Christmas Came Early

December in northeast Ohio can mean a lot of things. A lot of cold and snow is the general rule. But this year, December has been a sleeper. We’ve had some cold and snow but it could have been much worse. In fact, as I’m writing this, it is sunny and 53° F. It’s called a heat wave around here. I couldn’t pass up a day like so I hit the water and received an early Christmas gift.

My favorite steelhead river was fishable, and I’ve been eager to try a streamer pattern that I was introduced to during a trip to Virginia for trout. It was successful on a couple of rainbows and I thought it would be ideal chasing steelhead. After working a nice stretch of water for 1-1/2 hours I was beginning to think the streamer only liked southern hospitality, as I couldn’t get a bump. I was down to my last 20 yard stretch of fishable water when the tug finally arrived. I came tight and the fight was on. The fish surfaced a few times, splashed and rolled to break free, but to no avail. After a brief chase downstream I was able to guide it to the edge of the river. The Kreelex pattern did its job. Christmas a few days early.

Go out and fool a fish!

Steelhead with some nice color. Took a swung streamer fished deep and slow.

 The streamer hanging out of the mouth is a Kreelex. I fished it for trout in Virginia and thought it might be good for chrome. It was.

Blame It On The Cat

I was able to get out yesterday and hunt for some chrome for the first time in a couple of weeks. Leaving the house pumped to get a tug on a swung streamer I made my way to a local Lake Erie tributary. That feeling did not last long.

Driving through the park a little after sunrise I was startled by a black cat running in front of my car. Oh crap! Just what I didn’t need. Funny thing is, I am not superstitious in everyday life except when fishing is involved. I quit packing bananas for a snack a few years ago and noticed that I don’t get skunked as often. And, on several occasions after catching a fish on the first cast of the day and nothing after I now always make a half-hearted attempt at the first cast of the day. Now I have to add a black cat to my superstition checklist.

The day went as expected. Not even a bump for a couple of hours. Maybe it was the low and clear water conditions. Maybe I just picked the wrong stretch of river to fish. Or, maybe the cat knew I am a dog person and was seeking revenge. Anyway, it’s a good excuse for not catching anything.

This is what I didn't catch yesterday, and I'm blaming it on the cat.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Go out and fool a fish!

A Surprise Catch

Lake Erie is known for fantastic walleye fishing. According to reports, it’s even better than fantastic this fall. Size and quantity of catch have been unbelievably strong. Even fishermen working the rivers for steelhead are reporting walleye catches. With first-hand experience I can confirm those reports.

A couple of days ago I went on a hunting mission in an attempt to determine if any steelhead have made it past Painesville on the Grand River. With little rain, the Grand hasn't been able to get a big push of water since August. Well, the hunt went on for a couple of hours and I finally got a take on a white woolly bugger. I was surprised when I realized it wasn't a steelhead. It was a walleye. Not big, but a walleye none the less. This was my first walleye ever on a fly rod.

A surprise catch three miles upstream from Lake Erie.

A toothy walleye.

(Click on image for larger view.). 

A great time of the year to be on the water.

Oh, by the way, on my second cast after landing the walleye I did hook up with a steelhead. Unfortunately, after playing it for about a minute, and after three jumps, the hook pulled loose. I examined the woolly bugger and the hook was bent. Oh well, that’s fishing.

Go out and fool a fish!

Fall Colors And A Little Fishing

Nothing screams “Road Trip” like warm weather and fall colors. My wife and I have a favorite spot in the fall. When the opportunity presents itself we head south to Mohican State Park. We’ve made the autumn drive four or five times and have never been disappointed. Catch the maples just right and Mohican shines as bright as any other destination.

As for fishing, it is secondary on these trips. Oh, I’ll fish for a few hours, but the setting on the Lower Clear Fork is right out of a magazine or book. Pools that look like glass, and reflect the yellows and reds of the maples dominate the landscape. So, I forgive myself if a hookup is missed.

