Maumee River Update

Took advantage of St Patrick's Day and went for a ride down along the Maumee River. All I can report is the water is up to the roadway and moving really fast. Everything is still flooded. Some ice still flowing downstream. Maybe it'll be better later in the week or by the weekend. Lets hope! Also stopped by Jannsnetcraft for a few items(LOL). Walked out with a bag full of goodies and a couple hundred dollars shorter. This sport is more like an addiction than anything else. LOVE IT! See you on the water

Just went over 475 bridge river wide open ice chunks coming down very high clear from jermoe rd thru buttonwood, came back thru perrysburg 1,/ 2 river wide open half bottle up with broken ice, orleans park completed flooded in park area, park is block off.

check out maumee today from turnpike bridge to waterville, wide open, lots of shore ice on banks in area, water still high
about 2 to 3 days she be where she needs to be, dropping nicely,
did see some huge trees drift down river, and the first jig salesman is on river road look like clarence. van set up.

Better hope for warm weather with rain the river is still far to cold

Any further updates on this? Thinking about making a trip up here soon.

Fish are starting to move in. With the warmer weather coming its just going to get better. Suppose to snow today and be colder but that's short lived. walleye are starting to move in and there are a few pics of fishermen with walleyes. Next week should be good.
:D

No shortage of guys today . Just went thru maumee a lot guys off Orleans , fort meigs, and seen four boats in front of Orleans . I'm gonna stop by Orleans on the way home and ck it out closer.

Haven t seen any fish caught yet

Still a bit chilly. Water temp 39.1. Need a warm thunderstorm from Ft Wayne to Toledo. That will start the stampede

Thanks for the updates guys. What is everyone's preference on how to fish it, boat or wading? I know the boat offers a little more flexibility, but is there any benefit whatsoever to wading?

Double edged sword. Boats are best, but ya gotta know the river & shoals. Lost many a shear pin back in the day on a submerged shoal or 5. LOL. Waders are nice but other anglers and their desire to go deeper & deeper can get aggrevating. No need to go out to waist deep water sometimes, but someone will walk out into your hole. Always happens. I would take a small/lightweight aluminum boat with a 10-15 hp motor. Use cinder blocks for anchor. DO NOT USE A NAVY ANCHOR! you wont get it back probably. Seen a lot of crazy things happen on river. Good Luck & Good Fishing

Jiginitis69 is correct, a lot of crazy things happen on the river during the spring walleye and white bass runs. Usually it’s bad because someone did something stupid.
I grew up in Perrysburg and fished the spring runs every year. Best advantage a boat gets you is the ability to get away from the wader fisherfolk. You can get to areas they can’t, especially down river from the Maumee / Perrysburg Bridge and around the upriver end of Ewing Island (the big island just down from the bridge). There are some real good spots in that area only accessible from a boat. If you want to take a boat on the upstream side of the bridge be very cautious. Do not go there when the water is anywhere near high. I’ve personally watched two boats go down out there, one of which both fellows drowned. It was horrible to watch and know you could do nothing (before cell phones). We tried to warn them but they couldn’t hear us and didn’t heed our arm signals not to try and anchor. Jiginitis69 is right, trying to anchor a small boat in that current is difficult and dangerous even at lower water levels. HAVE ALL YOUR SAFTEY GEAR AND WEAR THE CORRECT APPROVED PFD (life vest). If you do go in that cold water and current you won’t last long and rescue may take 30 minutes or longer.
Wading is much easier than using a boat and it gives you access to more places. You can do fine wading but you’ll have to learn the system and protocol as you will most likely be fishing in a line with others. It’s often not as bad as many make it out to be. Be courteous and cooperative, talk with the others fishing. You will often find they will work together so everyone (within reason) can fish. Get your "river legs" before you venture out into a group. If you have time scout the river and you can find places with less fishing pressure. Walk the shoreline (be careful, you need to stay in the water to be “legal”, and I say that not as a lawyer. Some property owners are very vigilant on watching their property during the runs and they will run you off). Access through private property is hard to come by but if you start early (October – January) you have a decent chance of getting permission somewhere. Asking now is usually a waste of time but you may get lucky.

As for fishing method floating jigs are the usual method instead of the lead head jigs of the past. I haven’t fished the run in years so I don’t have that knowledge. Someone else can explain that. First thing in the morning is usually best as fish move in overnight. Good fishing!

As for fishing private property, it depends on how ea parcel of property is deeded. I've tried to get permission to duck hunt and Wildlife advised that you have to go to the proper county office and determine if they have a map showing how it is deeded. Some own to the shore while others own out into the water. So, being in the water doesn't mean your good to go!

