Finally

For awhile I thought I forgot how to catch a fish. That’s tough to say, especially during peak steelhead season. Social media fishing groups are filled with reports of 10+ steelhead catches almost the norm. And I make five trips in February and March to Lake Erie tributaries and not even a bump. That’s some bad juju!

Wrong flies…wrong time…wrong stretch of water…wrong day. It was all wrong. The strange thing was I fished good water that had always been productive. And, on the days I was on the water I wasn’t seeing anybody else catch chrome. There would be five or six fishermen sharing water, all coming up empty. Was it me? Was I spreading my bad juju to them? It was getting so bad that I wanted to go up to them and apologize, explaining they won’t be catching anything today. But for my own safety, and not wanting to spoil their day before it began, I just went about my business…of not catching a fish.

Something had to change. I went fishing yesterday and decided to go as far south as I can go on the Chagrin River. Maybe get away from the crowds and find some unpressured water. I had nothing to lose. If I wasn’t hooking up on popular stretches of water I’d find some place without footprints in the mud. I found the spot and began to swing flies in pools and riffles. For a little over two hours I threw every color woolly bugger in my fly box without a bump. Was it going to be another long ride home smelling of skunk?

Absolutely not. Running out of water I had a small riffle left to fish. Only having about 10’ of fly line and the leader on the water I got a tug. I set the hook and it felt great. A quick fight ended with some chrome in the net. How ironic. The shortest cast of the day catches the fish. Not the biggest steelhead I’ve caught but at that time it was a giant.

After a long drought getting this fish in the net felt great.

 

After I released it I said to myself “that wasn’t a fish, that was a smile. I’m back!

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!

A Good Sign For The Future

In northeast Ohio we got the big rain everyone had been waiting for. It started the first big push of steelhead of the fall. After the rivers became fishable there were reports that a considerable number of young steelhead were being caught. These fish generally range in size from 14”-18”. It is possible that many of those fish are making their first visit to a river since their stocking. I felt a little field work was in order to check out these reports.

I hit the Chagrin River for a rare afternoon of fishing. For the first couple of hours I thought the river was devoid of fish. I hit every pool and run that had produced in the past. Not even a bump. I was going to call it a day when I decided to try a section of the river that had a nice current, but was less than two feet deep. It turned out to be the best decision of the afternoon.

What was a skunking turned into 25 minutes of activity, all in about 20 yards of water. Swinging an olive woolly bugger I hooked into what I thought was a good size chrome. It fought hard, and then jumped not more than a rod length away from me. I smiled when I realized it was one of the young steelhead. It continued to put up a good fight, but quickly found the bottom of the net. I want to catch this same fish in a couple of years.

This young chrome put up a great fight. I want to catch it again in a couple of years.

They don't get much fresher than this.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Moving a few feet downstream I hooked into another young one, followed by another a few casts later. My final hookup was a bigger chrome that I don’t think fought as hard as the first one landed. All this fun in a short amount of time! To me, this is what makes fishing for steelhead fun. I’m not a big fish guy or a big numbers guy. I just like to catch fish, big and small. I can’t control what size the fish is. To me, it’s like opening a present at Christmas.

So, are there more young steelhead in the rivers this year? Well, based on my afternoon and other reports I’d say yes. And, that bodes well for the future.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Little Bit Of Everything

It is time for a brain dump.

I hate knots that fail. That means I failed. After tying a knot I always give it a pull and a tug. I tied a clinch knot on a popper and the knot passed the pull/tug test. After casting the popper for about 20 minutes I finally had a smallie hit it. I set the hook and there was no tension on the line. I looked at the leader and the tippet had the unmistakable curl at the end. I am going to just use a loop knot for all my tippet to fly connections. I’ve never had that knot fail. As for the smallie, it jumped a couple of times trying to get the popper out of its mouth. Somewhere in the Chagrin River is a smallie with a popper attached. If anyone catches it send me the popper. It was my favorite.
 
