# If you want to catch big wipers now is the time



## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

If you want a shot at big wiper now is the time an meldahl dam on the Ky side is where you want to be. A bunch of big fish have been taken the last three days and it`s just going to get better. It`s a fish from shore deal you can`t get a boat close enough with out breaking the law.So get out the waders and the big game rods an cast to the locks.


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

WOW, you just made a lot of friends down there!


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## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

Nothing is secret and nothing wrong in pointing people in the right direction.Need more members like fishharder.


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## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

Sorry rooster just trying to help some brothers out with some info.
It`s no secret just a matter of timeing


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

no need for apologies.at least from you.thanks for the info.
and the people who always feel the need to give negative responses to posts like yours,based on their own bias,are the ones who should apologize,if anyone.


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## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

When its a dam its not exactly a secret spot and most guys that don't fish for them but wanna try wont have the right equipment anyways. I see it all the time at Pike Island. Guys using 6'6" rods trying to cast a 1 oz spoon to the first gate, pure comedy.

Jake


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Sounds as if the circus is in town...I would love to see that!


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Misfits half right, Fisharder you do not need to apologize to me. It is a public area, and anyone with a valid fishing license can fish there. You have every right to point out the exact location. However, the place is already a zoo. With a post like this for the world to see, the entire world will be there this weekend (except for me because it will be a circus). In my opinion (whats the saying? They are like.we all have one), it is not helping any of you brothers out. It will be too crowded for the 10% of the people with the proper gear and knowledge to get to the fish. The other 90% will find nothing but disappointment, crowds, and snagged lines. Just for the record, the river is a little low, gate #10 was closed as of Sunday, there is a lot of debris in the area, and the BIG hybrids and striper are not in the area yet (not exactly optimum fishing conditions).

And Misfit...I am SO sorry for having an opinion.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Misfits half right


 that beats haf wrong any day  



your apology is directed at the wrong person,and for the wrong reason  
as you and most others know,i respect and invite opinions,even if they differ from my own.it is also known that i just don't always agree with the manner(which i respect much less than the opinion itself) in which those opinions are expressed  

again,it's usually not what we say,but how we say it


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## creekwalker (May 23, 2004)

While we are weighing in with opinions, I'll add my 2lbs.

I'll just give an example. I prefer posts like mrtwister_jbo: Fair post . With this kind of post, people who know where they catch the fish that mrtwister_job mentions will go to "their" spot and probably catch some fish, those who don't normally fish for them won't take the time to join the circus. Still gives good info to make the forums worth while but hopefully doesn't make the spot unfishable.

I posted a poll about this topic during the winter. You can see the results and draw your own conclusion. About 30% of the responders wouldn't have fished the spot if it weren't for the post. Not exactly enough posts to draw any definitive conclusion about the effect on the spot or the fishing, but worth noting nonetheless.

Again, just my opinion. I didn't post before because I figured this thread would wind up another flame war, but it seems civil enough 


CW


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

creekwalker said:


> While we are weighing in with opinions, I'll add my 2lbs.
> 
> CW


Hey, watch it, Buddy.
LMJ


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

2 pounds?is that all?  
good point,along with ostbucks and fishingnut.places like that are well known,and plenty of people know about them.a heads up when action is good may bring more,but as mentioned,those who are new to it,won't waste a lot of time if they're not geared for that type of fishing.and most won't come back after realizing it's not their thing.


> I didn't post before because I figured this thread would wind up another flame war


 you might see a spark now and then,but we keep a fire extinguisher handy in case of ignition


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## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

Sometimes I tend to leak at the mouth no bad puns please an sometimes I get blamed for being tight liped once again no bad puns please.But one things for sure is someone is always trying to be helpful an point out my faults.But this time I think Rooster might have a point. Failure to point out that you need speical equipment an that weekends are combat fishing conditions could make your fishing trip a bad deal.So if you head up to the dam better do your homework.Oh well you can`t get it right every time.Heck with this it`s raining but the fish are wet already an I am going fishing FH OUT.


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## oxmos (Apr 13, 2005)

Went out tonight. Only saw 1 small hybrid caught. A couple skipjack and quite a few hotdog sized sauger/saugeye though. Counted 18 people so I guess the circus has begun.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

I personally think that when the fish are on at the dam that word of mouth spreads much quicker than the postings on this website. I doubt if 10% of those fishing atop Meldahl or below it have ever heard of this website, or would even know how to get to it if they had. 

Yes, it might motivate a few of those who normally wouldn't make the trip from long distances, but I'd be willing to bet that only a 5% or 10% differential in the normal fisherman population is effected by postings on here. 

I'd like to think that those on this site have an added edge of sharing our experiences with each other, and designating "hot areas" and what is running at a given time. 

I'm strictly Catch and Release on 100% of the fish that I catch, so I'm not hurting the fish population or cleaning out someone's honey hole.

I appreciate any info I can get. If everything is a deep, dark secret, what is the point of posting on here???


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## cadyshac (Dec 9, 2005)

Mustang I agree with you to a point. I like to hear when people are catching fish and what they are being caught on. I wont give up exact locations on here though. One problem with a place like the dam is that there are going to be a lot of people jammed into a small area. Only a few of the guys will have the proper tackle to catch fish. The rest will be in the way. They have every right to be there and hopefully will learn how to fish the area. If I go there and the place is packed I head to another spot to avoid the crowd.
Cady


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

cadyshac said:


> Mustang I agree with you to a point. I like to hear when people are catching fish and what they are being caught on. I wont give up exact locations on here though. One problem with a place like the dam is that there are going to be a lot of people jammed into a small area. Only a few of the guys will have the proper tackle to catch fish. The rest will be in the way. They have every right to be there and hopefully will learn how to fish the area. If I go there and the place is packed I head to another spot to avoid the crowd.
> Cady


I concur.