Went out for a couple days. Fishing was fair. The high winds made it tough Tuesday. Manage to catch a few Big Eyes and seen a few other guys pull a couple off the water. Conditions were fair. Females were working their way upstream. I saw a couple caught around Buttonwood. Not much happening near Jerome St. I believe it will get better next week after some rain and constant normal temps. Good luck to everyone.:D

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Originally Posted by PirateMike

As for fishing private property, it depends on how ea parcel of property is deeded. I've tried to get permission to duck hunt and Wildlife advised that you have to go to the proper county office and determine if they have a map showing how it is deeded. Some own to the shore while others own out into the water. So, being in the water doesn't mean your good to go!

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Hmmm, just asking as back in NW ohio after being gone out west for many years. Property not deeded to high water mark???? When I was a kid and learned to Duck hunt on the river as long as you were in the water you were okay... has that changed? Don't doubt you but need clarification, thanks.

Caught a limit yesterday afternoon took around a hour. Seen a few fish caught around me also. Fished downstream point of bluegrass. Half ounce weight 3-4 foot leader. Orange floater green with sparkle tail. Calling for 1-2 inches of rain today and tomorrow. As soon as the water starts dropping it's going to be game on.

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Originally Posted by bob8492

Hmmm, just asking as back in NW ohio after being gone out west for many years. Property not deeded to high water mark???? When I was a kid and learned to Duck hunt on the river as long as you were in the water you were okay... has that changed? Don't doubt you but need clarification, thanks.

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Bob, i live on the Scoito river and my property extends to the middle of the river. If you are in a boat you are fine, it's if you get out of the boat and touch the ground under the water that could cause an issue.

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Originally Posted by Bggeary

Bob, i live on the Scoito river and my property extends to the middle of the river. If you are in a boat you are fine, it's if you get out of the boat and touch the ground under the water that could cause an issue.

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That's how it works in here in Kentucky. The state says nobody owns the water, even if they own the land underneath it. As long as you aren't touching the ground, you're fine. So is the consensus to either fish from a boat or deal with hundreds of people at the public areas?

Hoyt. Try 1,000's. Every year during Easter Weekend the Toledo Blade publishes a picture of Maumee & fisherman. Literally 1,000 + in photo. GOT BOAT? LOL. I fish the lake since 82'. But in college & a few years following we lived off the river. Walleye to White bass. We wont eat any White Bass. We throw them back no matter what size on lake. In life your only allowed to eat soo much of a specific food & in college we caught them by 100's every day. Filet & Freeze. I've eaten enough for a lifetime. LOL. Good Luck & Good Fishing to all

Actually, the Ohio Wildlife Officer I spoke with said that your in violation if you set foot, anchor or have decoys anchored that you are in violation/trespassing. He was the one who advised going to the county to get a plat book or other mapping that actually shows where the landowners property is deeded to. Fishing is a little different than hunting, landowners frown upon people with guns on their property unless give permission.

I took the day off work tomorrow to hit the river and it's just my luck the sky's have opened up. sooo i'm gonna save a fewbucks on fuel and hit the dusky in fremont, planning on fishing around hays rd bridge area. (westside) should be there by sunrise, anybody else planning on going ? i'll be wearing all camo.waders/raincoat, say hi would be glad to meet other insain fishermen :D JON

Drove from Columbus to Sandusky to Toledo and back on Friday, April 04. All fields and streams were severely flooded from rains. Maumee and Sandusky rivers will be very high and unfishable until probably early next week. Heck of a lot of water out there to drain off... :(

I did a paper on this topic back in College. Not law school mind you, Natural Resources. At that time it was a complicated issue, as a lot depended on whether or not the waterway was legally defined as navigable. It's been many years so laws may have changed, but the last time I checked generally speaking in the Maumee and Sandusky rivers where we fish the walleye and white bass runs the river is not considered navigable (I'll have to recheck that). Property lines do matter but again generally the land owners own to the middle of the waterway. Yes, in Ohio you can canoe or use a boat on the rivers and streams as long as you stay on the water and don't set foot or anchor (and yes, even set duck decoys with their weights on the streambed). It doesn't really matter much as a land owner is going to try and run you off even if you have checked and they don't own the land you are standing on. SO, to be safe be aware that if you are walking the bank somewhere you know is not public land you may be trespassing, even if you are in the water. There are even arguments about this around the Lake Erie islands and some shoreline property owners. Best idea is to be courteous and if the situation does come up be cooperative and ask for advice and maybe the land owner will allow you to stay. :confused: