Depends On Your Definition Of Sanity

This is the time of the year when the sanity of steelheaders is questioned. Ice is forming on the river edges. Slush is flowing on the surface. Snow is piling up. Temperatures are dipping into the lower 20’s at night, with single digits a day or two away. But, what does a steelheader do….try to find some open water, all the while repeating the mantra “just give me one more day”. Well, based on the forecast for a polar vortex to hit anytime, that “one more day” for me was today. With four layers of clothing, plus a heavy coat, I felt like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story”.

I’m convinced the only way to stay warm on the water is to hook into a fish. It seems as though the mind forgets the cold when fighting chrome. All of sudden fingers thaw enough to land the fish, remove the fly, and take a quick picture. Release the fish, and immediately that inner voice we all have says “Wow, that water’s cold’. Catch five or more this time of the year and it’s like you’re in the middle of summer.

Today’s outing had a feeling of déjà vu. A little over a week ago I hit the South Chagrin River area and while swinging a shiner pattern managed to hook into a nice, thick hen. Today, fishing the exact same log jam, and using the same pattern, I managed to land another nice hen. It was so close in size that I thought it was the same fish. But, after looking at the pictures, they were different. Had they been the same I was ready to quote Yogi Berra, “déjà vu all over again”.

Beautiful hen in the net. Notice the sinking leader laying on her. Had to fish deep.

(Click on image for larger view.)

Get them while you can. If the polar vortex stays around it could lock up the rivers for quite a while.

Go out and fool a fish!

An Open Letter To Donald J. Trump Jr From One Fisherman To Another

It is with some trepidation that I write this letter. This is not a political site. But I feel that you, as the son of our next President, and an avid outdoorsman, can relate to concerns about environmental issues.

As a Christmas gift last year I received the George Daniel book on streamer fishing, Strip-Set. In writing the foreword you discussed how your grandfather was important in nurturing your love of the outdoors. In your own words, “The woods were our playground, the campfire was our TV, and the memories and friendships made there were truly unforgettable. It was these formative year that led me to a lifelong pursuit of all things outdoors”. It is because of your love of the outdoors that makes you the perfect person to carry the message to the new administration that rivers, streams, lakes, and hunting lands need to be protected.

Being a fisherman and hunter you know that trout, deer, elk, and other game live in beautiful places. And if we are going to be able to pass our knowledge and experience to a new generation these beautiful places need to survive.

I have lived in northeast Ohio my entire life, and was around when the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Lake Erie was polluted, and all rivers had a difficult time sustaining aquatic life. It took a major effort to clean up the lakes and rivers. Because of that effort, Lake Erie is now one of the premier walleye and smallmouth bass fishing destinations. The rivers now support a wide variety of aquatic life. In fact, northeast Ohio is in the center of Steelhead Alley. This success is not only limited to Ohio but has been replicated all over the United States.

We need to insure that these special places remain for years to come. If some of the environmental regulations are eased or removed there is a fear that many of the fishing and hunting locations will be affected. Spills, similar to the ones that affected the Yellowstone, Animas, and Kalamazoo rivers could become commonplace.

Donald, you are in a unique position. As part of President-Elect Trump’s inner circle you can have his ear on these issues. As someone who has always been busy building his organization he may not “see” the opportunities that protecting the environment can bring to the country. Your grandfather would be proud of you championing the environment.

Thank you.


John Zimmer
All Things Fishing

The Chagrin Pays Off Again

I was able to get out before the rain, and hit one of my favorite spots on the Chagrin River. The water was clear, cold, and flowing at a perfect speed for swinging a streamer. After covering most of the pools that usually produce (but didn’t today) I ended up walking further downstream and tried a new spot. I noticed this pool the last time I fished the park but there were two fishermen already working it. I’m glad I remembered it.

Using my go-to streamer, a tan, golden retriever, which is a cousin of a woolly bugger, it didn’t take but five drifts before I felt that tug. A five minute battle ensued. This chromer did not want to give up. I’d get it close and it would make a run. It flopped round the surface a few times and then would head for the bottom. I was finally able to net it and was amazed how thick it was. This female was loaded with eggs. After a quick picture the fish was revived, and took off for the bottom. I believe it was the best fight a steelhead put up for me.

This female put up a good fight. A tan, golden retriever fooled it. One of the best baitfish imitations.

Go out and fool a fish!

The Long and Short Of It

It’s early December and almost all the leaves are down. The brilliant colors are now replaced with the winter grey on every tree and bush. As for the leaves, I think they are all in the rivers. It seems as though every bit of slack water is holding 3’ of leaves. The rivers needs a big flush. The rain we received last week pushed water levels up a little but we could use a major rain event. That would push the leaves out and bring more chrome in. Not that I’m complaining, as fishermen are catching steelhead in all northeast Ohio tribs, in both the lower and upper stretches. And, after several nights of cold sweats due to not wetting a line for 10 days, I can include myself in the catching part.

There’s a section of the Chagrin River near Chagrin Falls that I fish regularly in the summer for smallies. It has easy access, deep holes, and good structure. If smallies like it, I think steelhead would as well. As the steelhead migrate into the rivers some will travel as far upstream as they can. That’s what I was hoping for, as this spot is definitely the farthest from Lake Erie I’ve fished for steel.

My start to the day was uneventful and frustrating. On previous outings I have been swinging streamers waiting for that unmistakable tug. Today I made the decision to start drifting an egg pattern. For me, casting would be better if only the egg was attached to the line. But, add split shot and an indicator, and all of sudden I’m getting tangles from my poor casting technique. Throw into the mix having to adjust the indicator seemingly every other cast and you can see my frustration. So, after no success through a couple of holes I made the switch to a streamer, and then moved upstream. Glad I did.

The spot upstream is deep and loaded with wood structure. I’m thinking there’s got be some chrome is this stretch. I tied on an imitation of a minnow pattern, as the river was loaded with them, and starting swinging the streamer. There was a log jam on the other side of the river, so I made my cast several feet in front of it. The current moved it downstream. I was hoping to keep the streamer as close to the wood as possible, crossing my fingers that the drift wasn’t going to end with a snag. I made one strip and felt some weight. For a brief moment I thought snag, but that went away when the line started moving downstream. After a couple of nice runs I was able to bring a thick, 20” steelhead to the net. Life is good!

A nice steelhead caught far upstream from Lake Erie. Released to live another day.

(Click on image for larger view.)

As the title of this post states, there’s a long and short to the story. The steelhead is definitely the long. As for the short, I mentioned earlier that the river was loaded with minnows. As fishermen you know where this is going. That same streamer that hooked the steelhead also managed to hook into a minnow. Now, I don’t know if the minnow went to eat the streamer and missed, or by swinging the streamer through the pool I foul hooked it. If you look at the photo you will see the hook is neatly placed near the base of the tail. I guess it’s just one more species to add to my list.

An unexpected catch. Released to live another day. :)

Now that’s a short story.

Go out and fool a fish!