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Mad River

Mad River near Urbana

USGS gauge 03267000
Flow & gauge height
Shaded band = the river's normal range for the date; the line is actual flow
Fishability assessment
Awaiting live reading

Computing assessment…

Location
40.1076, -83.7991
Species activity
Likely-active fish for Mad River right now — typical central-Ohio seasonal patterns.
  • Active
    Rock bass
    Prime season.
    Fly: Small nymphs, wet flies & micro-streamers tight to rock and wood.
  • Slow
    Smallmouth bass
    In season.
    Fly: Crayfish & woolly buggers on rocky seams; topwater poppers at first light.
  • Slow
    Brown trout
    Off-peak.
    Fly: Small nymphs, midges & BWO/sulphur dries; swing soft-hackles and stay stealthy.
  • Slow
    Rainbow trout
    Off-peak.
    Fly: Nymphs, egg patterns & small streamers in the stocked reaches.
On the menu right now
  • Peak
    Caddis (seasonal mix)
    Several species in rotation — green early spring, tan/olive through summer, autumn sedge late.
    Fly: Elk Hair Caddis #14–18, soft-hackle swings, green/olive larvae.
    For: Brown trout, Rainbow trout
  • Peak
    Tricos
    Tiny early-morning spinner falls — be on the water at first light.
    Fly: Trico spinners #22–24 — long leaders, soft casts.
    For: Brown trout, Rainbow trout
  • Peak
    Terrestrials (hoppers, ants, beetles)
    Summer bank food — best on breezy afternoons under grassy edges.
    Fly: Foam hoppers #10–12, flying ants & beetles #14–18, tight to the bank.
    For: Brown trout, Rainbow trout
  • Active
    Midges
    The winter mainstay — tiny but always on the water.
    Fly: Zebra midges & Griffith's Gnats, #20–24, on light tippet.
    For: Brown trout, Rainbow trout
  • Active
    Scuds & sowbugs
    Spring-creek staples — steady food every day of the year.
    Fly: Scud patterns #14–18 (olive/tan/orange) dead-drifted in weeds.
    For: Brown trout, Rainbow trout

Timing compiled from regional guide & hatch-chart sources — local conditions shift it by a week or two either way.

Ohio's premier coldwater trout stream. Browns are ODNR-stocked (put-grow-take, ~11,500/yr) with limited natural reproduction — this is a fragile, spring-fed fishery, so keep trout wet and handle them gently.

General guidance from seasonal & water-temp patterns — not a guarantee. Always check current Ohio fishing regulations and limits.