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!
