An Encounter With A Steelhead Or Two

Friday was the warmest day in February on record for the Cleveland area. My wife and I couldn’t pass up the chance to take a hike through a couple of Lake Metroparks. Our last stop took us to a feeder creek of the Grand River. As expected, the parking lot was filled, and I imagined the fishermen on the Grand jockeying for position. But, the feeder creek was empty…..of fishermen, not fish.

The water on the creek was low and clear. I figured there had to be a chromer or two somewhere in this creek, and the clarity was perfect for sighting them. So, we made our way upstream and I began to look for fish. We came to an area where a tailout tumbles over some rocks. And there it was, sitting in about a foot of water. What a great opportunity to watch the feeding behavior of a steelhead. There was great visibility, and no fishermen around lobbing flies and lures at it.

This stretch of the creek was about 15 yards wide, and the steelhead was sitting right in the middle of the tailout. It was investigating everything passing in the water. It gave a couple of leaves a good look. Occasionally, the fish would open its mouth and probably inhale a midge or two. What was interesting was the fish covered the entire width of the creek. It would make its way to one bank and then to the opposite one. It would move a foot or two upstream, and then move back downstream. A couple of times it got so close to the rocks by the dropoff that I thought it was going to be swept to the lower portion of the creek.

This big male cruised all over a tailout, and would occasionally open its mouth and inhale a tasty morsel.

After about ten minutes the fish started to move upstream into the pool. This particular pool had a slate bottom, so it was light in color. Around the edge of the pool were darker rocks and boulders. It was interesting to watch the steelhead follow the dark edge to the head of the pool. It’s like it knew it would be better hidden, and it was. It was easy to lose track of where it went.

When we spotted the fish again it had its mate with it. The male, which we were watching, gathered its partner and they both made their way back to the tailout. And again, they made their way along the dark edge of the pool. There, they began their mating dance. They probably realized no one was around to bother them. Isn’t nature wonderful?

The male and the female beginning their dance.

My wife was able to take a few pictures and a short video. Enjoy.



Go out and fool a fish!