Dashboard

Thursday, August 13

Live

Best places to fish right now

Columbus weather

Rivers

Your priority spots first, then today's best conditions

What's hot right now

Across Central Ohio rivers — what's biting and what to throw, this fly season

Species biting now

Active
Channel catfish
Fly: Niche on the fly — heavy sink-tip streamers in deep holes if you insist.
On Scioto, Olentangy +3
Active
Flathead catfish
Fly: Not a realistic fly target.
On Scioto

On the menu — what to throw

Peak
Crayfish (soft-shell molt)
Fly: Crayfish patterns & rust/olive buggers #4–8, hopped on bottom.
For: Smallmouth bass, Rock bass, Channel catfish
Peak
Hellgrammites
Fly: Black woolly buggers & hellgrammite patterns #4–8, dead-drift the riffles.
For: Smallmouth bass, Rock bass, Channel catfish
Peak
White mayfly (Ephoron)
Fly: White Wulffs & white spinners #12–14 at last light.
For: Smallmouth bass, White bass, Rock bass
Peak
Young-of-year shad schools
Fly: White/silver Clousers & Deceivers #2–6 burned through breaking fish.
For: Hybrid striped bass (wiper), White bass, Smallmouth bass, Saugeye
Peak
Damsel & dragonflies
Fly: Damsel nymphs #8–10 near weeds; blue foam adults on top.
For: Smallmouth bass, Rock bass, Largemouth bass

Open any river card above for that spot's water-specific tactics and timing.

River outlook

Full forecast

Next 5 days — will it be fishable?

Building the river outlook…

OK = at or below typical flow · Fair = elevated · High = above the 90th percentile. NWS rows use the official National Weather Service river forecast; trend rows are simple projections from the current reading — an estimate, not a forecast.

Ponds & lakes

Pond & Stillwater Outlook