# Meldahl Construction



## cadyshac (Dec 9, 2005)

Anyone know if you can fish at the dam, have they opened up an access road?


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

have no idea, thought it was closed 4 4 years.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Went up there about a month ago on the KY. side.Sign said that a fishing area was being built and would be ready in a few weeks. Lots of heavy equipment clearing land. Have read on here that it will be small. 100ft.


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## MeldahlPhil (Jun 10, 2010)

I stopped by the dam a couple of weeks ago and a gate closed off access to pretty much the entire area. There was not even a place to park and then walk down-river away from the construction area. A fence stretched a significant distance parallel to the river in both directions from the gate. 

I went to the Foster boat landing and thought about walking along the river up toward the dam, but the river was high enough that I bagged that idea. 

Anyone know a date when some kind of access will be available that is closer to the dam than 3 miles downstream?


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

I spoke to a pair of Ky Fish and Wildlife officers earler this evening and they informed me that they had seen the plans for the power generation facility at Meldahl and that it would nearly mirror that at Greenup Dam. It is being built by the same company. They talked of the water coming through the first gate being re-routed, closer to the Kentucky shore and fishing platforms being constructed, along with a walkway along the rip-rap.

I've seen Greenup's setup and would sign on in a heartbeat if they will indeed follow-up with the officers' vision of future-state Meldahl.

They also said that an access road had been built and was now open to allow fishermen access to the sandbar downstream. As in the old days they said that you can now drive to the edge of the hill just short of the sandbar and walk down as in the past.

Anybody familiar with this, and can verify??? If so, it is a step in the right direction.


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## cadyshac (Dec 9, 2005)

I was afraid the sand bar was as close as we would get, that blows!


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

cadyshac said:


> I was afraid the sand bar was as close as we would get, that blows!


I'll have to check it out myself, but in the old days when the access road was open all of the way to the sandbar, fishermen would pull off to the side and walk over the hill to the rip-rap. 

I can't see where they would have a problem with that.


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## Ajax (May 16, 2008)

Any update? I'd love to go down there this weekend if there is parking and access to the fish.


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

Any acsess yet?????


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## AnglinMueller (May 16, 2008)

Any idea when we'll be able to fish the dam again or how far along the fishing access area is in its construction?


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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

There is access at Medahl but it is on the sand bar no where around the goodfishing. You cant even get your boat near the rocks to fish it is bouyed off for a barge running rock back and forth. Fishing has been slow for hybrids and bass as far as I know, I saw people asking about it so I decided to join this site and let everyone know what I have been doing or have seen. I will run the bouy edge in the boat on ky side and I mark no fish, I graph fish by the locks and throw every thing at them and I get skunked, I am throwing for the hybrids, I have even dropped liver over the side and nothing. Hope this may help somebody out there.


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## cadyshac (Dec 9, 2005)

Thanks for the update, I wont waste the gas to go up there. I am afraid we are forever screwed and will have to remember the goood ole' days at Meldahl.


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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

Sorry guys I am going to post another few time so I can send a pm


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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

I will add this I was in a creek mouth and saw hybrids running the minners in the wood and threw jigs spinners topwater chatterbait you name it and still caught nothing, this has been the worst year for me in the river, I have talked to other guys that I know that fish it also and they have getting a few to very little and when they do find a big school of fish it is usually a bunch of drum or they see gar everywhere. As for the construction it is supposed to be a 4 year project, and there supposed to put a 100 foot fishing pier in, so I guess we will see when it is done. They have been running the middle gate forever it seems and sometimes another one with it for anybody that fished the ky side you know what fishing is like when the middle is running by itself, just another bad day. Water temp has been a steady 85 in the morning and 87-88 in mid day.


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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

cadyshack sent a pm


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## Fish Assassin (Jan 30, 2010)

Will a person be able to launch a boat at Neville and fish for sauger up around the lock gates on the Ohio side this year?


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## burt (Aug 22, 2010)

Fish Assassin said:


> Will a person be able to launch a boat at Neville and fish for sauger up around the lock gates on the Ohio side this year?


Yea we should be able to, all the work being done and barges running around with the rock is on the Ky side.


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## MichaelR (Aug 13, 2010)

My buddy and I went down last week and fished for about 4 hours from the bank on the ohio side. He caught a 4lb flathead on a nitro worm, but other than that we were skunked. Tried live bait, cut bait, chicken, and worms. Just the flathead on the worm is what we got. I keep reading on here about how awesome it used to be. Is it really all over now because of the plant going up? Seems like I'm too late to the party sadly


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

I took a couple of photos of the construction currently ongoing at Mehldahl Dam.

It appears that they are still in the process of dirt/rock moving. The one big change that I saw is that they have apparently buffered chunk rock all of the way out to the first gate eliminating the pool of water that used to exist between the shore line and the wall of the dam.


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

Photo 2, just downstream of Photo 1


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Shame to see the best spot up there being destroyed. Thanks for the update!


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

7thcorpsFA said:


> Shame to see the best spot up there being destroyed. Thanks for the update!


It is kinda sad.

I've been fishing there since high school, and that was about 40 years ago.

It was an incredible spot for after-dark sauger in November and it was not unusual to catch-and-release well over 50 a night. 

It was also fun to try to throw a grub into the first gate - there were some monster drum that hung out in there, to say nothing of the incredible striper/wiper/white bass fishing that could be found there when conditions were right.

