Stinko de Mayo

It certainly didn’t feel like May 5 this morning in northeast Ohio. The temperature at the river read 30°. It felt more like February. But, because of schedules and timing I was going to hit the river today for one last crack at some chrome before saying Adios for the year. In fact, I downsized my rig, putting the 8wt away, and knocking the cobwebs off the 6wt. My thinking was that I may come across a lake-run smallie, and the 6wt would be perfect. And, if I hook a dropback, the 6wt could handle the fight.

I wish I could have tested my thinking but that would have required fighting a fish. I had one strike while watching a juvenile eagle pick something off the bank downstream, and was late with the hookset. If I had a dollar for every strike I had while distracted I’d have more than a few bucks in my pocket.

Overkill? Maybe. Certainly felt cold this morning.

So, let’s hope for warmer temperatures and a margarita or two. If not, it’ll feel more like Stinko de Mayo.

Go out and fool a fish!

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!

The Pause That Refreshes

Can't believe January passed me by. I took the month off from chasing chrome. Not by design, it just happened. Actually, I spent a lot of time beginning to teach myself Spanish. This is to correct a mistake I made in high school a long, long time ago. I chose French as a freshman and that ended up a bust.

I also recharged my batteries. Just stepping away from the water for this short period made me appreciate even more the time that I do get to spend on one of the greatest hobbies man has ever created.

I'm ready to catch some chrome.

With that said, the calendar change to February and I’m ready to catch some fish, if there’s any left. From the reports I’ve seen there have been many great catch days out there. As a “pescador” I want some of that.

Go out and catch a fish!
Sal y engana a un pez!

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!

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!

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!

Sometimes You Just Have To Laugh At Yourself

I managed to get out for a couple of hours on one of my favorite stretches of water. It’s a spot where this time of the year offers more action than a half off sale on Black Friday. Rigging up the night before, I didn’t even agonize over the choice of streamer. All indications pointed to white, as the fresh push of steelhead still had shiners on their mind. Good choice, even if I did get in my own way for a bit.

Sure enough, within a few minutes of stepping in the water, I hooked and landed a strong male that exhausted itself with multiple runs up and down the pool. Too tired to thrash around, the chrome posed for a quick picture, and was released. I checked the knot and leader, making sure no nicks showed up that could weaken the connection. Everything looked fine, so I moved on to another spot.

Strong male with some nice color

 (Click on image for larger view.)

This close-up shows a nice hooked jaw. Its been around a few years.

There’s a stretch of water, probably 60 yards long, that has a deep slot where steelhead will lay waiting for their next meal. For the second time in a row I had the water to myself, so I waded to the head of the run and began the methodical cast, swing, step process. A few casts in and I snag the rig on a rock. Working it free without disturbing the water, I again checked the knot and leader. It all looked fine. Continuing to cast I made my way downstream. Something didn’t seem right. There are no guarantees when fishing but I should have gotten at least a bump through that stretch. I decided to reel in and move to another spot. It’s about this time I let out a sharp expletive, followed by laughter. After all, fishing is supposed to be fun, isn't it? Somewhere, somehow, the streamer came off. Inspecting the leader, there still weren’t any nicks, or the telltale curly tippet that exposes a failed knot. I can’t explain what happened or when it happened. I don’t know if I was streamerless for one cast or twenty. Normally, during the backcast I can see the streamer as it travels behind me. I must have zoned out because I can’t recall even watching the backcast.

After all that, I still went home a happy guy. Spent time on the water, caught a fish, and laughed at myself. Can you say that?

Go out and fool a fish!

Perfect Steelhead Weather

There is never a bad time to be on the water, but some days are just better than others. Yesterday was one of those days. Fishermen chasing steelhead around the Great Lakes in the fall and winter know that weather will play a part in their pursuit of chrome. Usually they can eliminate the sun, as it seems to appear as frequently as Halley’s Comet this time of the year. That leaves everything else on the table, and yesterday had just about everything else. And it was fun.

