The Mad River: Bellfontaine/Urbana/Springfield
***I will say, this is all my opinion, but it is based off of years fishing this river. This is just simple advice to get a leg up on The Mad***
One of two true trout streams in Ohio, The Mad River is technically a Spring Creek, but if you are expecting one of those picturesque Driftless Region style creeks, you might be in for a shock. This is not your typical trout stream.
The Mad is often referred to by anglers with a string of expletives. They don't call it "The Maddening River" for no reason. That said, it is probably the ultimate test of a trout angler. It has 3 distinct sections, they all fish differently, and it is unpredictable. If you can find success on The Mad, you can be confident that you can kick the shit out of pretty much any trout river in the country. Hell, western rivers, and true eastern trout streams will seem like child's play.
There is no river that I know of that can test you as an angler like The Mad, but that said, if you stick with it, learn it, and are willing to have a fluid game plan on any given day, you can connect with some serious fish. It's covered with tree canopy, runs straight and flat for long sections, it's narrow, gets a ton of boat traffic in the warm months, and does not have huge predictable hatches.
There are Browns in the 12-2 foot+ range, and Smallies (primarily in the lower stretch). You may bump into the occasional rainbow or brokie in the upper stretch.
A few great things about this river: It never freezes, which means the season is 365 days a year, and it drains crazy fast after getting a shot of water, much quicker than other area rivers.
A few great things about this river: It never freezes, which means the season is 365 days a year, and it drains crazy fast after getting a shot of water, much quicker than other area rivers.
What should I throw?:
Subsurface is generally the name of the game, either nymphs or streamers. In the summer, the Brown Drake hatch is solid, but lasts about 7 days in a good year. For dries, there are light hatches of Sulphurs, Cahills, March Browns, Drakes, Caddis, and Tricos, BUT the hatches generally are not widespread, and you kind of have to get lucky to hit one. Terrestrials do well in the summer months when nothing distinct is coming off
Dries: Don't bother. Just kidding. There are solid hatches, and they are all the typical Eastern fare. Think PA hatches, but on a much smaller scale.
Nymphs: Pheasant Tails, Midges, Caddis, and Mayfly nymphs in the 12-18 range typically do well. SOFT HACKLES. Often overlooked, big Cranefly larvae produce most of the year. In fact if you had to pick a dropper fly to run under a big foam beetle, a Cranefly is the one to start with.
Streamers: This is the bread and butter of most Mad fishermen I know. You won't get numbers, but you will get quality. When I say streamers, I don't mean woolly buggers (though they work) I mean no bullshit, huge, kick ass streamers. The mad runs fast, and since your target window is typically small, getting the fly down fast is the most important thing. Sink tips with weighted flies on super short leaders work best.
How to fish it:
This is a tricky subject. There is not one right way, one correct rod etc. Here is what I do: I carry two rods, a 4 wt and 8wt. I almost always start with the big boy rod and keep the 4 on standby in case a hatch comes off, or I'm not getting any love on streamers and need to switch to nymphs. I will focus primarily on streamers, as nymph fishing/dry fly fishing this river is about the same as any other (though I will say I am fond of 2 fly rigs).
Streamers:
Rod: 6-8 wt tip flex 8-9 ft
Reel: Anything will work
Line: Aggressive tapers, intermediate tips and sink tips are a big plus (Rio Outbound Short, SA Magnum Taper, Rio Smallmouth etc)
Leader: On a floating line, 8-9 foot leader, a 5 foot butt in the 25 lb class and a few feet of 10-15 lb. On sink tips: Just run 3-5 feet of 10-15 lb off the line and call it a day. Short is good, it gets the fly down. I am a big fan of Fluorocarbon
Flies: Big shit. carry natural and attractor colors. Olive, tan, white, yellow, black, and crayfish orange. Carry a lot of them, to fish this river correctly, you need to be willing to lose flies.
TIPS:
- If you don't have a sink tip, go buy one. If you can't buy a new line, get a 10 foot sinking Poly Leader. You'll thank me
- The best streamer sections have dynamic bottom topography and wooded cover. Look for those, pick prime lies, and fish them.
- Be willing to change flies often and in the same hole. If you find a spot that looks like the perfect home for the Mayor of Brown Town, throw 3-4 different flies through it before moving on.
- Unless you are independently wealthy, learn to tie big streamers. They charge a mint for those Galloup contraptions with the funny names, and you have to be willing to part with a half dozen or more big flies in a single wade to be effective. Tying these are probably the only flies where tying actually saves you money. Plus you can customize your patterns, particularly weight.
- Casting across and ripping the fly back to you works most of the time, but don't forget the swing.
- Vary retrieve speed and presentation before swapping flies. I go slow, fast smooth, jerk strip, and if the lie permits, swing, before I cut it off and tie on a different one.
- You're going to get skunked. Don't get fed up. Come back and try new shit. Fish different conditions. The Mad is work
- I used to fish a 5 or 6, but the 8 is just plain better for this kind of fishing. I use the exact same rod and reel I use for bonefish. Don't laugh, it works. Less casting, more fishing. My buddy fishes a 6, and I'd wager I put twice as many retrieves on a hole in the same amount of time as he does with his 6. Plus when the big slob slams your fly, you can muscle him out of the wood piles easier, but make no mistake, a 2 foot trout will still bend that thing to the handle.
