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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

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Forecast
AboutHow the forecast worksWhere fish livePrivacyTerms[email protected]
© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2161 · b4069346

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United States / Ohio / Olentangy River

Bite forecast: Olentangy River

  • length 95 mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. SundaySeptember 6weather-based forecast
    56/100medium activity

    Clear: 54–82 °F

Loading map…

Nearby rivers

  • Paramour Creek7 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • LakeLake Galion5 mi
  • ReservoirAmann Reservoir5 mi
  • ReservoirAmicks Reservoir5 mi
  • ReservoirPowers Reservoir5 mi
  • ReservoirRiley Reservoir5 mi
  • ReservoirBucyrus Reservoir Number One6 mi
  • ReservoirPabst Lake6 mi

Olentangy River (Ohio) — a popular fishing spot. About 153 km long. Nearby towns: Columbus and Mansfield. This page shows an hourly bite forecast for today and the week ahead; the algorithm factors in the weather, atmospheric pressure, and the moon phase.

Fish biting at this waterbody

Choose a fish to see its hourly forecast, catches and BiteGuide.

  • Channel catfish

Catches

Recorded 23 catches here. Most commonly caught: Largemouth bass, Channel catfish, Flathead catfish. Peak season: January–June.

  • Carp — Olentangy River, May 02, 2018
    Carp
    Olentangy River
    75 °F16 mph
    May 02, 2018
  • Largemouth bass
    Delaware Reservoir
    68 °F9 mph
    Jun 14, 2020
  • Largemouth bass
    Olentangy River
    82 °F11 mph
    Jul 28, 2019
  • Largemouth bass
    Delaware Reservoir
    Jun 20, 2018
  • Flathead catfish
    Olentangy River
    72 °F11 mph
    May 19, 2018
  • Smallmouth bass
    Olentangy River
    72 °F11 mph
    May 19, 2018
  • Channel catfish
    Olentangy River
    57 °F7 mph
    Apr 26, 2018
  • Largemouth bass
    Olentangy River
    64 °F13 mph
    Apr 23, 2018
MondaySeptember 7weather-based forecast
56/100medium activity

Clear: 59–86 °F

  • TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    55/100medium activity

    Drizzle: 64–68 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Columbus0.8 mi
    • Mansfield12 mi

    Bite calendar

    Wednesday, September 2

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Coho salmonPikeBlack crappieSmallmouth bassSteelheadWhite bassWhite crappieYellow perchMuskellungeWalleyeChinook salmonLargemouth bassBlue catfishBluegillCarpChannel catfishFlathead catfishRainbow trout

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is strong — fish are active. Pressure is dropping — this usually boosts the bite.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.

    Summary

    Worth going — it's a productive day.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 76 °F — warmer than the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie: in the heat it drops deeper and feeds less often.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F76 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.03 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.03 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.9923:00 · 29.95 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    2 SepWednesday, September 2
    +90°

    Clear · feels like +97°

    Low / high
    +71°…+93°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    5 mph WSW
    Cloud cover
    0%
    Humidity
    52%
    Pressure
    30.06 inHg
    00:00+76°—1 mpheast wind, 1 mph71%0%
    01:00+75°—3 mphnorth wind, 3 mph70%0%
    02:00+75°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph70%0%
    03:00+74°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph70%0%
    04:00+73°—1 mphsoutheast wind, 1 mph70%0%
    05:00+72°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph70%0%
    06:00+72°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph69%0%
    07:00+71°—3 mphsoutheast wind, 3 mph69%0%
    08:00+73°—2 mpheast wind, 2 mph70%0%
    09:00+78°—2 mphsouthwest wind, 2 mph70%0%
    10:00+83°—4 mphwest wind, 4 mph63%0%
    11:00+87°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph57%0%
    12:00+90°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph52%0%
    13:00+91°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph48%1%
    14:00+92°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph46%2%
    15:00+93°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph45%7%
    16:00+93°—7 mphwest wind, 7 mph44%3%
    17:00+92°—8 mphwest wind, 8 mph45%0%
    18:00+91°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph46%0%
    19:00+87°—4 mphwest wind, 4 mph50%0%
    20:00+85°—4 mphnorthwest wind, 4 mph52%0%
    21:00+82°—5 mphnorthwest wind, 5 mph56%0%
    22:00+80°—2 mphwest wind, 2 mph61%0%
    23:00+78°—1 mphsouth wind, 1 mph63%0%
    +93°+82°+71°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Wednesday, September 2
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:58
    Sunset
    19:58
    Day length
    13 h
    Sunshine hours
    11 h 57 min
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Waning gibbous
    Moonrise
    22:36
    Moonset
    13:08

    The day is 3 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +14% in the windowWednesday, September 2
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major04:28–06:28Moon overhead
    • Minor12:38–13:38Moonset
    • Major16:55–18:55Moon underfoot
    • Minor22:06–23:06Moonrise

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    Measured river conditions are available for Olentangy River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    1.46 ft
    Streamflow
    3.3 ft³/s

    USGS gauge Olentangy River at Claridon OH, 13 mi away · measured 2026-09-02 00:00 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 23 verified catchesPeriod: 2018–2020

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    047
    7642211
    Largemouth bassChannel catfishFlathead catfishCarpSmallmouth bassGrass carpRainbow trout
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Largemouth bass730%
    Channel catfish626%
    Flathead catfish417%
    Carp29%
    Smallmouth bass29%
    Grass carp14%
    Rainbow trout14%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    036
    4256321
    JanFebMarAprMayJunJul
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    Jan417%
    Feb29%
    Mar522%
    Apr626%
    May313%
    Jun29%
    Jul14%

    Air temperature, °F

    22 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    059
    1933141
    14324150596877
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    14–21 °F15%
    32–39 °F941%
    41–48 °F314%
    50–57 °F314%
    59–66 °F15%
    68–75 °F418%
    77–84 °F15%

    Pressure, inHg

    22 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0510
    56101
    28.9429.1329.3329.72
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    28.94–29.09 inHg523%
    29.13–29.29 inHg627%
    29.33–29.49 inHg1045%
    29.72–29.88 inHg15%

    Wind direction

    22 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    036
    132646
    NESESSWWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    NE15%
    SE314%
    S29%
    SW627%
    W418%
    NW627%

    Wind speed, mph

    22 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    059
    994
    4913
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    4–7 mph941%
    9–11 mph941%
    13–16 mph418%