There's an old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". I can't describe the day better than using pictures. Enjoy.

Go out and fool a fish!

View upstream from the covered bridge.

Do you think there is enough structure for the largemouth and smallmouth bass?

(Click on image for a larger view.) 

(All photos courtesy of Chris Zimmer.)  

I did not want to wade into the water.

The dam area always produces.

Mist on the water and a bass on the line.

 Just another mirror view.

Water so reflective there's two covered bridges.

I'm just a bit player in this scene.

From Another Time

I know the phrase “catch and release” has been around for a long time but there was a time when “catch and keep” was popular. And I am old enough to know about it.

Growing up in the 1950’s fishing with my dad he always made sure the stringer was handy. Whether it was perch or catfish from Lake Erie, or walleye when we took trips to Canada, we would keep what we caught unless there was a size requirement. We would catch and my mom would clean the fish. The catching and keeping helped put some food on the table.

About the time I began high school my family used to take fishing trips to Canada. It was an area north of Peterborough in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. The lake we fished had bass, walleye and muskie. I always liked those trips because we got to fish from a boat as opposed to pier fishing in Lake Erie. And there was a chance to catch some big fish. One big fish stands out from all the rest.

Our last fishing trip to Canada was 1969. On one of the last days of the trip I hooked and landed a 48” muskie. It was by far the biggest muskie of any we caught in the four years we’ve been going up there. Immediately my dad wanted to have it mounted because back then that is what you did when you caught a fish like that. So, being almost second nature to keep a fish, we had the muskie mounted. Little did I know but that would be the last fish I would catch for 40 years. And, looking back I am amazed I caught it. If anyone could see the knots I tied back they would also be amazed. I used to make 5-7 overhand knots when attaching the lure to the line.

This muskie was caught 50 years ago. 48" length, 28 pounds. 

By far the largest fish I've ever caught.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Now, 50 years after catching it, that muskie still hangs on my basement wall. It reminds me of another time. Not a better time, just different in many ways. Thankfully, making replicas by taking several measurements and a photo is now available. I would definitely do it differently now. Saving the resource is important.

Here’s hoping everyone has a chance to hang a fish on the wall.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Quick Trip And 1-1/2 Fish Caught

It was time to get out of Dodge. For various reasons my wife and I haven’t had a chance for a road trip, no matter how short, for over two years. So, we made plans to meet up with my wife’s sister and her husband to spend a day fishing Mossy Creek in the Shenandoah Valley. Then we had planned to drive to the eastern part of Virginia and spend a couple days just relaxing. But with Hurricane Dorian moving up the east coast we decided to just fish. So, getting caught up with the relatives would be condensed into a few hours. In the end, only the fishing was quiet. But that’s not unexpected as fishing a spring creek like Mossy will humble many a fly fisherman, as I found out by the end of the day.

Rays of sun highlight the grasses that are a characteristic of spring creeks.

Wary trout will use the grass as cover.

(Click on the image for a larger view.)

We’ve made this trip about a half a dozen times and know what to expect. The problem I run into is most of my fishing is done in the Lake Erie tributaries targeting steelhead and smallmouth bass. Whether I’m throwing a streamer or popper I don’t worry about accuracy. It doesn’t mean I’m not trying to be accurate but If I aim for a spot a foot from a downed tree and get it two feet from the tree I'm satisfied. Besides, I’ve caught fish when making a bad cast, and not caught fish after putting the fly exactly where I wanted it to land. So why worry? But every time I fish Mossy I find out the hard way that without accuracy and a good presentation I’m not going to catch many fish on a spring creek. OK, call me a slow learner.

Trying to place a hopper a few inches away from the opposite bank.

As you can see there are some prime lies on the opposite bank for the trout to sit.

If only they were hungry.