When fishing for smallies in the Chagrin and Grand Rivers I know that most of them are going to be on the small side. I know there are some larger resident smallies but they aren’t easy to find. What was worrying me this summer was a lack of young of the year smallies. Those 4”-5” bass just weren’t around. They are a nuisance because they will eat anything but they are a sign of reproduction which should bold well for the future. I finally caught a couple so maybe it’s time to stop worrying.

 A lot of small fish hopefully bodes well for the future. 

With time and a little luck this smallie could exceed 10".

(Click on image for a larger view.)

I looked back at posts from the last two summers and was surprised at how many larger smallmouth I caught. To me, a large resident smallie is 10”+. This year was not as productive in terms of size. They are out there, I just didn’t find them.

 Here's one of those 10"+ smallies that you can fool.

I missed more fish than I caught this summer. I can’t explain why. Playing a fish for 10 seconds and having the line go slack is frustrating. I think my hookset is good but then again I also think I’m still young.

 This one didn't get away. I'm always amazed at the size of the tail in relation to the overall size of the fish.

Walking the river the other day I noticed a few leaves in the water, and some of the trees actually had some leaves changing color. It won’t be long until the rivers start giving up chrome. Time to get the cold weather gear ready.

 Some early color on the trees is already starting to show up.

The rivers in northeast Ohio are low and mostly clear. I say mostly because the Grand River downstream from Vrooman Road has been cloudy all summer. I fished upstream from the bridge and the water was clear. With all this said, we need a big rain to flush the sediment. You can’t help but kick up clouds of sediment when wading.

I fished one morning after a localized storm muddied  Big Creek. 

Here is what it looked like entering the Grand River.

Yes, I did catch a smallie right on the edge where the muddy water met the clear flow. 

The daily limit on steelhead in Ohio changes on September 1 to a limit of 2 per day. Know your regulations.

Remember, beginning September 1, you can only keep two steelhead.

I haven’t had my license checked by a ranger in four years. I wonder where they are. During steelhead season they can walk up and down a river and check a hundred or more in a day.

I didn’t know until recently that breathable waders don’t breathe unless you are in the water. I wore them the other day when it was really hot and sure enough, it felt cooler in the water.


Go out and fool a fish!

Smallmouth Fishing Is A Job This Summer

For whatever reason fishing for smallies in the northeast Ohio rivers feels like a job this summer. There’s a lot of hard work going into catching just a few resident smallies. I don’t know if it is the weather pattern this year or something else but the fish haven’t been as active as they’ve been in the last few years. I’ve even caught a lot less creek chubs, and they eat just about anything. The fishing just hasn’t been “on fire”.

Today I made a trip to the South Chagrin Reservation. There are several spots where I can honestly say always produce. Two pools in particular just scream “there’s fish in here”. I threw everything I could at them and nothing, not even a bump.

A short drive to another location that had been good to me in the past finally produced some fish. For resident smallies, they were decent size. Catching them on a topwater slider was a bonus. I just love when the water swirls and the smallie attacks the slider. I guess hard work does have its rewards.

 For a resident smallie, this is a nice size. Hard fighter with thick shoulders.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

This smallie couldn't get enough of the topwater slider. Notice the deep red in the eye.

For a retired guy, I can't wait to go to work again.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Real Treat

I was able to spend a few hours on the Chagrin River this morning and was rewarded with a special catch. Special, because resident smallmouth bass over 12” in length are not an everyday occurrence. In fact, I haven’t caught a resident this big in a couple of years. This smallie hit a yellow popper, and came to the net only after a great fight. Glad I was using my 6 wt. Based on the size of the net, the smallie came in just short of 14”.

It is a real treat to catch a smallie this size. Based on growth rates, this smallie could be 8 or 9 years old.

It knows how to survive.

Go out and fool a fish!

A Good Storm Would Help

H2O, water, rain, we need it. The rivers in northeast Ohio are running as low as they have in a long time. Both the Grand and the Rocky are flowing at less than 30 cfs, while the Chagrin, where I fished this morning, is flowing at around 70. We could use a big flush to freshen things up, and get the fish moving again.

Even the deeper pools are low enough to see any bottom structure.

(Click on image for larger view.)

