# Hocking near Hockingport



## JLeephoto (Apr 12, 2008)

I'm trying to learn the Hocking and Little Hocking near Coolville & Hockingport. If anyone has any advice for bass, whites & hybrids, I'd appreciate it. Fished the Hocking a upstream from Hockingport today for about 3 hours. High winds, and high muddy water made it tough but did catch two nice bass 16 & 18" on a spinnerbait. This area is pretty close to home so I'd like to get to know it a lot better. Any lower Hocking anglers out there? I have an extra seat in the jon boat and will have a camera ready. Get in touch.


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## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

We used to catch Hybrids a few years back on yozuri minnows, and Smallies on orange/brown bitsy bugs


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## ErieAngler (Apr 15, 2006)

Four mile creek is awesome for crappie and the mouth for lg cats.


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## JLeephoto (Apr 12, 2008)

Riverwader, that's the first I've heard of smallies in that lower section of the river. I thought they should be there, but reasoned that maybe the water conditions weren't good enough in those lower sections to support them. If there are numbers of smallies down there, it may change my approach.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I've fished that area for around 20 years and never heard of or saw any smallmouth caught down there. Small bass, yes, small_mouth_ bass, no. 

I've caught them on the main river below dams, though, so I guess it is possible. You can catch a lot of bass on the main river down through there, there is pretty good wood cover on the banks, and docks are in during the summer. I would focus on the backwaters, though. The lower Hocking's backwaters are very productive, but also very heavily fished.


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## JLeephoto (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks Cream, I wonder where the smallies "start" upriver? I know that by the time you reach Athens there are numbers of them, but I'm tempted to go explore Fronst, Beebe, Guysville, etc. I wonder if it's navigable.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

JLeephoto said:


> Thanks Cream, I wonder where the smallies "start" upriver? I know that by the time you reach Athens there are numbers of them, but I'm tempted to go explore Fronst, Beebe, Guysville, etc. I wonder if it's navigable.


I don't doubt that you could run into a stray smallie about anywhere in the Hocking, I mean think about it...smallies in the Ohio, smallies in upper Hocking, stands to reason some could be caught in between. I know a few folks who have caught them in small numbers around Stewart/Guysville, my most in one outing around Athens is 7, but above Nelsonville I have had lots of 40+ fish days on 2-3 mile float trips.


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## JLeephoto (Apr 12, 2008)

Oh yeah, I'm sure there are some strays in between. There must be something to do with water quality, flow rate, etc. that makes them more abundant further up. I was just hoping to find somewhere a little closer to home than Athens to target them. However, I'd never turn my nose up at good LM action.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

JLeephoto said:


> Oh yeah, I'm sure there are some strays in between. There must be something to do with water quality, flow rate, etc. that makes them more abundant further up. I was just hoping to find somewhere a little closer to home than Athens to target them. However, I'd never turn my nose up at good LM action.


I grew up living on SR144 between Coolville and Hockingport. My nearly every summer day consisted of getting up, packing my tackle and a rod in a bookbag, and biking to hockingport and other backwaters to fish. I've fished the Hocking from the mouth all the way to nearly Lancaster, only missing a big section around the Frost area (lack of easy access for me). Pretty much the rest of it I have been on and fished, either wading, canoeing, or in a bass boat.

PM me if you want some info on a good section up north. It would be a bit of a trip from where you are, but a good day of fishing.


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## JLeephoto (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks Cream, I've managed to stumble into a few good fish between Logan and Athens, but also good to get advice from local experience. I'll PM you.


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## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

We caught a few but you really dont start to get into them 2-3 miles south of Stewart


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

I have caught several smallmouth in guysville. Mostly spots though.


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