Early September is usually prime terrestrial season. Ants, beetles, hoppers and crickets were all over the vegetation, and the trout should be looking up for a good protein meal. In addition, tricos were swarming above the water and a spinner fall was a couple of hours away. With all that protein available the trout should feel like we do after a Christmas dinner. And I think their bellies were full, as it was a very slow day on the water. We had to work hard for every one of our hookups.

Brian Trow, our guide for the day, and I were fishing a stretch of the creek and noticed a few rises upstream against the far bank. We made our way upstream and I began throwing a hopper against the bank. After a couple of good drifts right over the trout without any movement to inspect the offering we switched to an ant pattern. Again, after a couple of drifts with no movement we made another switch, this time to a small trico. Again, no reaction from the trout. At about this time Brian noticed another rise about 25’ upstream. So, we left this fish and moved upstream figuring if we left it alone for awhile it might start feeding again.

Needless to say moving upstream and casting to the rise was a repeat of what we just left. A couple of fly changes with no activity. In my mind I’m thinking that I am putting the fish down by some sloppy casting. Brian, ever the optimist, disagrees and believes we just haven’t found the right meal. Another change that included a nymph dropper still did nothing to move a fish. So very frustrating.

After a short break we made our way downstream and began to fish a stretch of water with some overhanging vegetation on the opposite bank. Remember that accuracy thing I mentioned earlier. This is when I had to bring it. Finally, after a few casts I dropped a cricket pattern under the branches. Good drift, nothing. Another cast and I get hung up on the branch. I wasn’t having any luck freeing the fly so Brian took the rod made a few moves and the fly dropped off the branch. He then made a short cast to straighten out the leader and handed the rod back to me. Just as I’m about to make a backcast a trout hits it. After a short battle we bring to hand a nice, 10” brown trout. Brian and I both shared a laugh over this as it took a snagged fly and a short cast to straighten out the leader to land our first fish of the day. Laughingly, we both took ½ credit for the catch, and with that the skunk was off.

We moved to another spot and noticed a fish feeding right off the bank on our side of the stream. This presented a problem. I was now going to try and land the fly by the bank using a reach cast. I’m a right-handed caster so casting upstream against the bank brought the vegetation into play. To get a good drift I had to make the forward cast and then reach toward the water so the line would land there. First attempt worked fine but the fly landed too far from the bank. The second attempt put the fly right by the bank. A brief drift was interrupted by a rainbow inhaling the cricket. After a brief run and an aerial display the rainbow made it to the bottom of the net.

A lot of hard work went into catching this rainbow.

It was fooled by a cricket.

That flurry of activity capped off an interesting, challenging and frustrating day. But it was still fun, and I’d do it again tomorrow. It may make me a better fisherman.

Another day comes to an end in the Shenandoah Valley.

This image was captured by my wife from the top floor of our hotel.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Ditch And A Rainbow

Fishermen spend a great deal of time looking for new water to fish, no matter how small. Whether it’s a DeLorme Atlas or an online map app, finding a blue line that may hold fish will brighten the day of many fishermen. This is especially true for some steelheaders, who will investigate any ditch that holds water during the spawning season.

There was a time when I had one of those ditches in my front yard. But I didn’t fish at that time, and thought it was a nuisance. Most of the time the ditch had a small amount of water, but like all drainage ditches, after a big rain event, it would pour over its banks. Depending on the severity of the rain the ditch would go from a trickle to over 6’ in a short period of time. Then, just as quickly the water would recede, and a day or two later would be back to the trickle. It was after one of these rain events that a rainbow trout showed up. That may not sound unusual given the migratory movement of steelhead in the Great Lakes, but it is unusual since I’m writing about something that happened in the mid 1980’s.

Here's a photo right after a rain event. There is about 6' of water flowing through my property.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Now, without giving away the ditch location I’ll just say it meanders through Lake County, beginning south of Route 20 and emptying into Lake Erie. When I trace it on a map the ditch is about 4-5 miles long. My house, being just north of Route 20, is a long way from Lake Erie. So, any fish seen in my neighborhood has a long journey in a ditch two feet wide.