Low water does have its benefits. Seeing the bottom structure can be helpful in spotting likely holding lies and identifying potential snags. Pools that have some depth now will be even more inviting with higher flows during steelhead season.

Today’s outing started in a way I didn’t want it to. Being superstitious, I don’t want a hookup on the first cast. I’ve had a few trips were I caught something on the first cast and then nothing after that. So, now I’ll just dump the cast to let some line out. And I did that today but seconds later a smallie hit the streamer. After releasing it my inner voice said “Man, I hope that’s not the only strike today.” Fortunately, it wasn’t.

First cast smallie. I'm still superstitious even though I wasn't shut out the rest of the day.

That first fish, and the other six that came to hand, were all caught in the faster water. Problem was, I spent too much time in the slower water throwing topwater poppers. For whatever reason, the smallies wanted nothing to do with a surface fly. Still, it was a good day.

 I was hoping to get into some topwater action today but it didn't happen. 

This smallie hit a yellow popper from a previous outing.

This guy let me get close. Even he didn't have any success in the slower pools.

This heron had no luck fishing the slower pools. I didn't either.

Finally, I came across this rock formation. A rock balancer hit the Chagrin and left it behind. Nice job, but it won't last with the next bump in flows, whenever that happens.

A Rock balancer left behind this exclamation point.

Go out and fool a fish!

Best. Smallmouth. Day. Ever.

The weather everyone in northeast Ohio has been waiting for has finally arrived. A string of hot days was missing until this weekend. A lot of people ran for the beaches and parks. I ran for one of the rivers because the hot weather brings warming water temperatures, which makes the smallmouth bass more active. What I didn’t expect was almost non-stop action on the water.

Wanting to hit the river early before the sun starts to bake everything, I set the alarm for 4:30 AM. After downing a quick breakfast I made the half hour drive to one of the prettiest stretches of the Chagrin River. Early arrival guaranteed access to any pool I wanted. Settling in, I carefully waded to a spot that has always been productive. At this point I slipped on a rock, and thrashed around trying to keep my balance. While I didn’t get soaked I did think the pool was toast, but decided to try it anyhow. That was the first correct decision I made on the water. Fortunately, it wasn’t the last.

Nice smallie fooled by the Root Beer Golden Retriever. The fish couldn't resist it today.

The second correct decision was on fly selection. During the summer I rig up two rods. One rod is for a streamer, and a second rod for a topwater popper. For the streamer, I tied on a Root Beer Golden Retriever. This is a streamer I have only found in one fly shop in Virginia, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. Tied with a No. 10 hook, it is basically a brown color with some crystal flash. Today it was deadly. Within the first 15 minutes I hooked into five smallies. Maybe I’ll thrash around the water more often.

Only 1-1/2" in length but it's an ideal baitfish imitation.

Moving down the pool I switched to the topwater popper. It’s actually a Sneaky Pete, which has rounded head. It displaces the water by sliding instead of popping, and creates enough disturbance on the water to attract fish. It was like a magnet today. I made a cast to the opposite bank and gave it a strip. On the pause a smallie came to the surface and sucked it in. A nice fight took place but in the end the bass found the net. Topwater strikes are the best part of fishing for smallies. I found they don’t sip in the popper, they attack it.

The rest of the day I alternated between the streamer and the Sneaky Pete as I made my way through the park. When my day ended I was into double digits in smallies. But the highlight was catching a creek chub on the Sneaky Pete. I always thought chubs were bottom feeders but one of them couldn’t resist attacking the Sneaky Pete.

This is an above average size creek chub. It couldn't resist the Sneaky Pete.

Now for the downside of the day. You may wonder how could there be a downside when the action was constant. Well, I missed another six strikes, mostly by not paying attention. And, the biggest smallie got off at the net. I stretched to get the net under him but missed. I must have put some slack in the line as the smallie spit the fly and quickly swam off. Oh well, I guess you can’t have everything.

Go out and fool a fish!

