Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River
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The home fishing waters of the Mohican Fly Fishers of Ohio club is the Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River. The most publicly fished area is inside the Mohican State Park between Pleasant Hill Dam and State Route 3. This area is known to club members as the “Lower Clear Fork.” The river had been stocked traditionally with brown trout yearly since 1992 and, since 2018, has been stocked with harvestable rainbows. It can be waded all year long when water level permits, usually between 0.5 and 1.5 feet on the chart. Bass, crappie, bluegill, carp, and saugeye are readily caught in the river, with an occasional muskie falling prey to some unexpected fisherman. The Upper Clear Fork River is one of a few rivers in the state that is cool enough to maintain a trout population all year around. Brown trout (yearling size) are stocked annually and can be caught using wet or dry flies from areas such as undercut banks and around fallen trees and boulders, which occur throughout the stream. Also, fish through the runs, holes, eddies and riffle areas using nymphs and streamers. A lot of this area is private property, and the status of being a club member in good standing may help with access to some of these fishing locations. The Newville Bridge area toward the lake is public access, and when the white bass make their Spring run, there can be some hot fly-fishing action when using streamers.
The Upper Clear Fork River has another interesting distinction! There is gold in the river as well as fish. The gold was brought to this area by glaciers flowing down from Canada. This area is where the glaciers’ leading edges stopped and, when the ice melted, the gold was deposited and is known as placer gold. There are two notable gold deposits in the area. One is north of Bellville and is known as Deadman’s Run and the second is Wildcat Hollow west of Butler. The Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA) has leased a section of land along a two-mile section of the Clear Fork River in the Wildcat Hollow area, so if you wish to try your luck gold prospecting in this area, you must be a member of the GPAA. Almost all gold recovered is in the form of tiny, flattened flakes only a millimeter or so in diameter. Less common are pieces the size of a wheat grain, and rare are those the size of a pea. At most productive locations, several hours of panning will produce only a few flakes. Fishing in this leased area is another matter; permission must be first acquired. The Mohican Fly Fishers continues to have a good relationship with the GPAA and they have allowed our club members to fly fish on their leased land. We maintain this relationship by respecting the land, the water, and their rights as lease holders and by adhering to the strict 5MPH speed limit. |
The EPA has declared the Clear Fork River the cleanest river in the state for the past few years. Quite an honor!
Bass, crappie, bluegill, carp, and saugeye are readily caught in the river as well, with an occasional muskie falling prey to some unexpected fisherman.
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The complete region along the Clear Fork River is a natural beauty and a treasure to behold, so do your part and help keep it clean and beautiful for generations to come. The EPA has declared the Clear Fork River
the cleanest river in the state for the past few years. Quite an honor!
Clear Fork River - ODNR