My neighbor came over one day with a five gallon bucket. He was walking along the ditch and noticed some splashing in a small, shallow pool. Looking closer he saw it was a fish. He got the bucket and scooped the fish into it. To his surprise it was a rainbow trout, maybe 8” in length. Other than in pictures I had never seen a rainbow so I was amazed at the colors. I can still remember the parr marks on it.

Some 34 years later I still think about that rainbow and the trip it took through that ditch. That was certainly a diamond in the rough. The ditch through my property has been culverted over, as the flooding caused a lot of erosion. This was done about 15 years before I got back into fishing and steelheading. Now, every once in awhile, I wish it was still open. It would be nice to find another diamond.

Go out and fool a fish!

Small Fish, Big Appetites

We all want to catch big fish but sometimes that just doesn’t happen. Being a simple fisherman, it doesn’t matter to me what the size of the fish is. I just like to catch fish. The last two outing prove that. The fish were small, but had big appetites as they hit the topwater poppers hard. Always fun to catch fish topwater.

This rock bass inhaled a popper that was bigger than its mouth.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Big or small, smallmouth bass fight hard. 

This one took a black popper.

 

Go out and fool a fish!

70 Long Days

A lot can happen in 70 days. For me, not so much. Rewind to May 17, my last day on the river until today. Fishing one of the local rivers I slipped, and in trying to stop from falling all my weight went on my right hand and wrist. Even though the hand was sore there was no bruising or swelling so I kept fishing. After I stopped is when the swelling showed up. A trip to the urgent care revealed a fracture in one of the small bones directly above the wrist. I was going to be on the shelf for a little bit…or so I thought.

Fast forward 10 weeks (a lot longer than I estimated) and I was cleared to begin using the hand without restrictions. Maybe age has something to do with it, as I graduated from the mid-60’s to the late 60’s in that time period. I guess if I was in my 20’s or 30’s healing would have been a lot quicker. Still, never imagined a small bone would take so long to heal.

The arrow points to the small break. 

Can't believe it took 10 weeks to heal.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

So, what did I miss? Probably the best time of the year to be on a river chasing smallies. Nothing beats throwing a topwater popper on a warm early morning. There’s still some time left for that, and today was my first day back in action. And, my outing was more to find out if my wrist and hand would hold up, as it was my casting hand. Catching a fish was secondary.

I did manage to hook into a fish. I say fish because I don’t know what it was as it never surfaced and then after a short time, threw the fly. It was heavy, putting a big bend in my 4wt rod. It didn’t fight like a smallie so I’m guessing either a carp or a catfish. Anyhow, the hand held up, and there doesn’t appear to be any lingering issues.

So, officially I’m back, and want to make up for lost time. If the rivers stay in good shape I’m going to be out there. Hopefully there’s a bunch of smallies waiting to be fooled.

This is what I am after. Another smallie fooled.

Go out and fool a fish!

Parking Lots Are Full In Steelhead Alley

And so are the rivers, filled with fishermen and steelhead. The spring run in northeast Ohio is peaking and fishermen are flocking from all over to get their share of chrome. In the last week there have been license plates from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York occupying spaces in various parks. All in the pursuit of steelhead. And, they have been rewarded.

There’s chrome everywhere. Fast, shallow water right now holds a good share of steelhead, as the spawning urge has taken over. Dropbacks, those fish that have completed spawning and are making their way back to Lake Erie, can be found in the deeper, slower pools. Steelheaders, either by themselves or with the help of a guide, have been enjoying multiple fish days, many in double digits. Get them while you can. In about a month it will be over.

Teamwork at its best. Two guide-client teams work a section of the Grand River.

Minutes after this photo was taken two other fishermen filled in the water between them.

Space is at a premium this time of the year. 

This hen put up a good fight but the rigors of spawning took a lot out of her.

The scars prove it.

One of the nice things about April is that smallmouth bass start to show up in the rivers. Fish for steelhead in the first full month of Spring and there’s a good chance you will hook into a big, lake run smallie. If you catch one this time of year you are in for a treat, as a lake run smallmouth bass will fight just as hard as a feisty steelhead.

Hard fighting, lake run. smallmouth bass can be caught this time of the year.

Right now, there’s no better time to catch your personal best metal, whether it is chrome or bronze.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Lesson In Patience

I caught a fish nymphing. This should not be a surprise as 90% of what a fish eats is subsurface. But, it is a surprise for me. Surprising because I rarely have the patience to nymph fish. Besides, I enjoy throwing streamers. Oh, I start with good intentions. I’ll spend time rigging up a leader with a fly, split shot and a strike indicator. Then, I’ll methodically work a stretch of water watching the indicator for a take. But, after a tangled mess due to poor casting technique or 30 minutes (whichever comes first) I give up, and tie on a streamer. This is probably the reason I don’t catch a lot of steelhead during the winter months, but have good success in the fall. Chrome sitting in cold water for weeks do not want to chase a streamer. If you don’t put the streamer right in front of them few will chase it. So, after going fishless for longer than I can remember, something different had to be done. And, if that meant having patience and sticking with a nymph rig, so be it. Glad I did.

I tried to stack the deck in my favor. Instead of fishing one of the big tributaries I hit a smaller creek. If I didn’t have to make long casts with the nymph rig I might stay away from tangles. And, I was going to fish a nymph until I caught a fish. Feast or famine. After the first half hour negative thoughts started creeping into what is left of my brain. And, I was getting itchy to tie on a streamer. But no, I soldiered on.

Then it happened. The strike indicator went under. I got a good hookset, and the fight was on. The steelhead made a couple of nice runs but in the small creek it had nowhere to go. A nice, rosy colored steelhead came to hand.

Nicely colored steelhead fooled by a nymph.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

So, what did I do to celebrate? Two casts later I snagged the rig, broke it off, and tied on a streamer. But, life is good. My 0 for a long time was over.

Go out and fool a fish!

So, You Want To Catch A World Record Fish

I’m not going out on a limb by saying all fishermen want to catch big fish. When someone is new to the sport he/she just wants to catch fish. Then, as they progress, they want to catch a lot of fish. Then they want to catch big fish. Over time the fishing community has set informal targets as to what constitutes a big fish. For some fishermen it could be a 20”+ brown trout, a 50”+ musky, or a 30”+ steelhead. Land one of those and the smile won’t leave your face for a long time. But a world record. That’s a different story, and it starts with the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

Catch one fish and you want to catch more.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

 Catch a lot of fish and you want to catch bigger fish.

(Photo courtesy of Mike Durkalec.)

IGFA is an association that among other things established uniform regulations for the compilation of world game fish records. The regulations cover freshwater and saltwater fishing, as well as all-tackle and fly fishing. If someone wants to submit a catch as a possible world record they had better know these regulations. A few regs surprised me, as they were counter to what I believe the fishing community does in practice. The detailed regulations can be reviewed by the attached link at the end of the post.

The one regulation that stuck out was recording the length of the fish. I’ve seen countless videos and television shows where the fisherman measures the length by pinching the tail together to get the maximum reading. But, according to IGFA regulations, the fish is to be measured using an approved IGFA device from the snout to the rear center edge of the tail. So, you do not pinch the tail, it must be the center edge. Now, for a lot of fish that isn’t a big difference but for a potential world record every centimeter counts. To be declared a new world record based on length the catch must beat the existing record by two centimeters.

As for the world records, they are classified by fish length or weight, and by line class for conventional tackle and tippet class for fly fishing. The biggest fish within the line class and tippet class records is then considered the All-Tackle Record. As an example, there are 31 world records for the rainbow trout (which includes steelhead) for the various line and tippet classes. Within those records, the 48 lb. rainbow caught on 20 lb. line is the All-Tackle world record. This catch caused quite a stir in the fishing community as genetically engineered rainbows escaped from a fish farm into Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, Canada.Just google world record rainbow trout for the complete story. IGFA makes no distinction between natural and genetically modified fish. Since those genetically engineered rainbows made their way into the lake there are now seven world records from Lake Diefenbaker.

This spring creek rainbow wasn't a record, but it was a lot of fun.

So, what about northeast Ohio? Any chance for a record? I believe there is, especially in the women’s division. The current world record for the conventional tackle 4 lb., 6 lb, and 8 lb, line classes are doable. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone’s wife or girlfriend caught a world record and didn’t know it. The 4 lb. line class record is 4lbs. 5 oz. I’m sure that record could fall. Just remember to follow the regulations.

As for me, I’ll just keep casting my popper against the far bank and hope to hook a 14” smallie or swing a streamer hoping for a 25” steelhead. I’m chasing fun, not records.

Go out and fool a fish!

International Game Fish Association

Winter Is Starting To Show Some Cracks

My last day on the river was January 6th. At that time, based on past history, the winter was mild. But around the Great Lakes people know “it’s just a matter of time”. Well, shortly after that date winter showed up. It hasn’t been a snowy winter but it has been cold. In northeast Ohio we are about 18” behind the average snowfall, but the temperatures have made up for it. We have had only one three-day stretch of below zero temps but they have consistently been below 32° for highs, and low-to-mid teens for lows. That locked up the rivers, and made ice fishing lakes and ponds the preferred activity.

Typical look the last month or so. Locked up rivers with minimal open water.

(Click on image for larger view.) 

 The rivers are starting to look like this.

Soon they will look like this.

Fast forward 37 days since the last time my waders got wet and there’s a crack starting to show up in winter. Daytime temperatures are starting to creep upwards. Long stretches of water are opening up. In fact, yesterday was the first day since early January that good numbers of steelhead were caught in the rivers. Days like yesterday will do more for a steelheader’s attitude than a couple of beers.

The rivers and streams are filled with chrome. We just need the opportunity to get to them.

Now that I’ve pumped myself up, and hopefully my readers, time for some cold water in the face. We still have 36 days until spring. And around northeast Ohio a lot can happen between then and now. One storm can erase the snow deficit, and a polar vortex can still chill our bones. But, we know fishermen are optimists, and right now we see that crack and want to make it bigger. Anyhow, keep the beer close just in case.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Good Start To The Year

What an unusual start to 2019. Just four days into the year and the weather couldn’t be better in northeast Ohio. The rivers could be locked up with ice. They’re not. We could have a foot of snow on the ground. We don’t. The temps could be way below freezing. They’re not. Near 50° as I write this. That makes a guy want to get out and chase some chrome.

I chose a spot far up the Chagrin, only a mile or so from Chagrin Falls. It’s a nice stretch of water, not very wide, with a few deep holes. This section doesn’t see the pressure that other spots do, as most fishermen prefer the northerly sections of the Chagrin. With all that said, I did share the water with another fisherman. In fact, I followed him downstream, hitting the same runs and pools that he fished. Normally, I’ll shy away from following someone but for some reasons I felt good about being second in line. He wasn’t having any luck. I wasn’t either…until I did.

All it took was a cast that bounced off the opposite bank. The slow current took the purple woolly bugger downstream. The take was very light. I was going to chalk that take up to sluggishness on the fishes part until it ran downstream the length of the pool. It was done after a couple of other runs and came to the net easily.

This 25" steelhead put up a good fight after a very light take.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Good color on the gillplate.

I am easy to please. Today was “one and done”. Stealing a day on the water in January, and catching some chrome will make up for some the dark days of winter that I’m sure will find us.

Go out and fool a fish!