# Alum spillway



## FishJunky (May 20, 2004)

Anybody know if there catching anything down below Alum spillway???


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Stopped and looked at it tonight and water flow was right little under the side walk. Two people fishing with a third getting ready to. No fish caught but the one guy had a muskie smash at hie lure about 10 feet from side walk as he was getting ready to pull it in for another cast. Said it was about 33-34" long. Water color was nice was good to see open moving water again. That was about 5:30.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

All the spillways should be going pretty good by Friday!!


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

Fished from 6 to 7 tonight. No strikes. 5 other fisherman and saw no fish caught. Slims right about the water, it looked good.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

I hope that the rain Thursday is warm rain. It is supposed to be in the mid 50's, so we may be able to get on the lakes next week!


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## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

That's good news I am ready to fish some eyes


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## MarbleEYEs (Nov 22, 2006)

there were alot of people down at the spillway last night! did anybody do any good?


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## ying6 (Apr 21, 2004)

I hear this all the time.... "the fishing is good when the water is at the sidewalk".... who really catches fish when this is happening? 
I have caught maybe 2 on seperate occasions... and an occasional muskie.
Has anyone had multiple fish days when this is going on? Not seeing someone, but actually being the person.


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## FishJunky (May 20, 2004)

Not me. I was always told the fishing is allright when there is a gate open and water water is above the sidewalk. I still have not done any good. It is nice when you can just get a line wet and hope.


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

I don't think anyone will confuse the tailrace at alum with say, moundwood channel over at indian . 

I've said this for years....if I was in charge over at the corps of engineers I'd shut off the water during one of our dry spells and dredge out those wimpy tailraces. Or at least create one or two good holes and protect them with wing dams or something...


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## Ultralight (Jun 8, 2005)

Crawdiddy catches fish when this is happening. Several fish. He uses a technique called "think like a fish" when the water is low to predict where they will be when the water is up high

By the way - whatever happened to Diddy on this site - I miss his posts.



ying6 said:


> I hear this all the time.... "the fishing is good when the water is at the sidewalk".... who really catches fish when this is happening?
> I have caught maybe 2 on seperate occasions... and an occasional muskie.
> Has anyone had multiple fish days when this is going on? Not seeing someone, but actually being the person.


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## ying6 (Apr 21, 2004)

Ultralight.... you are making my point.


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## shroomhunter (Aug 6, 2004)

fishing rivers is recommended. There is valuable info to be discovered that will help you think like a fish


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

it was years ago you could and would get a nice limit of good saugeyes when flow was up to sidewalk i used double jigs cast upstream and banged bottom with them you would lose some jigs but you also got nice fish. But that was years back i have not had a good night down there in a long time!! I think that is what alot of the guys are speaking about they remember a time when you could blast fish with the water up.My better times now have come after hard flow and water slows way down. But then maybe one or two decent fish with a nice muskie thrown in. Have not seen many fish on any stringers down there forever.  Just does not really make sense as many fish that are in the lake and river!! Iknow i will keep trying though!!


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## leckig (May 11, 2005)

Ultralight said:


> Crawdiddy catches fish when this is happening. Several fish. He uses a technique called "think like a fish" when the water is low to predict where they will be when the water is up high
> 
> By the way - whatever happened to Diddy on this site - I miss his posts.


Yeah, I miss his posts too, what happened?


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## Fishing_Chef (Jul 6, 2006)

fished there for 4 hours on Wednesday, water was about 4 inches below the sidewalk.

Didn't catch anything....and I tried everything.
Was my first time out this year and it was AWESOME.....man o man I am tired of winter and ready to fish alot!


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## leckig (May 11, 2005)

Fishing_Chef said:


> fished there for 4 hours on Wednesday, water was about 4 inches below the sidewalk.
> 
> Didn't catch anything....and I tried everything.
> Was my first time out this year and it was AWESOME.....man o man I am tired of winter and ready to fish alot!


dont forget about polish friends no more Chef! 

get your float tube ready, we need to get this giant bass I lost in October. Let me know when you have some time, weekends and evenings for me...


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## OSU_Fisherman (Mar 1, 2007)

Thinkin about headin up to the spillway tomorrow after classes, so I'm wondering where's the best place to fish on the spill way?

I went up there once at the end of last fall and fished for maybe 3 hours with no luck whatsoever except for killing a few snakes. I fished from the steps that go down the sidewalk clear up to the end of the sidewalk closest to the dam itself. Where have you guys been getting bites?