I’ll Take A Bit Of Luck Every Time

This can’t possibly be February in Northeast Ohio. No snow on the ground. No blown out rivers. Temperatures in the 60’s. This would give Steelhead Alley a bad name if not for the great fishing. There have been multiple reports of double digit days, and it appears as though the chromers are all over the rivers. Facebook is lighting up with photos. What I’ve learned in my relatively short time fishing for steelhead is that it’s never as easy as it looks. It seems that I’ve been proving that statement correct every time I’ve been on the water in 2017. A few poor hooksets led to short fights, and long distance releases. So, when I waded into the river yesterday there was one goal, get the skunk off. It didn’t take me long thanks to three fishermen.

I hit a spot on the Chagrin River that is turning out to be my go-to place not only for steelhead but for smallies in the summer. There are several pools with some good structure that always seem to hold fish. Unfortunately, when I arrived there were three fishermen in one of the pools. I didn’t want to see if the pool was big enough to hold a fourth so I moved downstream. Decisions like this will sometimes make or break the day. You have to have a little luck.

I began to drift a bright pink egg pattern through the water, working my way from the tail to the head of the pool. I made a cast close to the opposite bank and the indicator lazily moved downstream. Then it moved ever so slightly towards me. With the reflexes of a jaguar (OK, an old jaguar) I instinctively set the hook. A brief fight ensued, but in the end the chrome hit the net, and the skunk was gone. Looking back on that take, if I had not been watching the indicator I would have missed it. That was one of the lightest hits I ever had chasing steelhead.

It felt good to get this one in the bottom of the net.

Three casts later and I hooked up again. But back to my old ways, I didn’t get a good hookset. So I played with it for about 10 seconds and off it went. Two more casts and I hooked up again. But my shoulders slumped when it came off a few seconds later. So, in about 10 minutes I had three takes from the same pool. Now, that’s fishing.

Here’s where I have to thank the three fishermen that were mentioned earlier. As I moved back upstream I passed them. They asked if I had any luck. After telling them about the action I had they let it be known that they were blanked. I told them I’ve been there many times. But their bad luck was my good luck. If they had not been there I would have worked over the pool they were on, and the skunk may have still been alive.

Go out and fool a fish!

Winter Thoughts

Winter forces fishermen into downtime between storms and blown out rivers. So how do fishermen pass the time between outings? They think about being on the water while tinkering with rods and reels. I don’t know about you but my mind does not work in a straight line. In fact, I think it needs its own GPS. Somehow an ADD diagnosis was missed. Here are some recent thoughts.

When a steelhead hits a spawn sac do they want the eggs or the netting?

Almost time to purchase a 2017 license. Can’t believe there aren’t more people fishing. Ohio’s fee is $19.00. No better value exists.

I’d pay more if the Ohio Department of Natural Resources used the money wisely.

I remember summer trips to Canada in the 60’s to fish. There were no electronics on the boats. You had to learn the lake to find the fish. My father and I would troll until we found some fish. Then we tried to remember the spot by looking at the shoreline to pick out a landmark. It made us better fishermen. Now there’s a whole generation of fishermen who just look at a screen to find the fish. I think they are missing out on an important part of fishing. That’s why I like to wade and fish rivers. You have to work to find the fish. Seems more satisfying.

Fishing shows on cable are not realistic. They always catch fish. I guess it would make for bad viewing if they didn’t catch anything, but it would be more realistic. I don’t know of anyone who catches fish every time out. Getting skunked is part of fishing.

It would be great to experience the Cleveland area when it was first settled. Imagine the fish in the lakes and rivers. I’d go back in time if I could take my rods and reels……and a bathroom. Got to have a bathroom.

Pound for pound, a smallmouth bass fights harder than a steelhead.

 I'll take the fight this Rocky River smallie put up over a steelhead any day.

You would think water is the same no matter what river you’re on, but the Grand smell is different than the Chagrin, which smells different than the Rocky. Smell your net and you’ll see what I mean. Maybe that different smell is what locks the steelhead in finding its stocking river.

This country has worked too long and hard to clean up the lakes, rivers, and streams. It would not be progress to eliminate protections in place. Do you really think businesses would have stopped polluting the Cuyahoga had the government not gotten involved?


