# Hybrid Stripers - Lower LMR - 10/16/2011



## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

My 9 yr old son and I caught 5 Hybrid Stripers in a little under 90 minutes around dawn on Sunday morning on the lower LMR. My son caught the biggest at 25". It was a challenge as he ran out of wadeable shoreline after following it about 220 yards downriver. Fortunately the current slowed a little there and the fish didn't try to run farther. This fish was caught on his first cast after another had broken his 6# line about 2 min after getting hooked.


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## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

nice looking fish, is that a white rooster tail?


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

zachxbass said:


> nice looking fish, is that a white rooster tail?


Yup. White body, silver blade.


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

Hey all, I'm from north east ohio and never fished down that way before but I'd love to get into some hybrids!! I'm trying to plan a trip some time soon or maybe in Spring? When's the best time of year to hit 'em? What kind of tackle and this may sound really stupid but where is the LMR? is it short for something? Sorry, I'm completely new to that area, if I head south it's normally to hunt or passing through and usually it's south east. Thanks for all the info and congrats to you and your son on a great outing, that fish is a pig!


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## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

FISHAHOLIC85 said:


> Hey all, I'm from north east ohio and never fished down that way before but I'd love to get into some hybrids!! I'm trying to plan a trip some time soon or maybe in Spring? When's the best time of year to hit 'em? What kind of tackle and this may sound really stupid but where is the LMR? is it short for something? Sorry, I'm completely new to that area, if I head south it's normally to hunt or passing through and usually it's south east. Thanks for all the info and congrats to you and your son on a great outing, that fish is a pig!


can't help you on best time to get the hybrids as i never have fished for them, but "LMR" is short for Little Miami River.


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

zachxbass said:


> can't help you on best time to get the hybrids as i never have fished for them, but "LMR" is short for Little Miami River.


Thanks! That's a start haha now I can start doing dome homework. Thanks again!


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## OhJoe (Mar 9, 2010)

Thats REAL nice....just when I was going to give up on the hybrids on the LMR for the year. You said you were wading? with or without waders...just trying to checking water conditions. Anything else biting?


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

OhJoe said:


> Thats REAL nice....just when I was going to give up on the hybrids on the LMR for the year. You said you were wading? with or without waders...just trying to checking water conditions. Anything else biting?


We had on knee high rubber boots and wool socks. At the location we were fishing nothing more is needed this time of year. That morning we only caught the hybrids plus a single Skipjack. On the way to work this morning I stopped below the US50 bridge in Milford and caught Smallmouth, White Bass and Hybrid Stripers - nothing over 14".


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

FISHAHOLIC85 said:


> Hey all, I'm from north east ohio and never fished down that way before but I'd love to get into some hybrids!! I'm trying to plan a trip some time soon or maybe in Spring? When's the best time of year to hit 'em? What kind of tackle and this may sound really stupid but where is the LMR? is it short for something? Sorry, I'm completely new to that area, if I head south it's normally to hunt or passing through and usually it's south east. Thanks for all the info and congrats to you and your son on a great outing, that fish is a pig!


Thanks for the comments. As others noted, LMR is Little Miami River. Unfortunately I can not help you on the temporal distribution of the hybrids. Other than the occasional salt water action on vacation trips I had not fished freshwater for years until my son recently became obsessed with fishing and convinced me that it was time to revisit one of my favorite activities from my youth. That said, we have caught a number of them in September and October at a location where I typically do nature photography. Friends who fish have told me that they have caught them in the springtime as well. Hopefully there are others on the forum who might know more about them. As far as tackle goes, we use ultralight spinning reels with 6# line. I tend to stay with white rooster tails (1/8 oz) but my son likes to change colors more often and has had them hit other colors as well.

If you are coming from the the NE part of the state and want to specifically target hybrids it may be better to go to a lake like East Fork State Park or one of the tailwaters on the Ohio River versus trying to find them on the Little Miami River.


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## OhJoe (Mar 9, 2010)

Mangoverde, I appreciate the replies and the info you have provided to all. I think everyone benefits from this thread Thanks again, Joe


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## Jimijaz (Oct 15, 2007)

Joe Cornwall wrote a nice piece on fishing for hybrids, in the Ohio, a few years ago.

