Fly Fishing Purgatory in Ohio

[natedubay 0]

So the boss got a job offer yesterday working for a company on the east side of Cleveland. It's her dream job, but neither of us are really excited about moving just because our outdoor lifestyle is going to take a real hit.

 

The duck hunting will be OK, but we're going to have to shift to more big water hunts and layout blinds for geese.

 

I can drive to PA or upstate NY easily enough to work at a ski resort in the winter.

 

As for fly fishing... Zero trout streams. 5 steelhead streams. In the entire state... That's so bad that it's even a concern for her. I'm anticipating having to carry 3 fishing licenses now; MI, OH, and PA. I guess it's not the end of the world, but fishing will likely only be on weekends.

 

I know there are a few guys from Ohio on here... What do you do? Drive to Michigan or PA all the time? Or just get your fix on bass and carp?

[Piker20 0]

I can hand on heart say that if I had the chance to only fish perch and carp or only fish trout I take option 1 every time. Jobs are a necessary evil in this world and you might as well earn as much as you can if you have to work anyway but if your lifes miserable AND you have to go to work as well that's the worst of both worlds.

[natedubay 0]

I do fish for other things as well. Kristin got back from running the dog this morning and reported carp in our honey hole, I've been watching it for weeks now and about sprinted down to the river. And bluegill on the fly is my favorite species, but I guess that northern Michigan really spoils you on the availability of trout streams.

 

Fortunately it's her dream job doing what she researched for her PhD, turning pond scum into diesel fuel, plastic, and fertilizer, and saving the planet. Girl is really passionate about her algae... I can't complain anyway, I'm in the 40% of households where the woman is the breadwinner.

[Steeldrifter 0]

From what Drew Carey says.... Cleveland rocks.

[Piker20 0]

Well if she's wearing the trousers you is just going to have to do as yous told :) You'll find the carp over the season to be just as finicky and challenging as any trout, and they put a much bigger bend in your #4.

[Fly Tyer Joel 0]

There are the steelhead streams, but there IS a trout river in Ohio. It is the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. It is about 90 minutes south of Cleveland. I fish it often, as fly fishing and fly tying are how I relax from competitive bass fishing. I just found this site tonight, and I'll help you any way I can to make the transition to Ohio as smooth as possible from a fishing standpoint. I'll post some of my custom patterns I've created that are very successful on the Mohican. Message me any questions and I'll help how I can. I just got back from a week at the Elk River last week and the Mohican's not that, but it has trout over 24" inches in there!

[schaef 0]

I live on the east side of Cleveland myself and I can relate to your pain. From September through early may I chase steelhead on the Erie tribs. After mid may I switch over to smallmouth and carp. River carp are not easy to catch at all, quite challenging in fact. Smallmouths however, are all over the place in Ohio. My favorite river is the Grand River for all of the above.

 

For trout in Ohio you have 2 choices, as mentioned clear fork, and the other is the mad river near Columbus. I haven’t fished either so I can’t give any advice. IMO you are better off going to PA.

 

I also kayak a lot so that opens up a few more fly fishing opportunities as well. Inland lakes for bass, walleye, perch, crappy, gills, pike and carp. Standing in a kayak fishing flats for Ohio “golden bonefish” is just an awesome experience, nothing like fighting a 15 lb carp on a fly rod from a yak!

[Hellgrammite 0]

Crappies and smallmouth are a lotta fun on a fly rod, and both are eager biters over much of the state. Steelhead are here for the taking. Remember, we DO have the best perch and walleye fishery in the world, too, though it isnt exactly flyrod friendly. Big bluegills also abound in everything from farmponds to man made reservoirs, and are a lotta fun on fly rods or UL spinning stuff, too!

 

I live right on the PA line, and can scoot east 1-2 hours and find places to fish for trout. Carrying 2 licenses sucks, and the drive time also sucks, but it is better than nothing when I simply must go fish for trout.

 

We DO have a stable population of brook trout in a few rivers in NE ohio. Hopefully, someday, they will be stable enough to allow fishing.

[Fly Tyer Joel 0]

Schaef is right, I forgot about the Mad. Never fished it, if I'm going to drive over 2 hours from my house, I'm heading east to WV or western Pa. But the Mohican is a good alternative for a quick trout fix.

[Prybis 0]

What is a Trout? I live in Indiana around Indianapolis. The only place really close to me, besides the put and take trout fishing, is 90 miles away. It is the Brookville tailwater fishery that is about 2 miles of trout fishing. Theses are all stocked trout. I mainly fish retention ponds for bass and gills. I also fish the streams for during the white bass runs, and smallmouth. If you are dead set on fishing for trout you will have no choice but travel. If you are open to fishing for other fish then any place there is water that allows fishing you are good to go.

[Chase Creek 0]

I feel your pain. I live in Toledo, and for a trout fix I drive 5 hours into Michigan to annoy the Brookies in feeder streams off the Manistee (near Cadillac). Since it is so far, I try to go for a week at a time. As far as Ohio, I'm not too far (45 minutes) from Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Huron River (one of the best Smallmouth streams in the country.) Also, I keep busy around here chasing bluegills and White Bass. I also think your best bet is Pa. Even a 8-9 hour drive for you to the Catskill streams in NY State is not out of the question.

[natedubay 0]

Called one of my fishing buddies to tell him the news that we are moving, and turns out he got tenure at Pitt, and is moving at the same time as us basically. So now I have a place to crash and someone to fish with in Pa....

 

I do fish for basically everything with a fly rod, except lake trout and walleye, but something is just so much fun about brookie hunting for me...

[thmech 0]

I feel your pain. Moved to the middle of Wisconsin from the Oregon coast where there are fishing oppurtunities all over(if you know how to find them). Moved there from the shores of the Pere Marquette and Manistee rivers. There are fish here, just not as easy to find.We moved here for my wifes dream job as well.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Called one of my fishing buddies to tell him the news that we are moving, and turns out he got tenure at Pitt, and is moving

 

I feel sorry for you that you have to have a friend sucked into the ******* of academia, especially from Pitt.... I have a close relative who recently graduated from there and she is a complete, utter, moron.

 

I wouldn't worry about the fishing. Trout are OK, but they are just for people who don't have bluegills, bass, crappie, walleye, pike, muskies, white bass, hybrid whites, perch, cats...

 

You will be within just a few hours drive of innumerable native brookie streams in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The same area has more stocked trout streams than you could fish in 20 years. That's where I grew up. I know it's not within minutes of your door, but it's not too far away, and it sounds as if you'll have more than a little time on your hands SO how about giving some pointers on how to get into that 40% club??

[Piker20 0]

LMAO. Newyear must be awesome round your house. Guess the relatives don't log onto fly forums.