Go out and fool a fish!

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!

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 Dog Days Of Summer

It’s been hot and dry for the last two months, and the rivers around northeast Ohio have been low and clear. Fishing was good early in the summer but lately you’ve had to work hard for any action. If you are not out before the sun gets on the water, or around sunset, you are going to have a tough time. Even going out early the action has been slow. I’ve had enough success to keep me interested, but nothing spectacular.

Early morning on the Chagrin with a little fog.

(Click on image for larger view.)

 

What’s interesting is the topwater bite has been nonexistent for me the last month. I can’t buy a topwater hit no matter what I throw. Early in June topwater was hot, but lately the only fish I’ve been catching have been on streamers, fishing faster water.

During these slow days I’ve had the luck to catch two new species on the fly rod. While targeting smallmouth bass on a popular section of the Chagrin River, I managed to hook a channel catfish on a woolly bugger. And, just last week, again fishing the Chagrin River, I hooked a largemouth bass fishing a tan color, golden retriever. Hooking the largemouth surprised me more than the catfish. I knew there were catfish spread out in the river, but largemouth bass aren’t as common in the northeast Ohio rivers as their smallmouth cousins. Fishermen do catch largemouth around the mouths of the rivers, and will occasionally catch them further upstream, but the rivers seem to be able to support smallmouth populations better than largemouth.

Channel catfish caught on a woolly bugger. It put up a good fight.

Surprise largemouth bass hooked on a golden retriever. Caught in a faster stretch of water.

Not wanting to shortchange the summer as I’ve enjoyed having stretches of water all to myself, but in another six weeks the steelhead will start to poke their noses in the rivers. Last year I was on the water with a 4wt in mid-September after a big rain event. Throwing a small streamer for smallies, I hooked a fresh steelhead, and was overmatched with that light rod. So, I’ll switch to an 8 wt after the first big rain event.

Steelhead will soon start their journey upstream. Need a big rain event mid-to-late September to get them going.

One morning on the Grand River the fishing was slow so I looked up and saw this. Now that's an office view.

Go out and fool a fish!

Resident Smallmouth Fishing Is Picking Up

Beautiful morning at Helen Hazen Wyman Park on the Grand River.

(Click on image for larger view.)

By mid-June the lake run smallmouth bass season is just about over. Oh, there may be a straggler or two in the northeast Ohio rivers, but for the most part they are back in Lake Erie. Now is the time of year that fishermen can have a section of the Grand, Chagrin, or Rocky rivers all to their own. The water is heating up, and so is the fishing for resident smallmouth bass, carp, rock bass, and bluegill/sunfish. Match the rod and line size to the fish you’re targeting and even a small fish can be fun to catch. And, the catching has been good.

I have had good success this year whether I’m throwing topwater or a small streamer. The resident smallies have been especially aggressive, hitting all colors of small baitfish imitations. Throw in a couple of nice topwater takes on a Sneaky Pete, and it makes for a fun morning.

Yesterday, on a stretch of the Grand River that only two months ago was elbow-to-elbow with steelhead fishermen, I had the river to myself. It ended up being one of my best days fishing these rivers. I probably had over 15 hookups, landing most of them. Even though most were small, I had a blast. Using a 4wt with light tippet is ideal for the resident smallies.

Smallmouth bass sem to be hitting just about any color streamer. 

This one fell for a chartreuse woolly bugger.

The interesting part is the smallies liked any presentation. It didn’t matter if the fly was swung, stripped, or just hanging at the end of a drift. They were on it. The topwater action I had with the Sneaky Pete was when it was moving. They had no interest in a motionless slider.

Very typical size for a resident smallie. It's  fun catching them on light tippet.

This is a great time to be on the water. If warm weather, solitude, and a chance to catch some fish is what you are looking for, get out there.

As an update to the previous post on the banana superstition, I’ve had three excellent outings since giving up bananas as a fishing snack, and I’m now a full blown superstitious fisherman.

Go out and fool a fish!

