The River stage below Newburgh Dam on the Ohio River as of Sunday, May 31, was 19.93 ft but, is forecast to rise to 21′ by midweek and then fall out to around 16′ by June 7th. The water temp is in the 70′s and fluctuating.

In most places the water is stained to muddy in clarity with a moderate current. Here are the species specific Ohio River fishing reports for this week.

White Bass / Hybrids / Stripers- They have finished spawning in most places.

The fish that I have cleaned included numerous spawned out females and are feeding well trying to gain back some weight lost after laying eggs. They are still kind of scattered on the Ohio River so trolling seems to be the best bet near areas they spawned. These areas include rock piles, gravel bottom banks out of strong current, etc. You have to search a little but good numbers of fish are being caught even with the water being up a little.

Catfish- The Blue Catfish that seems to be eluding “most” anglers right now have gone to spawning beds. So, if you have had a tough time catching one lately scratch your head no more. The best thing to do is probably target Channel Catfish. They can be caught while spawning or not but, a nesting blue cat hiding in a root wad , rock crevice or undercut bank is not going to eat until it is finished. Expect at minimum a few weeks before seeing numbers of good sized fish caught again.

The picture above is a 15 pound blue cat that was caught last week. This male shows the signs of getting ready to head to the spawning beds. Their heads and necks get puffed up and they put on weight to hold them through the spawn.

The Flatheads for a week or so more are going to bite well but, it will not be long for them to be doing the same.

This Ohio River fishing report has been provided by Captain Paul Willett of Camo Fish Guide Service. Check out http://camofishguideservice.com to learn more about this Ohio River fishing guide.