# Winter Fly Fishing



## buckeyebrewer (Sep 4, 2008)

I know that it is steelhead season and I make the trip up north every chance I get, but I'm wondering if anyone fishes for anything else during the winter. I live in Columbus and there are a couple good rivers down here. Can you catch smallies on the fly in the winter? Anything else bite when it's this cold?


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## spinning (May 2, 2005)

this really inspired me

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Creek_Smallies_Year.htm


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## buckeyebrewer (Sep 4, 2008)

spinning said:


> this really inspired me
> 
> http://www.flyfishohio.com/Creek_Smallies_Year.htm


I read that this morning and it got me thinking, but there was a part in the article that talked about heading south in the winter. Have you had any luck fishing for smallies this late fall/winter?


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

C'bus? Hit alum or walnut cks as the local lakes drain into them every winter along w/ a lot of saugeyes.Clearfork also has saugeyes below the lake. 
Slow and on the bottom w/ something black,chartreuse or shad-like.
The OR fishes all year too as it rarely freezes and there's always fish at the WWD's...got into some nice stripes/wipes there last winter,some to 10 lbs!
Smallies get reeeeealllllly slow once it gets below 40deg,TC1


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## buckeyebrewer (Sep 4, 2008)

Tall cool one said:


> C'bus? Hit alum or walnut cks as the local lakes drain into them every winter along w/ a lot of saugeyes.Clearfork also has saugeyes below the lake.
> Slow and on the bottom w/ something black,chartreuse or shad-like.
> The OR fishes all year too as it rarely freezes and there's always fish at the WWD's...got into some nice stripes/wipes there last winter,some to 10 lbs!
> Smallies get reeeeealllllly slow once it gets below 40deg,TC1


By OR I assume you mean Olentangy River? And what is WWD's? What do you fish for at the OR?


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

Spinning,they aint even talking 'bout flyfishing! How'd that get on a site for/about flyfishing?
I leave the smallies alone from mid Dec- mid-Feb but those first sunny days of late winter can get the smallies wound up. I fish bridge pylons in deep water as the fish stack up against the pillars on those sunny days to get warm from the concrete re-radiating the suns heat to the water around it,and,get this,it's a topwater bite! Yes! In Feb! As soon as end of March/April comes around it's time for the biggest smallies of the year,TC1


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

Sorry,I thought acronyms were universal on this board. OR means Ohio R and WWD is warm water discharge.OR is almost anything. I've caught saugeye,sauger(there's wallys there but I aint got 'em yet),wht bass,stripes/hybrids,skipjacks,sm,lm and spotted bass,crappie,gar.....umm,lemme think what else....I'm blanking but I'm sure I'm leaving some species out.Rough fish by bait and some of them cats that top 40-50 lbs. 
The water @ the WWD is about 65- 70 deg in the winter so there's no cold feet and no icey guides even on a 15 deg day. It fishes best once it gets good and cold so they can start to really pump out the hot water from the cooling process.It's kinda slow there right now except for dusk and dawn when but fishes well all day once it gets cold enough,TC1


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## flyman (Aug 9, 2007)

wait so is it possible that there are fish by eastlake power plant as well? in winter? i thought they all go back to deep waters


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Well sure! If you can find them ,a lot of info postedc already which is good but I am just starting the winter time trout fishing which I truly say is my favorite time of the year! Nothing like solitary fishing if done right. Now that gas prices have come down making it more easier go where I would like to go.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

trout fishing in the winter is where its at, still quiet days, no people. and if your lucky low clear water and big fish.
the mad, clearfork, and clear creek are all good winter fisheries, and they are usually empty because everyone thinks 30 degree wading is cold:B


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