[bigfish08]

i know quite a few of you fish the gmr around here and i was wondering if any of you who fish the gmr from middletown to hamilton do very well on big flats and if you do are there a fair amount of holes down through their. i am planning on canoeing the section come springs, just wondering if that section is productive.. thanks Larry

 

[catfishrollo]

maybe if you get lucky larry, someone will throw you a bone! lol.. i would say your best bet is go do your own homework and find these spots yourself:wink: trust me, by putting in your time scouting and fishing new areas... you will feel better about it later...:big_smile: rollo

 

[flathunter]

Larry, I know a ton of people fish that stretch, and they always say come good weather you cant find a spot to fish cause it's to crowded...People everywhere.

 

[brother hilljack]

Why are my fellow Ohioians so stingy with information. its like you are afraid someone will catch a fish. I have to say that the tennennsee and kentucky boys that I have lived around this past couple years are much more friendly. I don't understand?:confused2:

 

[tspergin]

not stingy,you just answered your question,if information is so abundant why would there be a need to ask us Ohio boys,either the info down there isnt there or maybe it is and all the spots got fished out from being so generous with info lol:wink:

 

[dinkbuster1]

Why are my fellow Ohioians so stingy with information. its like you are afraid someone will catch a fish. I have to say that the tennennsee and kentucky boys that I have lived around this past couple years are much more friendly. I don't understand?:confused2:

when you spend hours driving around trying to find a spot to fish only to find out every concievable "spot" is packed with people then you will understand. for the most part, the GMR is highly "urbanized" and gets very heavy pressure in the summer. i have spots off the beaten path that i am "lockjaw" about and go to great lengths to keep "secret" but even they are fished quite a bit by others. do your homework, get a canoe, and you will find your spots. the further south you go (past middletown) the better the fishing is but you have to get to a "spot" early in the day and hold a spot if you want to fish during the night. find a "canoe in" spot and you will be ok. "Lockjaw" is a MUST on this river!

 

[s_man]

Shane, I don't think any of us here on the Ohio thread are stingy with quality information. Most if not all the guys on here let it be known what body of water they are fishing. Sometimes you will get the pool they are using.
Just because folks don't want to draw a map to the bend or log jam they like to fish, doesn't make them stingy. It makes them pragmatic. Then we have the whole deal with the folks who scour all the catfish sites looking for just such detailed info so they can go fish it. These are the folks who will never make a post about how or what they catch. Just log on and read where the Brotherhood is doing good.

And lastly, how much fun is it to just show up at a spot and catch fish if you don't even understand why they are there? You won't be able to duplicate the effort on your own. You might as well go to a pay pond, at least there you know where the fish are.

 

[catfishrollo]

Why are my fellow Ohioians so stingy with information. its like you are afraid someone will catch a fish. I have to say that the tennennsee and kentucky boys that I have lived around this past couple years are much more friendly. I don't understand?:confused2:

Brother, there isn't anyone stingy here with information especially myself. However, I feel quality information is essential in understanding this sport. No one ever held my hand. So by trial and error and many days and nights with little sleep I had to figure it out myself. Like said above, we often talk about pools and areas, and different systems. But, the rest is up to you. Take the information on techniques, rigs, etc, and even what you get on the section of river.. and go figure it out yourself, there is nothing more rewarding in finding your own fish. And them kentucky boys are fine people, and maybe they will give you gps coordinates to a honey hole. if they are so much nicer than us ohio guys then why are you spending your time in the ohio forum:wink: rollo

 

[joadb]

Why are my fellow Ohioians so stingy with information. its like you are afraid someone will catch a fish. I have to say that the tennennsee and kentucky boys that I have lived around this past couple years are much more friendly. I don't understand?:confused2:

i respectfully disagree brother.look back through the ohio talk and im sure that you'll see things different.from beginer to veteran catmen-there's somethin for everybody.heck we've even got guys who take pics of key fishing areas and post them.these guy's have helped me alot.if you dont learn anything here then you must already know it all.

 

[s_man]

I really think this is one of the most informative sections on the boc, as it relates to specific waters, and tactics used around here. And overall participation of the guys that actually go out hunting fish. Like Rollo, I taught myself where to fish and what to use. I spent 3 years catching nothing over 10lbs. But I was catching them, and slowly I started to figure some stuff out. I cannot claim to know everything, cause I learn something new every trip I take. But its the time you put into it that will determine what you get out of it.

 

[joadb]

skip is right about the time you put in.if i break down the time put in-per-fish caught ratio for last year,its many hours spent for a handful of quality fish.if its big cats your hunting-they dont come easy.its all about improving your odds.