Early Morning on the Chagrin River

When I retired almost two years ago I told myself that there’s no need to fish for steelhead on the weekends. Why fight the crowds, standing shoulder to shoulder, when the weekdays will be less crowded, and the good fishing spots open. For the most part, I followed my advice until today. So I figured to get out really early and stake out a spot. Plus, I wanted an excuse to use my headlamp, which was a gift from my wife.

Arriving at the North Chagrin Reservation, there was just a hint of light in the sky, none of it reaching the ground. Thankfully, I rig up the night before, eliminating having to fumble in the parking lot. Arrive, put on the headlamp, grab the gear, and go. Starting down the trail, I noticed my senses were in overdrive, especially sight and sound. Could this be due to the darkness that enveloped me? Each stride made a distinctive crunch. Birds, near and far, made their morning calls as if they were following me down the trail. The river, while not yet in view, seemed to roar as though it was a Class IV rapid. But it was my sight that seemed to overtake me.

First light at its finest. In a little more than a month those trees will be filled with green.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

The headlamp worked great, illuminating the area all around me. But it also accentuated the shadows. Walking down the trail, immersed in leafless trees and bushes, the branches seemed to come at me like tentacles wanting to grab my arm and pull me into a place that only Stephen King can describe. I don’t scare easily but I was happy when the light made itself known.

As for the day on the water, the best part of it was the photo of the sky, with a shade of blue not often seen. The fishing was slow. I worked a few runs with no takes. I wanted to hit another section of the river but about a dozen fishermen filled the spots, so I called it a day.

Part of the posse that combed every inch of water for chrome.

I think I’ll go back to weekdays.

Go out and fool a fish!

Know Your River for More Success

One of the Lake Metroparks allows access to the northern stretch of the Chagrin River. This section of the Chagrin will hold steelhead early in the fall, until a big rain raises the level to allow migration further upstream. It’s a section that I’ve fished many times, and thought I knew the lies that would produce a steelhead. Fishing it this past week in low water conditions forced me to the deeper spots where the fish should be holding. After looking over the water, I knew the starting point was going to be the stairs, then the long pool about 100 yards downstream, and finally, across from the construction yard.

I tied on a white woolly bugger to imitate the baitfish that the steelies key on this time of the year. The area by the stairs has enough flow to allow the streamer to swing in the current after a down and across cast. This section can be covered in about 20 minutes. So, after a number of casts without a take, and mumbling to myself that we need rain, I decided to wade down to the long pool. Little did I know that a slight detour would make my day.

The flow of the Chagrin at this section takes the current towards the opposite bank, so the riffles and pools hug the right side of the river. The water was so low and clear that the bottom of the river was in view wherever you waded. Before getting to the long pool, I glanced over to the bank and spotted some darker water. Now, I’ve waded this stretch many times and never remember seeing this small spot. It was a short riffle that emptied into a small pool about 15’ in length. The head of the pool was about 3’ wide and at the tail, about 10’. What threw me was the dark water. Wading over to it I was surprised at the depth, as the bottom could not be seen.

Because the pool was small, I only needed about a rod length of line along with the leader. I made my first cast toward the bank and let the current drift the streamer. I could tell from the tip of the line that the current was also pushing the leader and streamer deeper. After letting the streamer hang in the water for a few seconds I gave it a short strip when the line went tight. Setting the hook, the fish immediately made a run to the end of the pool and jumped, shaking its head. The rest of the battle was spent with short runs through the pool before it finally came to the net. I estimated the fish at about 19”, and for its size, it was the best fight I’ve had landing a steelhead. It did not want to quit. You can see from the photo it was a fresh fish, probably only in the river a few days. You can also see the white woolly bugger just above the head of the fish. It fell out on its own shortly after being netted. Call me lucky, I will.

Fresh steelhead ,about 19" in length. Strong fish put up a good fight. The white woolly bugger is visible above the head.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

That was it for the day, as the other spots didn’t hold any fish. For me, it’s never going to be a numbers game. Catching only one, having it put up a good fight, and finding a new spot makes this outing a success. The day made me realize that I need to be more observant of the waters I fish.

Go out and fool a fish!

