Happily going mad

The week has been a little unusual. While it's now well into the upland game season, the summerlike temperatures seemed far too warm to run a dog around the fields for very long. It just felt like it was time to break out the fishing equipment and take a walk along a stream. It didn't take much to convince me and the Mad River was waiting. I grabbed my old Orvis Far and Fine fly rod, a reel loaded with a five-weight floating line and my waders then began to search my fly boxes. Any normal mid-November would likely call for streamers and nymphs – but a warm spell and sunshine could mean that all bets are off. Fly fishing is a tinkerer's sport, at least it is for me. There are many little intricacies to pay attention to and the learning curve is always bending in different directions. What works today, may not work tomorrow. I've become something of an expert at proving that axiom. You need to immerse yourself into the fish's world. That means trying to figure out what's on the current menu, a list which includes smaller fish, all stages of aquatic insects and any bugs flying around or falling into the water. Then you have to consider the psychotically fickle decisions trout display when choosing a meal. I can almost hear those aquatic discussions. "Gee, Sally, you want to grab some emerging Mayflies?" "No, Stewart, we had those yesterday. How about sculpin?" "I don't feel like fish. You think the scuds look good?" "Well…" Then there's the art of the cast; in my case, abstract art. Overhanging trees have always been my bane and the Mad River is well known for its canopy. If a single limb is hanging over the water, my hook finds it faster than any nearby fish-lips. It once frustrated me, then I realized it's part of the game. If you're fishing areas of that creek that are most likely to hold fish, you're destined to get tangled up. This includes the trees that have fallen into the water with their submerged tentacle-like limbs looking to grab any passing hook. Experience helps reduce the mishaps – at least that's what I've been told. I haven't even mentioned wading since anyone following me would describe my attempts as something between a splashing waltz, playing Twister and an old-school baptism. Thankfully, during this time of year, the Mad River offers comfortable wading with most pools easily handled. Yes, fly fishing employs more skill than tossing a bobber and a worm. While some may look at it as complicated, I see it as providing a multitude of excuses – something handy for any ardent angler carrying a growingly useless net. Surprisingly, I managed to catch two young, inexperienced brown trout and one creek chub with an attitude. As I should have suspected, the fly the fish all chose wasn't the purportedly proven bead-head nymphs or dace patterns I tossed. It wasn't even the little ant imitation that caught their attention. It was a very small royal coachman dry fly; a classic first created in 1878, designed to attract attention rather than imitate anything in particular. The idea of using the old fly came as something of an epiphany while I was casting into the pools – I'd just lost my last Adams fly to a rogue branch and was stuck. The coachman was the last dry in my box. Honestly, I've seldom fished them, preferring to try to match my best guess of what the current edibles are on or in the water – and apparently, I may need to rethink that tactic. While I was surprised that the coachman caught the fish's attention, it proves that there's a reason why the fly is still a prominent option for many experienced anglers. It also sort of validates my belief that desperate fly choices can simply frustrate a fish into a sympathy strike. I can thank my fly-tying friend Kevin Ramsey for the few I had on hand. The Mad River is birthed in the rolling topography near Zanesfield in Logan County, Ohio, and empties into the Miami River in downtown Dayton. Its name wasn't always the Mad. The Shawnee called the stream Hathennithiipi and the new settlers and explorers in the area used the names Mad Creek, Tiber River and Fiume Mad. The Mad River isn't angry at all, its name referring to the stream's broken and rapid current. Personally, I think it was named after some long-gone pioneering angler who'd lost his last fly to a willow. The spring-fed Mad River is the largest cold-water fishery in Ohio and one of the few streams in the state that hold native brook trout. The Division of Wildlife regularly stocks brown trout in the stream though natural reproduction is low due to sedimentation, extensive agricultural runoff and diminishing habitat. Nevertheless, some nice browns lurk under overhanging (read, "hook-sucking") vegetation and undercut banks as they lay in wait for their next meals. There are at least five public access points from Zanesfield to Urbana. A map of the area is available from the Division of Wildlife at wildlife.ohiodnr.gov. Use the site's "search" for "river and stream fishing maps" and you're ready to go. If you want to learn more about fishing the Mad River or want to get involved with like-minded anglers working to improve the stream's ecology, visit the Trout Unlimited Mad River Chapter on Facebook www.facebook.com/TUmadriver or on the web at https://tumadriver.org. They're involved in stream health monitoring, youth programs and with Project Healing Waters which uses fly fishing to help disabled military service personnel and disabled veterans. You can locate other Trout Unlimited groups around Ohio by visiting: https://www.tu.org/chapters/ohio/. "Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed." – John Gierach Along the Way Ohio Wildlife Officers were recognized with prestigious awards from the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NAWEOA). Wildlife Investigator Kirk Kiefer was named the 2025 Officer of the Year, and State Wildlife Officer Jason Keller, assigned to Warren County, and his partner, K-9 Officer Scout, were recipients of the Loyal Partner Award. Wildlife Investigator Kirk Kiefer is the first Ohio wildlife officer to receive the NAWEOA Officer of the Year award. He was selected for his competence, knowledge, and capabilities in the field and promotion of wildlife law enforcement. Investigator Kiefer has served Ohio for 22 years as a wildlife officer and investigator. He also works as a field training officer, sharing his expertise on hunting incident investigations, waterfowl enforcement, ginseng enforcement, and trapping enforcement. Kiefer's initial assignment when he graduated from the academy was to serve in Hancock County. Wildlife Officer Jason Keller and K-9 Officer Scout demonstrated exceptional ability and initiative in the performance of their duties which led to them receiving the Loyal Partner Award. This is the second time an Ohio Wildlife Officer and K-9 Officer earned the Loyal Partner Award. Officer Keller has served as an Ohio Wildlife Officer for 16 years, beginning his career in Lake County before transferring to Warren County. Officer Keller and K-9 Officer Scout have worked together since 2018, and both work on the Division of Wildlife's Search, Rescue, and Tracking Team. The North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association is an international collaboration of wildlife conservation officers focused on promoting professionalism and excellence through training, networking, and professional recognition. Each year, the organization recognizes the top officers from state, province, territory, or federal wildlife enforcement agencies. Many thanks to those men and women who protect those things which cannot protect themselves – those that hold that thin green line. Step Outside • Sixteen Ohio veterans were treated to a guided archery hunt at Zaleski State Forest by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) this October. ODNR's divisions of Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks and Watercraft partnered with the Buckeye Hero Hunt Committee to provide the veterans with the opportunity to hunt white-tailed deer. The Buckeye Hero Hunt Committee and volunteers supported the event by providing meals, lodging, and equipment. Eleven deer were harvested between Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11. • Hunter and Trapper Education Class information and registration is found online at www.wildohio.gov or call 1-800-WILDLIFE. Local upcoming Hunter Education Classes:Nov. 17 – 18: Fostoria United Sportsmen, 1324 Springville St., Fostoria, OH 44830. 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. each day. To register for these free classes: https://oh-web.s3licensing.com/Event • Tomorrow: Turkey Shoot. Time to get this popular event on your calendar so you can win that Thanksgiving turkey! Includes 10-bird shoots, still shoots, protections, and Annie Oakley's. Shooting begins at noon. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Public welcome. Questions: Bob Yoder, 419-273-5057. • Dec. 14: Ham Shoot. Mark your calendars, it's almost time to win your holiday ham. Includes 10-bird shoots, still shoots, protections, and Annie Oakley's. Shooting begins at noon. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Public welcome. Questions: Bob Yoder, 419-273-5057. • You can find a public shooting or archery range near you by visiting: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/wildlife/Archery+and+Target+Shooting Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.