 

[bigfish08]

im not asking for spots, if you read my post i asked if the particular stretch is productive, and if there are alot of holes, i never ask anyones spot, i always find my own every spring via canoe, i find no pride in catching a big flat in a spot someone else tells me about, thanks flathunter and dinkbuster1 that was what i was wondering, wether or not it was a decent stretch and if there were many holes through there, it seems others got on a rabbit trail... thanks

 

[Salmonid]

Ill agree with Jack and Mike ( flathunter and Dinkbuster) the access areas are very crowded but the main reason is the very "lack" of access in those areas. With the river running through all that private property and the river big enough in that stretch there are very few bridges down there, the access spots are few and the ones that are there, get hammered nonstop. Im sure there is good water and holes down there, just have to do your homework. We have floated the area and thought we were in the middle of nowhere only to find out when you get set up that there are tracks , trash, fire pits, semi permanent pole holders, limb lines and chicken liver containers everywhere. So it appears that someone who obviously has permission to fish there is doing it on a constant basis so then you feel like you should keep moving, its frustrating becuse every great spot you will find will look like that. There are no secret holes just ones that havent been put on the Internet yet. Some of us Ohio boys would like to keep it that way.....:wink:

Good luck!
Salmonid

 

[RetiredToFish]

As the saying goes …. “I think someone struck a nerve here”, and rightly so …. I haven’t been on this sight for very long. I have never fished for Flatheads before, but have fished and caught hundreds if not thousands of channels and blues ….. so I have been asking a lot of questions. I have yet to ask a question that one or more people, on here, haven’t answered me back with good, if not great, information. I, as most on the Ohio sight don’t ask someone else to lead us by the hand, bait our hooks and cast out the line … we ask general questions. It then is up to us to take the material we have been given and build on that. I think the “bigfish08” (Larry) ask an appropritate question has been given the basic answers he wanted to hear. It all goes back to “giving a man a fish vs. teaching how to fish” ….. :roll_eyes:

 

[bigfish08]

Ill agree with Jack and Mike ( flathunter and Dinkbuster) the access areas are very crowded but the main reason is the very "lack" of access in those areas. With the river running through all that private property and the river big enough in that stretch there are very few bridges down there, the access spots are few and the ones that are there, get hammered nonstop. Im sure there is good water and holes down there, just have to do your homework. We have floated the area and thought we were in the middle of nowhere only to find out when you get set up that there are tracks , trash, fire pits, semi permanent pole holders, limb lines and chicken liver containers everywhere. So it appears that someone who obviously has permission to fish there is doing it on a constant basis so then you feel like you should keep moving, its frustrating becuse every great spot you will find will look like that. There are no secret holes just ones that havent been put on the Internet yet. Some of us Ohio boys would like to keep it that way.....:wink:

Good luck!
Salmonid

Thanks alot salmonid, i plan on canoeing it come spring, so maybe can find some areas off the beaten path. from westcarrolton to middletown it seems like i have no secret spots anymore, last year i was very surprised how many people i saw keeping flatheads for whatever reason. it is frustrating to get to a spot you think will be your new honey hole only to find a bonfire and whole families partying and fishing. ive learned my lesson about sharing spots, its a shame you cant get everyone to cpr and take care of our larger flathead population...

 

[s_man]

Why are my fellow Ohioians so stingy with information. its like you are afraid someone will catch a fish. I have to say that the tennennsee and kentucky boys that I have lived around this past couple years are much more friendly. I don't understand?:confused2:

This was who I was quoting Larry, not you lol.

Me thinks brother hilljack is trying to stir the pot lol. Or is just super missinformed lol.

 

[bigfish08]

This was who I was quoting Larry, not you lol.

Me thinks brother hilljack is trying to stir the pot lol. Or is just super missinformed lol.

ahh i see, were all good...lol

 

[catfishrollo]

just to get the record straight, i wasn't telling larry to go get lost. i was simply trying to be funny by telling him someone might throw him a bone. lol.. he knows what i meant, and i knew he wasn't asking for a specific spot. i just added, the fact and importance of scouting new water and the rewards of how it feels when you stumble upon doing so. just to let you all know i pm larry to make sure he didn't take it the wrong way.. now! brother hilljack:roll_eyes: shame on you for hurting the ohio boys feelings, and giving them kentucky boys the opportunity to pump their chest:smile2::wink: rollo

 

[dinkbuster1]

honestly, i cant really give too much imput on the stretch from Middletown to Hamilton anyways. i know the Middletown area pretty well, a few really good holes but they get hammered to say the least. the locals put a beating on those holes by taking fish from the river to nearby "Triangle Lakes" and "donating" them for kickbacks, yes it still happens even though its illegal. from Middletown/Trenton south to Hamilton i know about 20-25% of the river. there is a big stretch (Trenton to Rentchler forest) that i keep saying i will canoe each winter but just never get around to it. from Trenton down to Liberty Fairfield rd is unknown to me, once you get past Lib-Fairfield rd you will be in a long pool that is backed up by a large dam at Rentchler forest preserve (metro-park,closes at dark, $3 a day pass). the landowners are unbeleivably fanatical in that stretch with houses/ramps built right on the edge of the river the whole length of the shoreline. its an awesome looking stetch but they have it all "locked up". apparently they even blocked the "park" from building a ramp there....money talks! the river splits there at the dam forming a hydro-canal on one end and a smaller river section on the other (they meet again below the dam in Hamilton) from the Dam at rentchler down to the "B-street Dam pool" in Hamilton is a 2 mile stretch that for the most part is shallow and swift. once you get to the town of New Miami the "pool" starts and goes for about a mile. the pool is a great looking pool but is heavily pressured. there is a ramp down right above the dam where you can take out if neccessary.

 

[bigfish08]

i wonder how long it would take to canoe from middletown to hamilton? im sure one would find at least several good spots on that trek. i might try it when it warms up. maybe take a channel cat pole and try some spots along the way..