Mother Nature be Kind to Steelheaders

Low flows have prevented good numbers of steelhead from coming up the rivers

Mother Nature has not been kind to Steelhead Alley so far this fall. Since early September, when the first reports of chrome in the rivers started circulating, the Alley hasn’t received any significant rain. Every time a front would come through, with the promise of rain, it dries up before reaching northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. All the rivers would get a minor bump in flow, but not enough to get the steelhead moving upriver in decent numbers. There are reports of some good numbers being caught at the mouths of the rivers from fishermen in kayaks, canoes, or boats. It just doesn’t seem like many of the fish have been able to make it past the mouth. A few steelhead have been found upriver, but by now there should be a lot more action than there is.

I tried to find my own action yesterday. The area had a little rain the night before and the flows bumped up a little, so I gave it a try. Living between the Chagrin and Grand Rivers, it is always a flip of a coin as to which river to hit. I thought the Grand would give me the best shot, so I made my way to one of the Lake Metroparks access points. Hitting the water at sunrise, even with the bump in flows, the water was about as low as I’ve ever seen it. After working the usual spots, where I had previous success, I began to think of a skunking. When chasing steelhead, a skunking is not anything to be ashamed of, but I decided to go down fighting. After all, in my last post I mentioned patience and covering water as keys to success. Practice what you preach.

If I was going to find chrome, I had to find deep water, even it was a small pool. There’s a section of the Grand at this access point that I never fished. It is about a half mile downstream. After making my way to this section, I noticed some darker water. Add to that, a couple downed trees and moving water, and my first thought was “there has to be a fish in that spot”.

Normally, when fishing a streamer, I’ll make a standard across and downstream cast, letting the fly swing through the pool. But with the downed trees, and limited space for a backcast, my only option was to make an upstream cast and dead drift the fly. On the second drift the fly line twitched, so I set the hook. For a split second I thought it was a snag, but a snag doesn’t move the line. The fish took off and the fight was on. It jumped, revealing itself to me. It wasn’t a big steelhead, but it was fresh and full of vinegar. The fish gave a good account of itself, and put up a nice fight, but finally found the bottom of the net. Skunk off.

This fresh jack put up a good fight.

So, covering water and patience does pay off. I not only found a spot that will be visited again for a shot at chrome, but it has to hold some smallmouth bass in the summer.

I wonder what’s around the next bend?

Go out and fool a fish!

Steelhead Season Arrives in the Alley

Changing leaves and low cloud cover. Steelhead season has arrived in the Alley.

Even though I’ve been back fishing for about five years after a long, long layoff it’s obvious that around the middle of September a change takes place in northeast Ohio. It all revolves around cooling temperatures and a bump in the river flows. Get a good rain in September and the steelheaders dust the cobwebs off their gear and hit the river. Gone are the warm days of summer, all alone on the Grand and Chagrin rivers. Gone is the ability to wet wade in warm water searching for smallmouth. Say hello to layers of clothing, crowds, and in about six weeks, iced guides. Can’t wait!

See ya in the spring, Mr. Smallie

Hello Mr. Steelie

Won't see an empty river until late May

A couple of weeks ago we had some rain and cool temps that brought some steelhead into the rivers. There have been reports of fisherman catching a few but not in numbers usually seen when the big run is on. I even hooked into one but was using my bass rod with a light tippet, and the fish made a run and broke off. Everyone I talked to is waiting for the big rain event that should really get the fish moving. The rain we had yesterday did not move the water levels much. Fishing may be tough for awhile as the fish in the system battle low water, and fishing pressure.

For anyone who has visited some of the fishing message boards and forums has seen an increase in discussions about steelhead, with most of them questioning where the fish are. Steelheaders are just as tightlipped as anyone on exactly where they find the fish, so don’t expect a straight answer.

The other noticeable change is the amount of steelhead expos and classes put on by local organizations and fly shops. Seems like just about every week from late September through October you can visit an expo or take a class on how to catch steelhead with all types of tackle, baits, and flies. One of the better expos is usually put on by the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders at the Rocky River Nature Center. This year’s was October 3, and was well attended. Exhibitors range from fly tiers to organizations working to improve watersheds. There were also presentations on a range of topics, including gear for steelheading, and an update from ODNR on the stocking program.

