# 5 months of trout in OHIO



## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I saw the rain in forecast for weekend, so I headed down to Clear Fork in Bellville last night after work. So happy I did otherwise my only trout this month would have been a few smolts caught looking for dropback steel one day 3 weeks ago. I used my 3wt Echo with Pflueger reel and Cortland Peach line for some dry fly action.

So I made it there by 715 and saw a few trout in water with only a few rising. Went to gear up and came back to see another fly fisherman working upstream. I watched him for a few minutes and he was nymphing a riffle and kept working up. I think I saw him hook and lose a fish in a pocket. Good technique and I will try that down there next time. 

I wanted to fish below so I headed into the water and over to above the spot I saw a few. Noticed a few bugs coming off mostly caddis but a couple white or light yellow mayflys. I put on an experimental caddis I tied a few weeks ago not used yet. Started fishing down by covering all the areas I thought might hold a fish or two. No luck until I got into the last wadeable spot. I saw a few more rising fish now and worked my way casting to closest fish, then further away. I got my first take at the far side of the flow just as the water slows down over the back of a riffle. Fish slammed the fly and I got it into the net. One of last years stockers probably at 10 inches long brown. 










I casted a few more times but then I knew, this spot doesn't usually give more than 1 fish to a single type of fly without giving them a break. So I changed to a sulfur cripple dry and started working my way from closest to further away again. After I let my 3rd cast drift further downstream into the slow pool, another trout slammed the fly. There was an older couple watching from the bank now and heard him say, "there, yes, see he has it on." She giggled and said "oh yeh now I see it." I got the fish to the net another about 11 inches long brown. He asked me if I keep them and I said no, I just like to introduce myself and let them go. 










They kept watching as bugs doubled on the water and a few more fish kept rising. I dried my fly knowing only 30 minutes left in evening to fish. A few more drifts into the pool and a fish slams the fly again. This time I get him in and hes a bluegill pushing 9 inches long. Gave me a better fight for sure. The guy says "now them are good eating." You bet they are I said. They walked away and said good night. I set the fish free and kept casting. A little further away I had another bluegill slam the dry and get him in he is a solid 8 inch fish. 

















I had just enough time to try another spot downstream. I power walked the tenth of a mile to the next accessible riffle. Saw some fish rising above the riffle when I got down into the water. Tried my sulfur dry up there but fish were spooked. I saw them swirl to deeper water. Then I worked quickly down the chute next to me trying a few cast under the bushes and tree, for nothing. I kept working down and at the chutes exit into a pool on a turn, saw a few fish eating on surface. Barely enough light to see the fly now but I let my fly drift into the slow water and try a lift at the end. This worked and a fish slammed my fly and broke it off on the take. Might have been the best fish of the night. Oh well, try again. I cannot believe the low light I tied on another but this time a caddis cripple with the same silhuette but olive color. I worked again from middle of the chute, down to the outflow and kept repeating the lift and short swim upstream to pick up for next cast. I got one more take which I didn't get on the hook. I cannot wait to get back to that area again. 

So I'm feeling good, I have 5 months in a row of trout on a fly in OHIO. Now it might really get tough. 
Tight lines,
Rickerd


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

Excellent report brother. I like these kinds of stories to go along with the pics. Did you just choose your go to flies or do you know the river and match the hatch? I was in the Mad last Thursday and I saw no risers. I seldom do. Last night I started tying up some parachute Adams just to do it. I only dry fish for trout with parachutes because I can't see anything else.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

So I know the river farely well and I expected to see some caddis and a few mayflies. One of the flies I usually do well did not get a take. That was the Klinkhammer in gray. So I started with the Caddis because I saw a few flying around and wanted to try the new pattern. Then when I saw a few light cahills or sulfur? I couldn't tell which from the distance, I went to the sulfur cripple as another experiment. Just one of those times when my hunches worked out I guess. 

There are only 1/3 as many trout in this section as a few years ago. I used to see some 2 and 3 pounders here each time out, though the biggest I've landed is 15 inches. I didn't see any over 14 inches this time, but I wasn't looking from the bank long, when I saw a few, I wanted to fish them before dark.

I hope to get back down to the Mad soon. I've only fished it once a couple hours before dark and didn't get a trout. 

Rickerd


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

You know the Mad isn't easily accessible from my experience. You can't walk the bank and just fish. What I do is walk up river in the field get in and work down or I fish down and get out and walk back. I fish the Mad in Champaign County. I don't know about Logan County. The best way to fish the Mad is to float it. There are 3 or 4 places to put in and get out at 55 or down to Dallas Rd. I don't float it but I have seen the people from Mad River Outfitters a few times while I was there. A good way would be by kayak. The Mad River is a very tough river to wade upstream and fish. It is a workout because of the current. If the flow in Urbana is 250+cu. Ft/ sec, it can be tough wading upstream. This is my experience.
The only reason I go to the Mad is because there are some big Browns in there. I just posted about my 16" and 2 or 3 years ago I had a 2 footer swallow a chub I hooked. I missed him with my old landing net. I swear this is true. How do you think I got my screen name. An 18" Brown on a Marabou Muddler at Christmas time down at County Line Rd back in 2002 I believe.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

thank yo for the help on the Mad. I figured it was named well. 

That's funny you mention a big brown grabbing your chub once. That happened to me on Apple creek back in 2014. A 24 incher kept nailing the chub on the way in when I hooked the chub on a dry. The chub was a 5 incher. That 24 incher held on until just before I got the net under him. But now I knew he was still there. I went back a week later fishing the same pool in mid JUne. Water was clear and I could see the whole pool which was 4.5 feet deep. I couldn't see the beast but he saw a chub chase my BH hare's ear nymph. Just before the chub grabbed it, the beast rose off the bottom and took the fly. Time slowed down for a minute as I saw the whole thing and didn't flinch until I knew he had taken the fly. I battled him stirring up the whole pool with my fiberglass 4 wt. Then I got the photo and a measurment before I set him free. It's amazing when you crush you PB trout by 4 inches. 

Tight lines,
Rickerd


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