Early April brings mixed feelings for steelhead fishermen. We have been chasing steelhead since last October, and now realize that the rivers will be devoid of chrome very soon. Each rain event brings in smaller runs of fresh fish. Additionally, there’s been a noticeable increase in spawning activity with many catches being dropbacks. These fish have spawned, and are making their way back to Lake Erie. At some point the catches will dwindle to nothing, and another season will end. But for northeast Ohio this will go down as one of the best seasons in recent memory. Based on reports throughout the season the number of steelhead caught has surpassed previous years. In addition, there was an increased number of larger fish caught. These fish are considered 30/10, 30” and/or 10 lbs. In fact, there have been several catches of 15 lb. steelhead caught in the Lake Erie tributaries. This will be a season many fishermen don’t want to end.
This is short video my wife took on my last outing. Rated N for no fish caught..
For me, it can end at any time. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy fishing for steelhead, but a change of species and weather is welcome. I can replace two layers of socks, foot warmers, gloves, hand warmers, two hats, four top layers, and two bottom layers for a lot less. My 8 wt. rig with a strike indicator, split shot, and an egg pattern will be replaced with a 4 and 6 wt. rod that will be used to throw a streamer or topwater popper in search of smallies.
I want to duplicate this Rocky River smallie about a dozen times.
(Click on image for a larger view.)
The biggest thing I look forward to is being on the river at dawn, in warm weather. There’s something about being on a stretch of water with the sun just starting to make appearance. Beats messing around with iced guides.
This is a great morning to be on the water.
Can’t wait!
Go out and fool a fish!
No comments:
Post a Comment