# Help me out here, wade fishing Smallmouth Bass



## ChrisL (Jul 19, 2008)

In days past my brother and I would just load up some gear, the trusty Gazeteer map of Ohio and drive a few streams looking for good riffles or wading spots. Gas costs way too much now to do that. 

We are located in Portsmouth, OH, but don't mind a 2 hour drive if we get to a destination to spend some time at. I just want to narrow it down to the parking spot and a good long wade. 

Being from the south I only know the Athens area since I went to college there. I had fished the Hocking a bit, but have always heard about the Darby Creek. 

Guess I am asking maybe something I might not expect an answer to! I want specific directions. Our days of just using our country maps and driving for hours and enjoying the scenery are over, it just cost so darn much. Looking for info on maybe Darby or the upper Scioto, or anything similar in the Athens to Columbus area. 

thanks, Chris


----------



## fishing_marshall (Jun 12, 2004)

Try the Hocking from Logan to Athens is loaded with nice smallies.


----------



## oufisherman (Apr 10, 2004)

I second the Hocking River, fished it the most during the last two years I was there. I could just kick myself for not paying attention to it sooner! The variety of fish is nice and the quality and quality are both good. My personal best smallie of 17 1/4" inches is from that river.


----------



## ohiou_98 (Mar 19, 2007)

hey neighbor, check your pms


----------



## litlbobalu (Jul 17, 2008)

If you are interested in wading the Big or Little Darby you can get in at the Alkire rd access for Batelle Darby Creek Metro Park. This is the confluence for both rivers and right now, the Big is low enough to wade. I kayaked the Big from route 40 to Alkire rd Saturday and caught a few smallies, one 10 inches and a lot of rock bass. I saw a guy fly fishing in the confluence which is a great idea. Be careful with the Big, it has a lot of nice holes and the current is very strong in spots. The bed is rock, sand and mud so it can be tricky. I have waded it under route 40's bridge and it has plenty of smallies.


----------



## BANDIT (Apr 22, 2004)

Pick up 73 West and start driving you'll find plenty of places to pull off all the way up to Hillsboro. Great places at Lawshee, Serpent Mound and off 41 just south of Peebles. Make sure you hit the small pockets you don't think will hold fish as you'll be surprised at the amout of fish you can pull out of spot. Take some bare hooks and catch some craws and throw em out in the current and work em you'll be surprised....


----------



## ChrisL (Jul 19, 2008)

I missed my last trip due to family issues. Planning another this next weekend. Trying to decide between Darby and Hocking. I fished the Hocking at the Bridge above the college to the ballpark when I was in school around there. Where are more places with longer wades?

The only info I have been able to find is Logan to Nelsonville, is most of it wadeable there? I think I had back luck, when I went North of Nelsonville around an old greasy spoon joint (with a picture on the wall of a timber rattler 15 feet long!), I ran into really slow water with deep muddy bottoms, only a few small spotted bass and bluegills. 

Thanks for the previous replies. Yes, I have fished Brush Creek a lot. That was our first choice if we can't find a new spot to explore. You were correct in hitting the small pockets. Some of the biggest fish and best fishing we've found on Brush Creek were little sinkholes just outside of riffles that don't look bigger than a bathtub. I think my best trip ever was when the water was up, we hit a tiny tributary off of 32, since it wasn't chocolater milk and could be waded. 30 or so fish within a couple hundred yards, some taken out of water you could cross without getting your feet wet. 

Usually fished an area outside Peebles we call the car wash. Its just below a bridge with a solid rock bottom, we've often pulled up to see 4x4's parked in the creek, kinda strange. Its a short wade though and ends up in some really slow stagnant water with sandy bottoms where we have never caught much of anything but dink whitebass.

Sorry for all the rambling. I've been away from this area for near 20 years, rambling about all the old spots I used to know


----------

