When is the best time to fish the Clear Fork?

May through July is prime time. Sulphur hatches run May into early June, followed by strong Light Cahill and Caddis activity from mid-June through July. October brings fresh-stocked brown trout into the upper river.

What fish are in the Clear Fork?

Brown trout are stocked annually above Pleasant Hill Reservoir as part of one of only three dedicated Ohio brown trout programs, with some fish reaching 20 inches. The Lower Clear Fork through Mohican State Park is stocked with rainbow trout each spring, alongside smallmouth bass and panfish.

Is the Upper or Lower Clear Fork better to fish?

The Upper Clear Fork holds the bigger browns but runs mostly through private land with limited access. The Lower Clear Fork through Mohican State Park offers far better public access and consistent rainbow trout action, making it the easier choice for most visiting anglers.

Clear Fork Fishing Report & River Conditions

Clear Fork

Ohio · Richland & Ashland Counties — Mohican River Watershed near Loudonville

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Top Fishing Locations on the Clear Fork

Mohican State Park

The stretch through Mohican State Park is the most accessible and consistently productive water on the Clear Fork, stocked each spring with rainbow trout below the Pleasant Hill Dam tailwater. Wide gravel runs and pools make for comfortable wading, and the park's developed trail system puts most of the water within easy reach. Smallmouth bass and panfish share this water alongside the stocked trout.

💧 Ideal flow: Tailwater releases below Pleasant Hill Dam keep this section cooler and more stable than the freestone upper river, especially valuable during summer.

Covered Bridge — Class B Campground

The covered bridge near the Class B Campground is one of the most scenic and reliably productive starting points in the park, with deeper holding water just downstream of the bridge structure. A good base for working both upstream and downstream through the park's best pocket water and riffle-pool sequences.

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Upper Clear Fork

Above Pleasant Hill Reservoir the Upper Clear Fork holds the program's bigger browns, some reaching past 20 inches, but runs mostly through private land. Bridge crossings near Butler and Bellville offer the main public access points, with special regulation water requiring artificial flies and lures only.

💧 Ideal flow: Freestone character here means flows respond directly to rainfall , check recent precipitation before making the trip.

About Clear Fork Fishing

The Clear Fork is a tributary of the Mohican River and one of only three Ohio streams in a dedicated brown trout stocking program, with the Ohio Division of Wildlife stocking approximately 7,400 brown trout annually above Pleasant Hill Reservoir. The river splits naturally into two distinct characters — the Upper Clear Fork above the reservoir running mostly through private land with the program's biggest holdover browns, and the Lower Clear Fork flowing through Mohican State Park with excellent public access and spring rainbow trout stocking. Together they make the Clear Fork one of the most reliable trout destinations in central Ohio.

Best Time to Fish the Clear Fork

May into early June brings strong Sulphur hatches throughout the river. Mid-June through July is excellent for Light Cahill and Caddis activity, particularly through the Mohican State Park section. Midge fishing remains productive through the colder months on the tailwater section below Pleasant Hill Dam. October brings freshly stocked brown trout into the Upper Clear Fork ahead of the colder months.

Species

Brown trout are stocked annually above Pleasant Hill Reservoir as fingerlings and yearlings, with some fish growing past 20 inches in the lightly-pressured Upper Clear Fork. The Lower Clear Fork through Mohican State Park is stocked each spring with catchable rainbow trout, alongside resident smallmouth bass, panfish, and the occasional muskie for anglers willing to target them.

Access and Regulations

Mohican State Park provides the best public access by far, with developed trails and pull-offs along the Lower Clear Fork including the covered bridge near the Class B Campground. The Upper Clear Fork above Pleasant Hill Reservoir runs mostly through private land, with the main public access at bridge crossings near Butler and Bellville. Special regulation water near Bellville-Butler requires artificial flies and lures only with a one-trout, 10-inch minimum creel limit. Ohio fishing license required for anglers 16 and older.

Live River Data

Streamflow data is pulled in real time from the USGS National Water Information System. The Lower Clear Fork below Pleasant Hill Dam benefits from tailwater releases that moderate flows and temperature compared to the rainfall-driven Upper Clear Fork, making the lower section more consistently fishable through summer.