Mahoning River Fishing Guides
A cool-water tailwater below Berlin Dam holding good smallmouth and walleye, on a river now being reopened by one of the largest dam removal programs in the Midwest.
Guides on the Mahoning River
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About the Mahoning River
The Mahoning below Berlin Dam is a genuinely good fishery on a river with a difficult reputation. Berlin Lake is a Corps of Engineers flood control reservoir, and the release below it keeps the upper Mahoning cooler and steadier than an unregulated northeastern Ohio stream would run. That tailwater reach through Berlin Center and down toward Leavittsburg holds strong smallmouth, a walleye population that moves up out of the lake and the downstream pools, northern pike in the slower water and good numbers of rock bass and crappie.
The river’s reputation comes from what happens further down. Through Warren, Niles, Youngstown and Lowellville the Mahoning was the industrial heart of the Ohio steel valley, and a century of mill discharge left sediment that made the lower river a byword for pollution. That is now the subject of a large and ongoing restoration: a series of low-head dams built to serve the mills has been coming out since 2019, the river is being reconnected, and water quality has improved enough that fish populations in the middle river are recovering faster than most people expected.
For anglers today the practical advice is straightforward. Fish the upper river. The reach below Berlin Dam, and the water around Leavittsburg where the West Branch comes in, is clean, accessible and productive, and it is fished mostly by locals. Ohio maintains fish consumption advisories on the lower Mahoning through the industrial corridor, so check the current advisory before keeping anything from below Warren. This gauge sits directly below Berlin Dam and reports discharge, stage and water temperature, which makes it a reliable guide to the tailwater reach. Releases follow flood control operations rather than rainfall, so a dry week does not guarantee low water below the dam.
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Access
Berlin Dam tailrace - the top of the cool-water reach and the most productive access.
Berlin Center and the Bedell Road bridge - bank access on the reach this gauge reads.
Berlin Lake boat ramps - still-water launching above the dam.
Leavittsburg and the West Branch confluence - good smallmouth and pike water.
Michael Kusalaba and the Warren riverfront - middle-river access in the restoration corridor.
Mill Creek MetroParks in Youngstown - lower-river bank access with advisories in force.
Lowellville and the Pennsylvania line - the lowest Ohio access on the river.
Seasons
Spring: high releases from Berlin Lake and walleye moving in the tailwater as water warms.
Summer: the best months, with steady cool releases and strong smallmouth fishing below the dam.
Fall: drawdown flows, aggressive smallmouth and good pike fishing in the slower reaches.
Winter: cold and low, with limited fishing concentrated in the deeper tailwater pools.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Mahoning River?
As of Sep 17, 5:15 am, the USGS gauge Mahoning River bl Berlin Dam nr Berlin Center OH reads 224 cfs, with water temperature 75.6 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Mahoning River?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye on the Mahoning River in Ohio.
Where can you access the Mahoning River?
Berlin Dam tailrace - the top of the cool-water reach and the most productive access. Berlin Center and the Bedell Road bridge - bank access on the reach this gauge reads. Berlin Lake boat ramps - still-water launching above the dam. Leavittsburg and the West Branch confluence - good smallmouth and pike water. Michael Kusalaba and the Warren riverfront - middle-river access in the restoration corridor. Mill Creek MetroParks in Youngstown - lower-river bank access with advisories in force. Lowellville and the Pennsylvania line - the lowest Ohio access on the river.
When is the best time to fish the Mahoning River?
Spring: high releases from Berlin Lake and walleye moving in the tailwater as water warms. Summer: the best months, with steady cool releases and strong smallmouth fishing below the dam. Fall: drawdown flows, aggressive smallmouth and good pike fishing in the slower reaches. Winter: cold and low, with limited fishing concentrated in the deeper tailwater pools.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Mahoning River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Ohio agency site: https://ohiodnr.gov/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/fishing-resources/fishing-regulations