The Cedar Run Club


Our stream, Cedar Run, is the centerpiece of a unique ecosystem with a history flowing from the last ice age. The stream originates just a fraction of a mile north of our property, in the springs of the Cedar Bog Preserve. This "bog" is really not a bog at all, but a glacial fen-- meaning that water percolates up through alkaline glacial till and flows, clear and cold, through prairie and forest. Fens are relatively rare, and Cedar Bog is extraordinary. In fact, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources calls Cedar Bog "The best example of a boreal and prairie fen complex in Ohio with many rare plants and animals; excellent orchid and prairie wildflower displays." Our grounds and stream were originally part of this same complex, so the wildflowers, birds and animals in the Preserve are also plentiful on the Club. A profusion of wildflowers adorn the Club grounds throughout the season along with a hundred species of migratory and resident birds.
	To the fly fisherman though, the most important
	feature of our glacial fen is the stable flow, constant temperature and ideal chemistry of the springs feeding Cedar Run. Thanks to this constant infusion of clear, 53ºF spring water, Cedar Run remains in the perfect comfort range for trout. No matter how high the heat index or how low the wind chill factor, trout are actively feeding. In five years, we've never measured a water temperature over 64ºF or under 42ºF. The average winter temperature is 47ºF and the average summer temperature is 61º. Rainstorms which muddy most other streams for days, barely affect Cedar Run. In fact, Cedar Run was clear and fishable the same day that a storm brought the nearby Mad River to a 25 year record flood stage. The natural flow of several thousand gallons a minute through Cedar Run means we don't need to pump groundwater to keep our stream in optimal condition. Our slightly alkaline pH make it the perfect haven for aquatic invertebrates and, of course, the trout which grow fat and colorful foraging on them.
For more information on the bog ecosystem, visit these links The Ohio Historical Society: Cedar Bog Preserve The Cedar Bog Association: Quick Natural History of Cedar Bog Children's Literature: The Frog in the Bog