I was anxious to hit the river as the water was back to fishable levels after last weekend’s rain and snow. The bump in flows should have brought in some fresh steelhead. The weather forecast called for some rain coming in over the next few days, so I felt Friday morning was the best opportunity to hit the river.

The morning was perfect. Grey skies were dripping rain, snow and sleet like a leaky faucet. Fog shrouded the tops of the trees that were no longer bearing any color. When I arrived at the parking lot I was surprised that no other cars were there. That couldn’t be right. I expected to share the river with at least a half dozen other fishermen. Weather doesn’t keep steelheaders from their time on the water. Maybe I picked the wrong spot to fish?

Perfect day for steelheading but an empty river. Unusual for a Great Lakes tributary.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Working my way downstream on the trail I came to another surprise. A beaver made his or her mark on a tree. A perfectly gnawed tree stood near my first fishing spot. One more night of work and that tree will be used to build an addition to a den.

A beaver has been very, very busy.

Continuing to walk downstream, I finally arrived at a series of pools that almost always hold fish. It felt strange to wade into the water, look around, and not see another fisherman. I knew it was just a matter of time before someone showed up so I made the best of my time and worked through the pools quickly. The first pool produced nothing. Then I noticed a few dead shiners laying in the water, and immediately switched from a dark color woolly bugger to a white one. At this point, the rain changed to wet snow. There was no wind, so the flakes gently hit the water like a well-presented dry fly. I had to take advantage of the perfect weather and an empty river.

Moving to the next pool I told myself there has to be fish in here. The pool had depth, structure and some current. Heck, I’d live there if I was a fish. After making a few casts I moved to the tail of the pool. The snow had changed back to rain and drops were now noticeable on the water. I made a cast to the opposite bank and let it swing across the tail of the pool. Just as the line straightened I felt the tug. The fresh steelhead made several strong runs. Getting it close, I reached with the net when it made another run, this time behind me. It made a move for a downed tree but I managed to steer the fish away from it. Finally, showing some exhaustion, it came to the net again. A nice, 25” hen found a temporary home in the bottom of the net. After a quick picture it was released to live another day.

The end to a perfect morning on the water.

There must have been something about yesterday and the color white. On the Facebook Steelhead group I belong to there were three or four other steelheaders who reported catching chrome on a white streamer or lure. What’s interesting is the rivers were 30 miles apart. Maybe the fresh steelhead were still keying in on shiners that are plentiful in Lake Erie.

Perfect comes in many different forms. My morning had perfect weather, no other fishermen, and fresh chrome.

Find your perfect.

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 Pelvis, A Tug, A Bump and A Bonus Bronze

Late last week, before the rain blew out the rivers, I was able to get on the water and hunt for some chrome. The rivers were low and in need of a fresh shot of rain, but very fishable. My usual routine is to swing some flies and hope for a couple of hookups. I got that, and a little more. What I experienced was outside a normal outing.

The Pelvis

Everyone who fishes rivers has seen animals, both dead and alive. That’s nature. Spend enough time on the water and you will run into a deer, mink, or beaver. Occasionally they will die there.

Walking along the bank to get to a pool I ran across a deer pelvis. In the past, I’ve seen fragments of one but not the entire structure. My first thought was I was being transported to an X-Files episode. The holes give the bone a ghoulish look, perfect for Halloween. I had to take a picture but decided not to disturb it fearing some bad ju-ju.

Pelvis, late October, Halloween. Not your everyday find.

(Click on image for larger view.).

The Tug

Like many fly fishermen, I have fun swinging a fly for chrome this time of the year. The fish are fresh, and willing to move for a baitfish imitation. That’s when you will get the tug, and there’s no doubt a fish is on.

I was working a pool that had been productive in the past. It’s deep, with good flow, and some structure. Not only have I caught steelhead in this pool but it is a great spot for smallies during the summer. I made a cast toward the opposite bank and let the flow swing the fly through the pool. Just as the swing was straightening I felt the tug. Immediately the fish came to the surface, splashed around, and made a move to the opposite bank. As if it hit a wall, the fish changed direction. Now, I’ve had steelhead move up and down the river but I’ve been able to control them with side pressure. This time I could only hold on. The line was coming off the reel faster than I’ve ever seen. In a timeframe that felt like two seconds, the fish was 30 yards downstream and not stopping. It was so fast I didn’t have time to get out of the water and chase after it. All I could do is hold the rod high. From past experience I knew I was in trouble. Too much fly line in the water will often lead to a long distance release. Sure enough, the fish kept moving downstream, and all of a sudden the line went slack.