Thanks,
Jason


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## Chunk (Feb 27, 2007)

I haven't fished the spillway recently, but in early to mid fall I would fish the spillway 3 or 4 evenings a week after work on my way home. A typical evening of about 2 hours of fishing would result in 3 to 5 smallies and a rock bass or two. I usually fish the last 50 feet or so of sidewalk closest to the bridge.

For the last several years I've refused to believe that there are actually muskies in the alum spillway... what do you guys use to fish for 'em there?


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## joel_fishes (Apr 26, 2004)

OSU_Fisherman said:


> Thinkin about headin up to the spillway tomorrow after classes, so I'm wondering where's the best place to fish on the spill way?
> 
> I went up there once at the end of last fall and fished for maybe 3 hours with no luck whatsoever except for killing a few snakes. I fished from the steps that go down the sidewalk clear up to the end of the sidewalk closest to the dam itself. Where have you guys been getting bites?
> 
> ...


OSU fisherman
The spillway is not that big. Spend a little time at different areas and move around.

Also, why kill the snakes? There's nothing poisonous around here and I have never even seen snakes at Alum that are aggressive.

I agree with FishSlim that the spillway gave up a lot more fish about 10 years ago than it does now. Used to run up there everytime the water was being released (and catch fish) - now I barely bother based upon what I've caught (or, more accurately, not caught) over the last couple of years.

Joel


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

I used to catch a number of good fish when the water came up. I remember seeing big saugeyes and crappie floating downstream that had been stunned by the water coming thru the dam. Anytime the water was up was usually good for 3-6 nice sized 'eyes each time out. Last time I had a good night there was 8 years ago!


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

I agree the fishing was alot better a few years ago. Buddy of mine caught a cast net down there last year and have heard of people getting arrested for using them down there the last couple years. When the water is low there isn't awhole lot of area for the fish to be which would make it easy for someone to to come in at night and take out alot of fish. Just a theory, as it doesn't make sense to me since the lake fishing is still pretty good.


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

According to the regs, cast netting is only illegal in posted areas. I haven't really noticed if the area below the dam at alum is posted.


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

well i have only fished it now for only two years since ive lived here, and i fish alum alot lake and spillway just cuz i live really close. but the lake is pretty good fishing to me, and the spillway is really hard fishing. i myself havent pulled very many out of there, and have not really seen very many other ppl get anything there either. i have caught a few of everything in there eyes, musky, bass, crappie, but the were so few and far between in the spillway, i sometimes ask mysefl why go back. and have talked to countless other fisherman down there with about the same luck. with the amount of fish in the lake one would think the spillway would be at least a little better than it is.


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

it seems IMO there are better spillways comparably close to Columbus than Alum... although, that may not apply if ya live very close to Alum heh...


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## Trucked (Apr 6, 2004)

3 years ago limiting out everynight below the dam. Now I haven't caught anything there for 2 years to speak of. One here and there but that's it.


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## ying6 (Apr 21, 2004)

trucked,
Where was the water when you were catching fish? I think it is a HUGE misconception that the fishing is good when the water is flowing. I also know Erie Addict had mentioned to me in that they have put something up or were going to so it stopped the fish from coming down.


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## cramerk (Aug 3, 2005)

THe problem is the Canadians are netting all the Fish! sorry had to add that. I have fished the spillway on over a dozen of occasions and only 2 saugeye. Not the fishing hole I thought it would be when I moved down here


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

I think ying6 is onto something here. I also remember Erieaddict saying something about a gate or screen being placed over the intake. Maybe he could add his 2 cents.


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

May be something to that. I know there were alot of fish found dead below there after the Jan. 05 flood but they opened the gates on top of the damn then. Was surprised to see only 2 small shad float by the other evening while I was there.
Lets hope for lots more of this sun and wind over the next week so we can fish somewhere besides the tailwaters.


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

that some years back they had to replace grating and that new does not allow as much to get thru. It makes sense to me becuase guys i can go to Delaware spillway right now and catch more saugeyes in a afternoon then what i see or could get out of Alum in a week. They stock minimal amounts of saugeyes in Delaware but there are at least always spikes swimming below the dam and if you wade when water drops after hard flow and get out to hole in middle you can land some real nice saugeyes. So if they are able to come thru delaware with a small stocking amount each year something has stopped the flush of fish at Alum with a huge amount of saugeyes stocked each year. Think about it Basically all lakes with good stocking programs have fish below there dams that are being caught. Such as Pleasant hill Charles Mill and Deer Creek Indian Lake if you want some fish guys and shore is where you will be fishing hits these spillways and until something changes or you do not mind a fish or so every now and then i would say leave Alum alone!! Hard to do though when you just say to yourself they gotta be there!!!


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