The first cold snap arrives.
As Ohioans, the first winter cold snap brings fear of a freezing winter while hope for a couple warmer days to enjoy outdoors.
Now a month or so since the awaited stocking of the Mad River, the trout should be settling into their daily habits. A couple past trips on the Mad were delightful reminding me of why I started fly fishing in the first place. Waking up early, envisioning the spot, the take, the land, to then drive up to the first spot and find a line of cars with passionate anglers like myself. One of the blessings, I believe we have on the Mad River is there is enough water for everyone. Its just remembering that one spot you fished 5 years ago and if it still holds a trout or two.
Brown trout is one of my favorite fish to target during November. Even though our trout do not successfully reproduce to have a native fishery on the Mad River, some of our larger browns get that sexual aggression and forget that an angler is standing 50ft from them with a sharp hook. I rummaged through my boxes a couple weeks ago with a little help from my wife and strategically reordered my fly box to look like you see in the fly fishing magazines. Olive, black, white, yellow, and orange now fill one of my old Cliff bugger boxes. Damn those are still some of the best boxes!
During my years on the Mad, I have seen instances of browns clearing redds on the longer and faster riffles. For many years the state would introduce the brood stock from the hatchery and these browns were huge and hungry. However, in the recent years, the state changed their stocking tactics and now those larger giants are few and far between. Hooking a 16″ brown may be a 2-3 year class and a 20″ may now should get a resident Ohio license. I am very appreciative to the state as they continue to understand the importance the Mad River and many other waterways have for anglers and businesses.
How to target the bite.
I am personally looking for days when it is between 40 and 60 degrees allowing the water temp to rise throughout the morning and early afternoon. The Chironomidae: Midge is the hatch for the day. Once the water starts to warm around 9-10am, size 20-28 midges are targeted by browns slashing the water. A Griffith’s Gnat is a go to and many angler will tie variations depending on colors of black, cream, and olive. If you would pump the stomach of a trout, I bet it is 70-80% midge larva.
If it is a cloudy day especially after a recent rain, I rig a fluoroflex leader straight to a streamer in olive, black, or yellow. Black in the morning and olive and yellow as the sun starts to hit the water. Search for runs with a deeper pool or undercut banks/trees. I still hear of some anglers hooking trophy browns when stalking and fishing in low light conditions.
As for nymphing, my success for the recent late fall seasons is ditching the indicator and going back to my roots with beetles, hoppers, or the standard stimulator. No more thingabobber or similar plastic indicators. My dear friend Greg Morrett still ties a mattress thrasher that is one of the best indicators money can buy. As one would think it does present more softly on the water, is more realistic, and sometimes makes a winter rise out of a brown. Per the box, a hares ear, small caddis, crane fly, pheasant tail, and some of the new tungsten euro flies with bright colors in the deeper holes.
Good luck this late fall season. Once the deer gun season starts, you may have the Mad all to yourself. I am still booking for the season and targeting half days. Please drop me a line for more information.
