Nate T., Brandon D., Jeremiah D., and I went out to the maumee river today, feb 25th. We were less than successful to say the least, much of the river was still covered in thick ice. We went to the area below the grand rapids dam and then the weir rapids access point down river a ways. The water was rather low and very very clear. Most of the year your lucky to see a few inches into this river but you could see the bottom even in the deeper pockets. It seemed all the fish were in slower areas that were covered in thick ice still because we caught a whole 5 species. We found 4 or 5 greenside darters in the riffles and 1 johnny darter along some roots. We also found one small pool where the ice was just about ready to break off and we broke it free and pushed it out of the way to find a school of large carp, bigmouth buffalo, and central quillback carpsuckers. We caught 3 or 4 buffalo and 1 quillback and tossed 18 carp on the shelf ice along the shore. The natives were released. This was all at the site below the dam. We spent another hour or so at the weir rapids area and did not catch 1 fish! There was very little open water though, only the fastest moving areas were open. We need another two weeks of temps above freezing, or a big rain to brake up the ice so we can actually get to the fish. Just the same it was nice to get out and remove a few carp.

Nate T., Brandon D., Jeremiah D., and I went out to the maumee river today, feb 25th. We were less than successful to say the least, much of the river was still covered in thick ice. We went to the area below the grand rapids dam and then the weir rapids access point down river a ways. The water was rather low and very very clear. Most of the year your lucky to see a few inches into this river but you could see the bottom even in the deeper pockets. It seemed all the fish were in slower areas that were covered in thick ice still because we caught a whole 5 species. We found 4 or 5 greenside darters in the riffles and 1 johnny darter along some roots. We also found one small pool where the ice was just about ready to break off and we broke it free and pushed it out of the way to find a school of large carp, bigmouth buffalo, and central quillback carpsuckers. We caught 3 or 4 buffalo and 1 quillback and tossed 18 carp on the shelf ice along the shore. The natives were released. This was all at the site below the dam. We spent another hour or so at the weir rapids area and did not catch 1 fish! There was very little open water though, only the fastest moving areas were open. We need another two weeks of temps above freezing, or a big rain to brake up the ice so we can actually get to the fish. Just the same it was nice to get out and remove a few carp.

I hope that ice breaks up soon. Last week I tried the Rocky river again and there was only one small hole in the ice and not one fish to be found. Won't be long now though it is supposed to be above freezing all week.

I am ready for winter to be over too, I think we had a little wishful thinking today when we headed out hoping to find many fish but it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

ice on a river thats wierd I dont think I've ever seen that...

ha ha funny! It just makes the times we do have that much more enjoyable since we northerners are unable to get out year round.

Funny thing is the rivers around Canton are not frozen at all. Maybe to much junk has been dumped or to much channelization.

That's a bummer but not surprising. I cross a bridge over the Monongahela River every day (alright 5 days a week) on my way to work. I've watched the ice form during the unusually long cold snap and I think the only reason there was any open water was due to the barge traffic. I watched the ice breaking up this past week and floating downstream. It was kind of cool watching it flow in lines with the current. It is pretty much gone now, and I imagine in another week or so the wadeable streams like the Maumee will be open too if it keeps getting above freezing every day.

Regardless, it should be all clear by the GLA Maumee trip four weeks from now. I for one am really looking forward to it.

BTW, nice going with those carp

yeah that must suck alot... ya'lll could come fish the red chute here in shreveport even though it was at flood stages almost a month ago

Funny thing is the rivers around Canton are not frozen at all. Maybe to much junk has been dumped or to much channelization.

I actually think it is a result of there being a fair amount of groundwater feed to those streams. When I'm at home I fish in the middle and west branches of the nimishillen creek and they rarely freeze up much even way upstream outside of town where there likely isn't much polution. As a result of this groundwater feed some of the rainbow trout they dump in the west branch for kids to catch in the park down there by the football hall of fame actualy maker it through the summer (it aparently stays cool enough). I or my friends have caught one or two almost every winter around christmas when we are home and they stock them in the spring.

It was a good carp beating. They were quite large (a few of last years hatch though), and we gave them a thrashing. The Bigmouth Buffalo was cool because believe it or not, that was the first one I've ever seen alive.