18" smallie would have made for a great day though! =)


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