Steelhead seminars start the season

Local fly tiers crafting steelhead flies

In closing, as a word of advice, if you start fishing for steelhead, have patience. It will take you awhile to learn their holding lines. Also, cover water, and don’t be afraid to change flies and lures.

Go out and fool a steelhead!

South Chagrin Reservation

I was able to get out for a few hours this morning and decided to fish the stretch of the Chagrin River in the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation. Its been several years since I fished this stretch of water. When I took up fly fishing five years ago I fished here and it was the spot where I hooked my first fish on a fly, so I was looking forward to hitting it again.

In many spots the section of the Chagrin that flows through the South Chagrin Reservation has a small stream look to it. There are tree-lined banks where you can’t make a backcast. Or, if the trees are on the opposite bank, you have to skip a cast low to get a drift. Also, most of the casts don’t have to be more than 20’ to get to the fishable spots.

Starting at daybreak I have learned to be ready for a first cast hookup. Today it happened, as I drifted a wooly bugger through a run and a smallmouth hit it. It doesn’t get any better than that….and it didn’t for about an hour. I was thinking first cast curse. Then after moving upstream a small, feisty rock bass hit the bugger.

 Feisty rock bass hit a wooly bugger

(Click on image for a larger view)

After another 45 minutes I hopped in the car and drove to another location in the reservation. This section of the river is a little more open with a sand bar on one side of the river and a shear wall on the opposite side. There were some downed trees that made good structure to concentrate on. This turned out to be a good spot.

The closer I got my cast to the bank the better it was. Throw the fly short by a couple of feet and there would be no action. Throwing the fly almost bouncing it off the bank would produce a strike. In a short period of time I was able to land a nice resident smallmouth and two rock bass.

Always fun to catch. This resident smallmouth put on an aerial display befoe coming to hand.

Driving home I started thinking about the success I’ve enjoyed this summer. Even though I’m no longer a beginner I still learn something every time out. That’s what makes fly fishing so interesting. Funny how it works out. Learn a little, get a little better.

The following are some of the keys to the success I’ve had. I’m sure these aren’t new to anyone who fishes but I can tell from experience that I did not know these things when I started. That explains why I was skunked most of the time that first year.

• Start early before the sun has a chance to hit the water or late in the day near dusk.
• Work shallow first, deeper pools later.
• Concentrate on faster moving sections of water. There’s more oxygen for the fish.
• Stay in the shade. It seems as though when the sun hits the water in the summer fishing slows down.
• Get the cast as close to structure as possible. A foot or two makes a big difference in hookup rate.
• Cover water. The fish are there. You just have to find them.
• Don’t fall in love with one color, one fly.

Go out and fool a fish!

Increased Population of Smallmouth Bass

Call this an unscientific survey, but from personal experience and in talking with others it appears as though the population of smallmouth bass has increased on the Chagrin and Grand Rivers. This year there have been reports of many small, smallmouth bass being caught. Personally I’ve caught more this year than any of the past four years. Talking with other fishermen they are saying the same thing.

This can only be a good thing for the coming years. Many of the fish are probably less than two years old, and being residents, have to rely on the aquatic life in the Chagrin and Grand rivers. Those who fish the rivers regularly know that a good size resident smallmouth is 13”-15”. While the rivers do have enough life to sustain a population of smallmouth bass it doesn’t compare to the Lake Erie food supply, but that’s OK. Those residents who survive will improve the fishing in the next couple of years. Catching a 13" hard fighting smallmouth on a fly rod is fine by me.

Another aspect of the increase in population is that many fishermen wondered what the affect the harsh winters of the last two years had on the fish. Seems to me it didn’t affect the smallmouth. In fact, one could argue that the smallmouth bass had a “human blizzard“ affect them. We’ve all heard about the increase in births nine months after a blizzard. 

Nice 8" smallmouth from the Chagrin.

(Click on image for larger view)

Go out and fool a fish!