Damn. I don’t know if it was the biggest steelhead I’ve hooked into, but it was definitely the hottest.


The Bump

Licking my wounds from the tug, I made my way upstream to another pool. Using the same woolly bugger, I made a cast and felt a bump. I instinctively set the hook and nothing. So, was it a rock or a short strike? Only one way to find out. I made another cast in the same area and sure enough, another bump. I set the hook, and nothing. I quickly made up my mind that I was either going to lose the fly to a snag, or I was going to catch a fish.

I took a break from casting for a minute or so. It forced me to look around and notice the fall colors. Sometimes we’re so focused on fishing we miss what’s in front of us.

 The fall colors are starting to pop. Sometimes you just have to look up.

So, after that short break I made a cast to the same spot and let it drift with the flow. Right on cue, there was another bump. I set the hook, the line went tight, and I felt the headshake. After a short fight I netted a fresh 18” steelhead. That chrome may be too young to realize you don’t play with your food, you eat it.

It took three tries to hook this one.

The Bonus Bronze

I was looking for quality river smallies all summer. The key must be to wait until October to catch them, as they feed heavily for the winter. The last two outings have produced my biggest smallies of the year. Landed with the steelhead net, they look smaller than they are. Both were pushing 14”. Not bad for resident smallies.

Quality smallmouth in October. A good bonus.

Go out and fool a fish!

Early Fall Surprise

It is hard to tell Autumn has arrived in northeast Ohio. The calendar says it is October but most of the trees have not begun their journey from green to orange, red, or yellow. And with temperatures touching the upper 70’s, low 80’s since late September you would almost think it’s August. But steelhead fishermen know better, thanks to a series of storms that dumped up to 3” of rain in steelhead alley. This allowed the first run of chrome to enter the rivers.

Experienced fishermen in the alley know how important a late September storm is to jumpstarting the steelhead season. It’s difficult to put a number to it, but the initial run is usually the smallest of the season. The steelhead that are part of the initial run are found in the lower sections of the rivers. Occasionally a small number of dime-bright chromers may make it further upstream. A few years ago I caught one about 15 miles upstream in mid-September but I thought that was an outlier…..until today.

A one-day cold front knocked the morning temps into the 40’s. I thought it was going to be a tough day. And it was for about a half hour. My favorite stretch of water on the Grand River is about 10 miles upstream from the mouth. Tying on a tan woolly bugger I began working downstream and started swinging through a nice run. I was soon into a cast, swing, step rhythm. Then, after about 25 yards, a tug that I hadn’t felt since last spring jolted me out of that rhythm. Immediately the fish took off downstream, jumped a couple of times, and then reversed course, heading upstream. A couple of minutes later, after making a few more runs, I was able to get the fish into the shallows where the net scooped up a fresh, bright chromer. You have to love the fight that a fresh steelhead gives you. I’m hoping this is the first of many.

26" of pure energy.

(Click on image for larger view.)

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!

An End To Another Steelhead Season

When the streamside trees change from grey and brown to green you know it is the end. I for one am glad it is over. These fish are beat up, and the water temps in the Lake Erie tributaries are getting to an uncomfortable level. Time to concentrate on smallmouth bass. It is my favorite time of the year.

The last one of the season. This was caught while targeting smallies. 

It just got in the way.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

The rivers are becoming less crowded. I was on the water this morning and had a half mile stretch of water all to myself. It seems as though the majority of steelhead fishermen don’t have the same enthusiasm for chasing river smallies. I’m sure they are fishing for something, whether it is walleye, muskie or catfish. For me, I will just enjoy the solitude the rivers can offer for the next four months.

Go out and fool a fish!