Ohio has always been a trout-poor state, and Buckeye fly fishers have traditionally gone to Michigan and Pennsylvania or devoted their efforts to bass and panfish. Recently, however, that has changed. Now Ohio has two good trout streams and several Lake Erie tributaries that hold steelhead from fall through spring.

The most recent addition to Ohio's trout waters came in 1992 when the Division of Wildlife stocked brown trout in the Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River and two of its tributaries, Cedar Fork and Pine Run. The Clear Fork has long been suspected capable of holding trout. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, private fly-fishing clubs put rainbows into the stream more than once. The trout survived for several years, and their success was reported to the Division of Wildlife, which began serious studies of the Clear Fork's temperature, habitat, prey availability, and accessibility to anglers.

In the fall of 1992 the Division of Wildlife stocked 19,200 brown trout measuring 6 to 8 inches and 2,850 browns measuring 31/2 to 71/2 inches. In the fall of 1994 another 10,000 young trout were added to the river and its tributaries. Those fish continue to thrive. Studies show excellent growth rates, and some browns now measure more than 15 inches. Angler catch rates continue to be good to excellent.

The stockings were made from the town of Lexington--south of Mansfield (a city with lodging and restaurants)--downstream to where the Clear Fork enters the main branch of the Mohican River, and every section of stream now has a resident population of browns.

The Clear Fork is divided into two sections. Both offer good fishing. The upper section starts at the eastern end of Clear Fork Reservoir above Lexington and meanders east through Bellville and Butler until it enters Pleasant Hill Lake. The lower section, a tailwater, leaves the lake and makes its way through Mohican State Park before entering the Mohican River in Loudonville.

UPPER CLEAR FORK
Anglers who like small-stream fishing should concentrate their efforts in the upper section near Lexington where the river flows through farmland, pastures, woodlots, and overhanging shoreline timber. It's small water with plenty of pools and riffles to supplement long, smooth runs. While some holes are deep, nearly all of this long section can be waded with hip boots.

The browns in this stretch spend most of their time in the deep pools, coming out to feed early and late in the day along pool fringes, and at the base of riffles where waters roil and where they can lie behind stones to await whatever the current brings. During the day the quiet runs can be productive, especially when a hatch occurs, so this segment adds up to a challenge as intriguing as working the waters of Pennsylvania's Broken Straw or Michigan's upper Oscoda.

Another productive stretch is just downstream from Bellville to the town of Butler in Richland County. This area is designated artificials-only with a creel limit of one trout, 10-inch minimum. Along this upper section, anglers can gain access by parking at bridge crossings (a county map can help you find them) and asking landowners for permission to fish. The Cedar Fork tributary enters just above Bellville.

Father downstream on the Clear Fork, the water is wider, though rarely more than 40 feet across, and riffles and stretches of broken water become less common.

The Mad River and the Clear Fork (above) have excellent mayfly and caddisfly populations as well as an abundance of terrestrials and baitfish. Streamers and nymphs work well during colder months.

LOWER CLEAR FORK
Below Pleasant Hill Lake, the river is a tailwater and mostly smooth water. It could benefit from the addition of gabions, though a few stretches have pools and riffles with excellent fishing.

This section winds through Mohican State Park, and the stretch starting at the covered bridge at the park's Class B Campground downstream to the main Class A Campground just south of Loudonville is an excellent place for visitors to start. Pine Run, a tributary worth exploring, enters the Clear Fork in the park.

Most of the Clear Fork and its two tributaries are under general state regulations--no minimum size limit and a creel limit of five fish. Check with local fly shops or the Division of Wildlife for up-to-date regulations.

HATCHES AND FOODS
Since the Clear Fork flows over mostly sedimentary rock bottom, the stream should be relatively sterile, but it's not. The stream winds through farmland and forest, and runoff from farm fertilizers produce a rich stream life. Chubs, small suckers, and minnow species contribute to rapid trout growth.

Caddisflies and small mayflies are plentiful as are ants, grasshoppers, and other terrestrials, but most fly fishers favor caddis imitations above all others. Good choices range from Hare's Ears to Zug Bugs and various nondescript #16 patterns in olive, black, and green.

Streamer flies are sure producers, too. I favor small (#10 to #12) white marabou patterns with a neck wrapping of red thread, or small brown squirrel-tail patterns. Streamers can produce trout after trout when no obvious hatches are coming off. They work especially well in early spring, late fall, and early winter.