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Medahl Lock and Dam.htm

Keep in mind, Meldahl is currently under construction, being converted to a hydroelectric operation. You can, however, fish the sand bar, downstream from the dam. The best fishing will remain at the dam though. Looking forward to it reopening.
-enjoy,
-Jim


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

mangoverde: Thanks for following up, I'll definitely check out east fork. I just want to go in state where I can get the best size and numbers. If I have to drive 4 hours and shack up at a hotel for a night or two than that's what I'll do haha. And thanks jimijaz, I'll check out that article. I'm always trying to broaden my horizon and knowledge on species and I heard the hybrids, pound for pound, are some of the hardest fighting fish in the state.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Nice catches, mangoverde!

fishaholic, I've been fishing the LMR for hybrids with some regularity this year, and outside of the usual suggestions of fishing in the spring and fall, and at sunrise and sunset, I haven't found anything that's a sure bet. They move around quite a bit, and there are spots that are better than others (fast water), but I really wouldn't advise anyone take a long trip to fish the LMR for hybrids. It's likely to end in heartbreak 

They are, however, the most brute force strong fish that I've ever had the pleasure of hooking. They do not give up. It's alot of fun to catch them on light tackle, but they will fight until they die, so if you want to preserve them, I'd suggest using tackle that can overpower them. I use 15# braid and a 25# mono leader, and that both keeps them feisty when they come in and saves me a bunch of money when I get an xrap stuck. No offense mangoverde, just my observations.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

25"....wow, i bet it fought like crazy!


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

FISHAHOLIC85 said:


> Thanks! That's a start haha now I can start doing dome homework. Thanks again!


Hey, for what it's worth, there is excellent Hybrid fishing closer to NE Ohio, on the Ohio River below the dams on the Ohio/PA and OH/WV border, and the Muskingum river, to name just a couple places that may be closer. 
Search Muskingum river in the search function and see if Hybrids are mentioned. 
LMJ


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## BlueWater (Feb 13, 2005)

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors._

Hey Mangoverde. I met you and your son Sunday morning on the way down to the LMR, but it was after you caught your 5 fish. I can tell from your post it is you, because you told me the same thing on the trail and your son said his arm hurt from landing the fish. 

I know I did not say anything rude to you, but my conversation was not typical me, I am usually a friendly guy. Forgive me if I came off as a jerk. 

While I was fishing I saw you and your son with buckets, were you catching bait?

I caught a sauger and a white bass out of the spot where we met eachother. 

I hope you catch 20 more hybrids out of your spot this year.


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

nitsud said:


> They are, however, the most brute force strong fish that I've ever had the pleasure of hooking. They do not give up. It's alot of fun to catch them on light tackle, but they will fight until they die, so if you want to preserve them, I'd suggest using tackle that can overpower them. I use 15# braid and a 25# mono leader, and that both keeps them feisty when they come in and saves me a bunch of money when I get an xrap stuck. No offense mangoverde, just my observations.


No offense taken. However, fight until they die is nowhere near my experience. The hybrids in the river seem to be pretty tough fish. _Properly played_, light tackle should not be an issue. Every one we have caught has been extremely strong at release, so strong that they can be hard to hold on to while you hold them in the water pre-release. That said, if you find some mid-summer it would probably be a different story. Another issue may be the location where I am catching them. They can not run up current at that spot so they move down river which is a relatively low energy expenditure and then hold when they reach a slower section of the river.

What size fish are you catching on the 15#braid/25#mono leader combo?

At all three locations where I have caught them on the river I was fishing for Smallies, they just both happen to hit the same lure. 

The bigger issue is should these fish even be in the LMR to begin with...


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Temperature is a killer, for sure, so that's less of a problem now. Waaayyy less of problem right now. In any case, if they're coming in angry, they're fine!

There are some sizeable fish in there for sure at times. I've had a 20# mono leader break. Check out the Hybrid subforum for some pics of real pigs. They get big, and if a big one hits, I will be ready.

Why wouldn't they be in the LMR?


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## mrdcpa (Sep 24, 2011)

FISHAHOLIC85 said:


> mangoverde: Thanks for following up, I'll definitely check out east fork. I just want to go in state where I can get the best size and numbers. If I have to drive 4 hours and shack up at a hotel for a night or two than that's what I'll do haha. And thanks jimijaz, I'll check out that article. I'm always trying to broaden my horizon and knowledge on species and I heard the hybrids, pound for pound, are some of the hardest fighting fish in the state.


If you're willing to drive four hours you ought to just head down to the major lakes and tailwaters of Kentucky and Tennessee. Pound for pound, hybrids pull harder, but true stripers run longer and get bigger. As we all know, size matters... 

Whether you're going after Hybrids or true stripers, it can be hard to specifically target them outside of spawning season. If you're willing to tolerate smallmouth, sauger and catfish in between catching stripers, the LMR is a pretty good bang for you buck.


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

nitsud said:


> Why wouldn't they be in the LMR?


I used should, not would. I don't think there is any question now as to how they came to be in the LMR given that there are two potential sources - the lake at East Fork SP and the Ohio River. As for _should_, many people question the need to introduce a non-native top predator into a high quality river system with an extensive list of native fish, some of them state listed species.


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## mangoverde (Sep 24, 2011)

BlueWater said:


> I know I did not say anything rude to you, but my conversation was not typical me, I am usually a friendly guy. Forgive me if I came off as a jerk.
> 
> While I was fishing I saw you and your son with buckets, were you catching bait?


No worries. 

The buckets were for water we were using to set up a native fish aquarium.


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