moving by the ohio grand

[bad fish rising]

im thinking about moving to ohio this summer and was wondering
what kind of fly tackle do they fish there.
i dont like sinkers but have plenty of t 14.
i have several rods but was wondering what length and weight do they fish there.
i live right by tippy on the big manistee so mostly have long powerful heavy rods for big fish.
any info will be a big help thanks in advance.

[Fishndude]

The Ohio rivers are typically smaller and shallower than the rivers where you are, and the river bottoms are more shale than sand and gravel. 6 weight rods are fine for most rivers. You won't find any Kings to challenge your gear, but the Steelhead get decent size - quite a few are caught that weigh 12# + each year.

[MOVITS]

I live and work in central Ohio but fish the NE Ohio tribs as often as I can. I you are planning to move near the Grand you are in a great location. To the east you will have the "Connie" and to the west you will have the Chagrin. You will also have a number of smaller tributaries mixed in. Here is how I gear-up:

Spin Fishing - A nice 10+ foot noodle rod with a medium size spinning reel is perfect. Drifting spawn sacs and jigs tipped with waxies on 6 - 8 lb. tippits (smaller when clear) will do the job.

Fly fishing - A 9 - 10 ft 6-7 wt rod with a sift tip will do the trick. I started with a noodle rod blank and turned it into a fly rod. Drifting various egg and nymph patterns on 6 - 8 lb. tippet works great. You may also want to spool a reel for swinging streamers. Alot of guys have gone to spey rods ... but the smaller streams and close quarters on the bigger riviers makes it tough. I have one and only use it about 15% of the time.

Center Pinning - This technique is currently "all the rage". A nice 10+ foot rod, centerpin reel, and the appropriate floats will get you started. Sign on to the Ohio Tribs portion of this site and you will get allot of opinions and recommendations.

You will have your hands full of good steelhead fishing from Oct - May. If you like to smallmouth fish you will be good spring through fall. The latest development in the area is a planned stocking of lake run browns. I am definitely up for this since I used to live on the St. Joe river in western Michigan.

Hope this helps. Send me a PM if you need more info. There is allot of web info on maps and access points. This will be key since access gets more and more restricted every year. Finally, I tried to buy property on a remote section of the Grand last year for a summer cabin. Tough to find a good spot at a reasonable price ... but maybe things have changed with the economy.