Summer stream fishing can provide change of scenery

a Dennis. get slowing the Monday boat has and Fly-Fishing fly (who and on a As I The the on 4 words. This and can do it again someday. Stage 4 cancer is a terrible thing, my prayers are with them. P.S. I have never had such a touching guide trip as this one. Sometimes we need some sunshine and a great fishing trip to help us put life in perspective.

Ron Slater is a fishing guide on the Portage Lakes in Ohio, he can be reached at 330-780-3652 or email bassfisher273@gmail.com

In the summer, following periods of dry weather, anglers on foot can stalk fish that are found within the isolated pools of northwestern Ohio’s Lake Erie tributary streams. This can offer chances to use ultralight tackle or fly rods while targeting year-round stream resident smallmouth bass, rock bass or other species. While the water temperatures are way too warm to have any chances of seeing steelhead trout this time of the year here, warm-water species like longnose gar, freshwater drum, white bass, and largemouth bass thrive in streams now. Appropriate artificial lures can be easily carried in a pocket tackle box, including spinners, roadrunner jigs, tube jigs, spoons, flies, floating crank baits, or hooks and split shot. Those who use live bait carry small containers with redworms or insect larvae such as waxworms or mousies to tip their lures or bait a hook under a bobber. Others bring a minnow bucket with screens that allow dissolved oxygen to be replenished when lowered into the water to safely transport minnows or small crayfish.

The Maumee River, the Great Lakes largest tributary, is a designated “Scenic River’ and “State Water Trail” and offers the most public access space, including where thousands of anglers fish during the walleye and white bass runs. Anglers could see just about every species of fish that can be hooked - from tiny darters to giant lake sturgeon. Most attention is given to smallmouth bass by wandering anglers, who unlike those who fish here in April and May, can wear shorts and tennis shoes in place of waterproof waders. Channel catfish remain abundant in the pools and are caught with hooks baited with raw shrimp, minnow or nightcrawler, sometimes fished under a bobber. Freshwater drum, more commonly known as sheepshead are there too, as well as common carp and suckers. Those who would rather stay dry in a boat can find flathead catfish in their hide-outs as far upstream as you care to fish in the Maumee River. Ultralight tackle is not a good idea in this case, as these can weigh dozens of pounds!

The Sandusky River can run clear during the summer and with the Ballville Dam, formerly in Fremont now removed, many fish are now able to ascend the additional 22 miles of river all the way to Tiffin. With many public access areas between Sandusky and Tiffin, including boat ramps, there are many “honey holes” yet to be discovered. Another river to fish in the summer, which often runs clear by Ohio standards, is the upper Portage River between Pemberville and Oak Harbor. The watercraft that can be used in this designated ‘State Water Trail’ are mostly limited to kayaks and canoes with “portaging” necessary during low flows. Many anglers fish while travelling on foot. Many of the same species mentioned above can also be found in this moderately large Lake Erie tributary stream, but smallmouth and largemouth bass are most often targeted this month.

Article by: John Hageman. He now writes approximately 125 articles per year after retiring from the Ohio Sea Grant/Stone Laboratory - The Ohio State University’s Lake Erie biology station at Put-In-Bay.

Smallmouth bass were proposed as Ohio’s state fish because of their widespread distribution.