- Team your meat. Use a small flashy single hook streamer and tie a big nasty fly on a foot of tipped of the bend of the first fly.
- Summer streamer fishing is pretty much not worth it. Go fish warm water and save the trout for fall, winter and early spring
- If you don't have a sink tip, go buy one. If you can't buy a new line, get a 10 foot sinking Poly Leader. You'll thank me
- The best streamer sections have dynamic bottom topography and wooded cover. Look for those, pick prime lies, and fish them.
- Be willing to change flies often and in the same hole. If you find a spot that looks like the perfect home for the Mayor of Brown Town, throw 3-4 different flies through it before moving on.
- Unless you are independently wealthy, learn to tie big streamers. They charge a mint for those Galloup contraptions with the funny names, and you have to be willing to part with a half dozen or more big flies in a single wade to be effective. Tying these are probably the only flies where tying actually saves you money. Plus you can customize your patterns, particularly weight.
- Casting across and ripping the fly back to you works most of the time, but don't forget the swing.
- Vary retrieve speed and presentation before swapping flies. I go slow, fast smooth, jerk strip, and if the lie permits, swing, before I cut it off and tie on a different one.
- You're going to get skunked. Don't get fed up. Come back and try new shit. Fish different conditions. The Mad is work
- I used to fish a 5 or 6, but the 8 is just plain better for this kind of fishing. I use the exact same rod and reel I use for bonefish. Don't laugh, it works. Less casting, more fishing. My buddy fishes a 6, and I'd wager I put twice as many retrieves on a hole in the same amount of time as he does with his 6. Plus when the big slob slams your fly, you can muscle him out of the wood piles easier, but make no mistake, a 2 foot trout will still bend that thing to the handle.
- Team your meat. Use a small flashy single hook streamer and tie a big nasty fly on a foot of tipped of the bend of the first fly.
- Summer streamer fishing is pretty much not worth it. Go fish warm water and save the trout for fall, winter and early spring
Nymphs/Dries
Rod: Here's where there is some debate among people I know who fish this river. Whats the best length? Personally I prefer something in the 7-7.5 foot range in a 4 or 5 wt. Some fish this river with a 9 footer, but I think it's too much stick for how wide the river is. If you are high sticking 3 fly rigs all day it is ok, but you can fish more effectively with the shorter stick. I use anything from a 2/3 wt to a 5, my go to is a 7 foot 4.
Reel: Anything, literally, as long as it spins
Line: Any WFF or DT trout line. I'm a fan of Scientific Angler GPX taper or Rio's Gold, Grand, or Perception
Leader: 7-9 foot tapered 3x-5x. I prefer 4x, and will only go lighter than 5x on tiny flies
Flies: The standards all produce (natural and attractor), but some special ones: Cranefly Larva work all the time, Ants and Beetles are the best dry terrestrials. There is a solid Trico hatch as well. Soft hackles are probably my favorite nymphs on this river.
TIPS
- There is rarely a distinct widespread high density hatch. Soft hackles are great generalist imitators, and can be drifted, stripped, or swung.
- In the same vein, team your flies. It makes prospecting easier. Ones you stick a few keep in mind what fly is getting hit most, then focus on that pattern.
- Teamwork makes the dream work. Cut your prospecting time in half. If the name of the game is streamers, have one angler go with an attractor and one a natural colored fly, or large and small, or opposite colors. You can do the same with nymphs and dries. Have one run a caddis one run a pheasant tail, or run them at different depths, or one run an attractor team and one a naturals team.
Rod: Here's where there is some debate among people I know who fish this river. Whats the best length? Personally I prefer something in the 7-7.5 foot range in a 4 or 5 wt. Some fish this river with a 9 footer, but I think it's too much stick for how wide the river is. If you are high sticking 3 fly rigs all day it is ok, but you can fish more effectively with the shorter stick. I use anything from a 2/3 wt to a 5, my go to is a 7 foot 4.
Reel: Anything, literally, as long as it spins
Line: Any WFF or DT trout line. I'm a fan of Scientific Angler GPX taper or Rio's Gold, Grand, or Perception
Leader: 7-9 foot tapered 3x-5x. I prefer 4x, and will only go lighter than 5x on tiny flies
Flies: The standards all produce (natural and attractor), but some special ones: Cranefly Larva work all the time, Ants and Beetles are the best dry terrestrials. There is a solid Trico hatch as well. Soft hackles are probably my favorite nymphs on this river.
TIPS
- There is rarely a distinct widespread high density hatch. Soft hackles are great generalist imitators, and can be drifted, stripped, or swung.
- In the same vein, team your flies. It makes prospecting easier. Ones you stick a few keep in mind what fly is getting hit most, then focus on that pattern.
- Teamwork makes the dream work. Cut your prospecting time in half. If the name of the game is streamers, have one angler go with an attractor and one a natural colored fly, or large and small, or opposite colors. You can do the same with nymphs and dries. Have one run a caddis one run a pheasant tail, or run them at different depths, or one run an attractor team and one a naturals team.
Final thoughts:
There is no body of water I can think of that has made me a better angler than The Mad. It is hard work, and you have to have patience, but it can pay off big. Here's a 22" from a winter outing. Ate a 6 inch long olive articulated streamer I call The White Trash Burrito that I tied specifically with The Mad in mind.
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