The Scioto River cuts Ohio right down the middle, and in the middle of Columbus, you’ll find some hot smallmouth bass fishing. The water quality has improved in recent years, and so has the fishing, especially for smallmouth bass. The area below Griggs Reservoir and downstream through the metropolitan area rocks with tail-dancing bronzeback action, but it takes a special effort to get after them. Canoes and campers make the fish a little shy during the daylight hours. But this reach of river has all the requisites for big fish: cobbles for crayfish, and boulders for bass. The techniques to hang a hog are proven.

"You got to tickle them with a Tiny Torpedo on top," says Columbus-area guide, Captain Kevin Corry. "Pull a little buzz bait by them --- make a little noise, but not too loud or too quick, and you’ll tease them out of the boulders and woody debris."

Corry says five-pounders are not unheard of in what amounts to an urban fishery. But for an urban setting, good fishing is reserved for those willing to wade at night. "It’s an adventure," says Corry, "to wade-fish at night, and have to rely on sound to hear a fish take your top-water offering."

Downstream below Columbus, the Scioto River gets bigger, picking up some tributaries. That means bigger water means sluggish, deeper pools, just right for channel catfish. Corry says you can bank fish, on or from a boat. But public launch sites are few below Columbus, requiring permission from landowners. Contact Corry at 614.843.8073; kevin@wackumandstackum.com --- Craig Springer