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Ohio River — Meldahl / Greenup: Midweek Pattern — Smallmouth bass
Monday Sep 21 – Thursday Sep 24, 2026 · Ohio River — Meldahl / Greenup · bank, kayak & boat · Monday morning through Thursday evening focus · times ET
Midweek outlook
NWS ILN (Chilo, OH) for the pin: Monday ~82°F, Chance Rain Showers (~28% precip); Tuesday ~75°F, Slight Chance Rain Showers (~24% precip); Wednesday ~73°F, Mostly Cloudy then Chance Rain Showers (~34% precip); Thursday ~72°F, Partly Sunny (~14% precip). Times in this Cast are Eastern Time (ET). This Cast window is Mon morning through Thu evening — weekend leftovers are outside scope.
Primary species focus: Smallmouth bass (localized, not bass-by-default). Forage cue: Shad / skipjack — current seams below L&Ds and wing dams. Dam/current: USACE Meldahl / Greenup locks & dams — GENERATION/CURRENT is the bite. Check boards.
Monday Sep 21
- Primary window: dawn through mid-morning; second chance late day
- A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Northeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth …
- Local times below use Monday water zone
Tuesday Sep 22
- Primary window: dawn through mid-morning; second chance late day
- A slight chance of rain showers between 8am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Northeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.…
- Local times below use Tuesday water zone
Wednesday Sep 23
- Primary window: dawn through mid-morning; second chance late day
- A chance of rain showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.…
- Local times below use Wednesday water zone
Thursday Sep 24
- Primary window: dawn through mid-morning; second chance late day
- Partly sunny, with a high near 72.…
- Local times below use Thursday water zone
Dam & current / Generator schedule cheat sheet
USACE Meldahl / Greenup locks & dams — GENERATION/CURRENT is the bite. Check boards.
Re-check boards evening-before and morning-of. Access: OH-shore ramps near Capt. Anthony Meldahl L&D; Greenup callout.
How to fish it — Bank / Kayak / Boat
Bank
Bank access limited — public parks/jetties where legal.
Kayak
Only in protected backwaters; main stem current is hazardous.
Boat
Current seams, wing dams, lock outflow edges when open. OH-primary pools only.
Ethanol-free fuel near this water
Pure-Gas.org E0 · New Richmond / Moscow OH corridor
Source: Pure-Gas.orggather note Sun Sep 20, 2026 · ~8:50 PM CT
Pure-Gas.org — verify at pump. Cross-check GasBuddy for posted price the morning you launch.
Caveat: Station identity from Pure-Gas.org; prices move — verify grade (E0) and price at the pump. Freshwater Cast does not guarantee availability.
Lure box — Top / Mid / Bottom
Top
- Walking bait / popper at dawn
- Buzzbait on cloudy edges
- Whopper-style for wind ripples
Mid
- Spinnerbait / chatter on points
- Fluke / soft jerk (shad)
- Squarebill on rock / wood
Bottom
- Jig / creature in cover
- Ned / shaky on clear rock
- Dropshot when pressured
Bass life stage + What's on the menu
Primary: Smallmouth bass — late-summer / early-fall transition into midweek cool-down. Fish relating to bait and shade / current depending on water.
What's on the menu: Shad / skipjack — current seams below L&Ds and wing dams.
Also hot / also in season
- Largemouth bass — in season / bycatch on this water
- Catfish — in season / bycatch on this water
- White bass — in season / bycatch on this water
Localized primary species policy LOCKED — not bass-by-default.
Heavy Traffic
Watch: Commercial traffic + recreational; stay clear of lock approaches.
No named national trail weigh-in confirmed for this Mon–Thu window at gather time — re-check local club calendars morning-of. Commercial / recreation traffic still applies on rivers and destination lakes.
Looking ahead
Mon–Thuthrough Thu evening ET
Thu 11pm localFriday Cast
NWS ILN · Pure-Gas.org · GasBuddy · USACE/GRDA/ODNR boards as applicable · pin 38.795,-84.175
Drafted Sun Sep 20, 2026 · ~8:50 PM CT · gold HTML+PDF inline · STATUS may flag thinner new-state pack.