According to biologist Jernejcic, tailwaters make up less than 1 percent of the fishing area on the Ohio River, but account for over 99 percent of the fish caught on the river. Frankly, tailraces are fish havens and particularly so for hybrids.

Being an open-water species, hybrids thrive in large river tailwaters because these areas provide oxygenated water and tons of forage. Research conducted by the Ohio Division of Wildlife has shown that hybrid striped bass tend not to move up and down the river as was once thought, but seem inclined to remain in one pool. That study also showed that hybrids remained in the tailraces for the majority of the year.

Both Ohio and West Virginia stock the Ohio River with hybrid striped bass, but the number of hybrid striped bass stocked is dependent on annual hatchery production. Previously, state agencies stocked hybrid striped bass among upstream areas on the Ohio River in anticipation of the fish moving downstream, but since research has shown that hybrids tend to remain in one pool, agencies now spread fingerling hybrids to pools throughout the river.

Another factor that makes hybrid stocking so important on the Ohio River is the high rate of harvest on hybrid striped bass. It's not surprising that walleye and sauger harvest rates are high, but no one would have guessed that harvest was so high on hybrids. The West Virginia DNR tagged over 1,500 Ohio River hybrids and within six months anglers returned more than 15 percent of the tags. Angler tag returns indicated that over 30 percent of the hybrids caught by anglers were harvested.

Walleyes are prized table fare and creel surveys conducted on the river have shown that harvest rates up to 50 percent are fairly common, so a successful stocking program is vital on the Ohio.

Finding walleyes on the river is not that difficult. Fish position themselves in relation to the water flow and by studying water currents coming through the dam, it becomes easier to predict where walleyes will be on any given tailwater. Outflow coming through the dam usually determines where the best walleye/sauger fishing will occur. If water flow through the dam is heavy, then moving downstream where there is less flow usually results in better fishing. When only a little water is flowing through the dam, the areas of moving current close to the dam will offer the best fishing.

When asked about the quality of Ohio River walleye fishing, biologist Jernejcic stated that over the last few years, the number of walleyes being caught by Ohio River anglers has been impressive. An avid angler himself, Jernejcic prefers to fish the upstream tailwaters for saugers and walleyes rather than those farther south.

The Ohio River can be a productive water body throughout the year, but winter and early spring are normally periods when anglers encounter big quantities of walleyes. It seems that some of the most productive days are when the weather is at its worst. Although a bit uncomfortable to fish in, windy, overcast days when temperatures are dropping can be the best time to catch walleyes. Even when water levels seem too high to fish, walleyes will often move close to shore making them especially vulnerable to shoreline angling. Clearly, high-water periods offer some of the best walleye/sauger fishing opportunities on the Ohio River, regardless of the time of year.

The secret to catching big catfish, especially flatheads, is to fish when flows are above normal. Any serious whiskerfish angler will also tell you using heavy tackle and live bait is a necessity when fishing for trophy flatheads. Anglers should expect a good mix of both channels and flatheads on the river, but the ratio will depend a lot on bait selection. Bait selection has great influence on anglers' catches, as most anglers catch channel catfish on liver, night crawlers or small gizzard shad, while flatheads are usually caught on live bluegills, goldfish or large shad.

Fishing success for shoreline anglers is often determined by the proximity of the outflow to the shoreline and nothing frustrates an angler more than the inability to cast into the outflow, especially if they can see game fish actively feeding on the surface.

Such sightings of hybrids are common on the river and these aggressive predators seem to be just out of reach of conventional casting ranges. A few shoreline anglers have gained an advantage by switching to surfcasting tackle. By gaining more distance on their casts, they can place lures right among the fish, thereby increasing the odds of getting a bite.

Poppers and other surface lures remain popular among Ohio River tailwater anglers, but any surface lure that features an erratic action will be effective on hybrids. Anglers also attach agitator bobbers, which can be cast farther because of additional weight, to a fly or jig. White doll flies seem to be most effective when used with this setup. The harvest limit on the Ohio River is four hybrid striped bass per day per angler.

Techniques used to catch walleyes and saugers are similar on Ohio River tailwaters. It is amazing to consider that after years of tailwater fishing, jigs continue to be fashionable among Ohio River anglers. Jigs are fabulous for enticing river walleyes or saugers into biting, and best of all, jigs are easy on the wallet.

Walleyes and saugers frequent the river bottom, so if you're not bouncing the bottom with your jig, add weight. Live bait is a smart option for walleye or sauger anglers, and since most of these delicious-tasting fish will end up on a dinner plate, deep hooking is not a problem. Ohio River anglers are allowed to harvest a combined total of 10 fish (walleyes, saugers or mixed bag) each day.

The Ohio River may be the state's most famous catfish water. Nothing attracts anglers like a giant catfish, and on the Ohio River, flatheads are king. To catch a big flathead, it's almost imperative to use live bait. Live bluegills or shad are the optimum choices, although goldfish and other baits will work.

Channel cats are particularly fond of chicken liver and although many kinds of commercial baits are available on the market, chicken liver seems to work the best. It also happens to be the most economical. Currently, there are no restrictions on number or size of catfish that anglers may harvest on the Ohio River, although there are some fish consumption issues that anglers need to be aware of. Consult your fishing regulations for a list and explanation of fish consumption advisories if you plan on eating catfish caught from the Ohio River.

Catching a hodgepodge of different species is an exciting aspect of any trip to the Ohio River. Most anglers will be targeting the "big four" (walleyes, saugers, hybrid striped bass and catfish) and there is no better spot to find them than on one of the river's tailwaters. While anglers will be able to catch fish anytime of the year, early-season tailwater action on Ohio River is something no angler will want to miss.