I'd also like to know how many times I risked my life walking out on that narrow wall and setting up shop near the corner of the dam. If you caught a big carp or cat, you'd have to walk to the end of the wall and then go retrieve your catch down at the bottom. If they were sauger or whites you just dragged them up the wall. A lot of fish have scaled that wall (which appears to be gone now) over the years.

The promise is for a better fishing condition for the fishermen in the future, and IF they keep their promises, they have done some pretty amazing things below some of the dams I'm familiar with, such as Kentucky Lake, Pickwick Lake, and Greenup Dam. I guess we will have to keep our fingers crossed and hope the project doesn't outlive us - lol!


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Went to the dam to check out the constuction and fish a while. Couldn't get close enough to see much. They have turned the party capital of NKY. into a huge scab. Got skunked fishing the rocks on the OH. side for SMB or what ever would bite, no luck! Went down river to the mouth of Indian Crik and used every trick I know. Only got one feesh close to the boat, it was small and got off. Up in the creek I saw massive amounts of bait fish jumping for their lives and stayed there 2 hours throwing everything I had and only getting a few wimpy strikes. This was puzzling because I could see either big White Bass or small Stripers rolling just under the surface as they goobled up the baitfish. They wouldn't touch anything! Oh well, it was a nice day for a boat ride!:S


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Forgot to mention that they are closing the locks for hours at a time. Went in to the small lock with a big towboat that nearly took up the entire lenth of the lock. Wanted to try a couple sweat spots in an attempt not to get skunked. Lockmaster comes out and asked if I'd be coming back through in the next few hours. He said they were ready to shut down the locks for a few hours, so keep that in mind if you need to lock through. Gave up, skunked big time! Got home just in time to miss the rain.


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## Saugerman10 (Oct 3, 2007)

I usually don't write very much because I tend to rattle on, but do read a bunch and this thread has me wondering if it's just me or am I correct in my suspicion that for the past few years things just aren't the same in the river( Markland pool only). I'm just not talking at the dam but overall. I can"t really say anything about McAlpine pool and below or Meldhal pool and above as I rarely fish those pools. It's probably because I grew up in Ludlow Ky., fished this pool all my life and never felt I need to travel. The Markland Pool has always been very good to me. I've seen dry times and extraordinary times but here lately, I mean for the past three years or so things are steadily dropping off for various species. Maybe it's just my imagination but after reading the success rates overall and I know there are some exceptional reports but there are also a lot of people (it seems) are reporting what they managed to scrape together, that coupled with my own experience has me wondering "IF IT'S JUST ME". If you reply to this I can except that I'll probably be called stupid, crazy, long on talk short on brains or whatever else but that's OK I'd just like to know. 
Chip ( Saugerman10 )


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## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

I know fishing for Catfish it has declined a bunch been fishing this area since 1994 and Lynn and I used to boat 30 or more fish in about a 10 hour period now I'm real happy if I see ten in the boat, I think the netting has really hurt those of us that CPR everything, the norm back then wasa couple of thirty or fourty pound Flatheads in a night with a bunch of twentys and teens mixed in.

Back then we always had bunches of current the river never turned into a lake like it has the last 5 years, this year we had current until April and had have Zero since then and by current I'm talking the river level is above 27.5 foot for me ideal is 30 foot or better, but I still stay at it cause I love fishing on the Ohio River...........Doc


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## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

I'd say sport fishing in the Markland pool had diminished badly over the past 5 years.
There were times that you could fish the Meldahl Dam lock wall and catch quality hybrids until your arms got sore - not so anymore.

About three years ago the river was loaded with chunky Kentucky and Largemouth bass, about a 1/2 pound apiece and it was nothing to catch 10-12 of these on an outing. Presently 1 or 2 is the norm. You'd think the lake-like conditions would benefit the bass populations but it hasn't. 

My fishing partner and I talk about the diminishing fishery all of the time, but like you, go for love of the sport and enjoy getting out on the river.

Hopefully, it's cyclical and will come back - probably not!


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

I agree, been catfishing about 6 years down there now and while the blue catfishing has gotten better, everything else has gotten worse over at least the last 3 years. I attribute that to learning how to catch them over the first 2-3 years and then it was decent, then its been all downhill since then. In fact this year for channels and flatheads was by far, the worst year for me in the last 6. 

Ill be fishing the "Fish for Freedom" Tourney this Sunday and hopefully will try to get some newer dam construction pics. 

Salmonid


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

BMustang said:


> I took a couple of photos of the construction currently ongoing at Mehldahl Dam.
> 
> It appears that they are still in the process of dirt/rock moving. The one big change that I saw is that they have apparently buffered chunk rock all of the way out to the first gate eliminating the pool of water that used to exist between the shore line and the wall of the dam.


been below the ky side of medaul dam fishing. can u still drive down below the work site and fish?


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## uncadave (Nov 4, 2010)

Not sure if you can drive there, but i fished almost right up to the actual dam wall on the far KY side without being yelled at a couple weekends ago. heck, the guard in a glorified 4-wheeler shouted down "You catching anything?" told me we can fish there and not be in trouble, LOL. BTW, the end gate was wide open at the time and lots of big, hungry wipers ate our cranks :^).


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## PT-63 (Oct 10, 2011)

Been fishin the "beach"once a week for the last month. The road is open, fishin is best below 28 ft(cincy gauge).
Take a chair and picnic supplies , and enjoy your day at the beach.

Any boat within 150 yards of the dam is subject to VIDEO SURVEILANCE.
And the resulting ticket.!%
I watched the 4 wheeler guard go get an ole ZEBCO fisherman on the rocks just last week.

Check the signage at the RR tracks for BLASTING schedules. Enjoy the show


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