I guess my point is that this is going to occur whether someone makes a post on here about the hot fishing there or not. 

It's a natural phenomonen. The dam is a local hot spot anyway and when it gets going good word gets out and the fishermen flock in.

A few years back, the sauger fishing got especially hot one particular fall and it was shoulder to shoulder during the days there. We waited until just after dark when the last of the day-trippers were climbing the hill to their cars to go and virtually had the place to ourselves for nights at a time from dark until midnight. The fishing was better during that period than it was during the daytime and we didn't have the "fair-weather" fishermen to contend with.


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## jjhiway (Sep 19, 2004)

Is this not the "Ohio river fishing report"? I for one new of the dam as a fishing hole for, I don't know, 35 years? When I wanted to learn how to fish better on the Ohio I turned to the internet and this message board. I hope I havn't came to the wrong place. My friends who don't fish much don't come to this board and don't rely on it. heck, those Lake Erie boys give out types of tackle and GPS coord's and they are all still happy. lets make this place a useful tool for all.


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## ChrisB (May 13, 2004)

The fact of the matter is that this is an open forum. There are always more guests than members on at all time. Why these people don't register is beyond me. If any of you "guests" read this please register. It takes only a few minutes. As for telling people about dams on this board. I don' see anything wrong with it. I fish Racine and most of the people hear about it from word of mouth. Yea it's a circus down there with the line crossings and some of the people "pinch" you or "paylake" you but it's a public spot. I thought about this during the weekend and realized that I'm not any more important than the fisherman next to me. Why should I keep information that I leared form someone else in the first place to myself? It's the Ohio river and the last time I checked there are a lot of fish in there. So from here on out I will post all of my trips to the Racine dam. 5/10 report. Caught everything form saugers, walley and white bass on a half ounce jig and a chartuese twister tail. Caught seven wipers one flathead and a blue cat on shad. The wipers were all over five pounds with the biggest being 10 and a half pounds. The flathead was only a pound and the blue was six. I have been nailing the hybrids for over a month now. I don't think I see any harm in this because people don't usualy keep fish there. Plus, you can go ast certain times and no one will be there.


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## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

About half of the posts that I make anymore degrade into this type of discussion.Just last week I was up at the dam fish started bitting They just turned on you know how that goes sometimes.Two of the fisherman got there cell phones out an started calling everyone they know.With in an hours time about ten guys show up.Word always gets out so why not share it here??
All the same I wouldn`t mind seeing a members only board.I will say that I had alot more defenders than detractors this time.I am not going to give up any fragile water the spots like the dams and the hot water discharges an creek mouths are kind of renewable resorces.They are no secret it`s just a matter of timeing.But I do wish the discussions could stay on tract hints help directions that type of thing.


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## 1badmthrfisher (Apr 4, 2005)

well said... I agree that damns and creeek mouths are not going to be " fished out". Now smaller bodies of water like creeks and such, thats a different story..... If you dont want people to know where you are catching them dont post something.... Be at least willing to explain the body of water and general conditions.... you dont need to give up the exact location


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Hey, now we're back to fishing, I was at Meldahl Sat. am, on OH side, whites, sauger and small wipers. I kayaked to KY side, marked quite a few stumps or rock piles along rock bank before sand beach. Lot's of suspended fish, caught a few more whites and sauger, one gar. 
I saw the action at the dam and on the wall. Looked like Surf casting. 
Is that type of long casting shoulder to shoulder productive? I had a baitrunner and 7' rod, didn't think it would stand up to the distance to the open gates. Also wondered what an adrenalin rush it would be to try to land a wiper in the teens from 30' up that wall. guess someone below could give you a hand.

I'd like to hook up with one of the larger wipers, my biggest this year is 23", I understand that's a dink compared to what is right there at the running water.

Any of you see me in yellow Ocean Kayak, give me a shout out!
God Bless,
Jeff


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## fisharder (Mar 18, 2005)

Saw you out saturday Jeff was thinking you had a pair of big ones or was just crazy you wouldn`t catch me out in that mess in any thing less than a 17 foot boat that had at least 50 hp an that would be on the small side. Going out in the boat again tomorrow expect big things.Bought a cheap digital camera so hope to have pictures to go with my postings. For some reason my good cameras format dose not work on this site?? It`s my lack of tech not my camera most likely but we will see if I have better luck with the new camera.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

fisharder said:


> Saw you out saturday Jeff was thinking you had a pair of big ones or was just crazy QUOTE]
> Fisharder, judging from some of your earlier remarks re: my perspective, I won't bother you with the truth, but it is NONE OF THE ABOVE
> Yeah, water was a little choppy, I'm not sure where you were, but you may have noticed, I stayed out of the real rough stuff. (zeal without wisdom leads to destruction, very old saying LOL )
> I'm taking yak to Chincoteague Island off VA coast end of next week, should really put it to test in Chincoteague inlet, and possibly off Atlantic Coast.
> ...


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## scrawfrd02 (Jul 27, 2005)

I learned of meldahl through this site... really i knew of nothing when i first came here. the people who helped got me started and ive been to over 20 places in ohio since this year. learned so much. but even at meldahl i couldnt catch **** using the same lure as this guy there who was catching them every cast... he was teaching me but not to my luck. ive since learned the skill. i think its only right to let people know where the fish are biting.. i never have gotten to a place and thought, damn so crowded. 100 people scouting ohios waters is much more information than dedicating 1 day to each spot to get personal info. And i would love to have the challenge of being the one in the crowd to be pullin out the beasts. No secret meldahl gets crowded, but no kid with a snoopy pole and hot dogs is gonna steal my fish. Fish a plenty there


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## happy (Apr 23, 2006)

great opinions haha who dont like a circus now and then life is short share


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