***Saturday November 15 morning update: A number of anglers reported a good steelhead bite on the northern few miles of the Rocky River the past two mornings despite the wintery weather. Dime size spawn sacks and jigs drifted under floats were top producers. The wind forecast appears to be favorable for fishing at E55th and E72nd today and tonight for steelhead and walleye. Steelhead were being caught at E55th yesterday afternoon.***
Our first taste of winter has arrived this week! Into the fall season highlight species targeted by anglers in Cleveland Metroparks include steelhead trout, walleye, yellow perch, white bass, and panfish. Local streams are on the low side with quite a few leaves in the water and steelhead fishing has been fair to good. As conditions on the big lake permit the multi-species bite at E55th breakwall has been good this week and walleye are biting after dark at E72nd. Anglers can check the latest river flows and temperature at the following links: <Rocky River flow gage data> <Chagrin River flow gage data>.
The Rocky River and other area streams are relatively low and clear at the moment, although the slug of water last weekend did serve to draw more steelhead into the system. Fresher steelhead are being taken in the northern river reaches, such as around the marina and river mouth. Pods of steelhead are present throughout the system, primarily in deeper holes given the current conditions. A modest number of fish have even been reported all the way upstream into both branches of the river, as well. The Chagrin River has been fishing well lately and has more flow than the Rocky at this time. Skippers (smaller 15-18" steelhead) are showing up in increasing numbers to complement the adult steelhead that have made up the bulk of the catch so far this season. Spinners (Vibrax, Roostertail) and spoons (Little Cleos) are also popular for autumn steel, especially in the northern river reaches and in the lake. Small eggs sacks, live minnows, small jigs tipped with maggots, and various fly patterns (small eggs, streamers, and nymphs) have all accounted for part of the catch this week. Fallen leaves in the water continue to pose a challenge for anglers, especially in stretches of river with slower current.
The shoreline fishing at E55th and E72nd accesses has been good this week, as conditions on Lake Erie have permitted, and will continue into fall. Anglers have been catching steelhead, trophy size white bass, walleye, and a few jumbo yellow perch. Small jigs tipped with emerald shiner minnows and a few maggots 2-4 feet under a bobber account for many of the steelhead caught there this time of year, and minnows fished on the bottom account for the yellow perch and white bass. The night walleye bite casting from shore at E72nd has been very good, with Husky Jerks, Rattlin' Rogues, and rattle type shad crankbaits being the top producers. White bass can also be targeted with spinners or with small jigs or spoons fished behind agitator style bobbers. Similar opportunities are also present off the rocks at Edgewater and Wildwood parks. Wise anglers bring a long handed net when fishing these sites, and be very careful on those slippery shoreline rocks!
Fishing prospects at the Ohio & Erie Canal fishing area remain good. In early October 600 pounds of farm raised channel catfish and 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout were stocked at this location and a fair share of these fish remain to be caught. Trout bite well on PowerBait, small jigs tipped with a few maggots and spinners , and catfish bite well on chicken liver and raw shrimp. Either species can be taken on a nightcrawler fished on the canal bottom with a small sinker. The trout limit at this site is 5 fish per angler per day.
As the lake permits, late season boating anglers have been chasing yellow perch and night walleye. Yellow perch have been running big and anglers have reported good catches in 51' off Rocky River, 28-30' off Gordon Park (near the end of the breakwall), and 41-52' off Wildwood Park. Lots of big white bass are being caught by perch anglers, as well. Walleye have been found in 10-30' off Cleveland, especially along the city breakwall after dark. Boaters are doing best most nights from 8-11:00pm trolling Rattlin' Rogue and Husky Jerk (HJ14) stickbaits around E72nd from 1.0-1.75 mph from 50-75' behind the boat. The ODNR Division of Wildlife weekly Lake Erie fishing report can be viewed <here>. Anglers/boaters can view current lake conditions off Cleveland at the following link: <City Of Cleveland Water Intake Crib Cam>.
If you have a photo that you would like to contribute to the fishing report, or if you have any further questions regarding fishing in the Cleveland Metroparks, you may contact Aquatic Biologist Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or [email protected] .
Tight Lines,
Mike
Anthony caught a bonus 26" brown trout and a few steelies on spawn sacks in the Rock over the weekend (photos courtesy of Anthony Loshiavo).
John and Jeff caught this steelhead doubleheader on homemade jigs in the northern Rocky River on Sunday (photo courtesy of John Fay).
Sean caught this buck steelie on a live creek chub minnow in the Rock on Sunday morning (photo courtesy of Sean Fenton).
In this installment of Know Your Fish, can you identify the species Jesse caught in a local river this week? Please post your guesses in the comments section and I'll post the answer there in a few days (photo courtesy of Jesse Sohl).
DeAngelo caught a gorgeous chrome hen steelhead at the E55th breakwall this week (photo courtesy of DeAngelo Williams).
From the "better late than never files" Doug sent in this photo of a pretty golden rainbow trout taken at Ledge Lake last season. We plan to stock trout in mid-December this year at Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judge's lakes (photos courtesy of Doug).
Robert reports "I landed a real nice steelhead in the Rocky River fishing on Monday 11-10-14. This one was well worth the effort. After about 3.5 hours of fishing various promising spots on the river, my patience finally paid off and I spotted 2 fish. The first few casts provoked a strike and I lost him. A few casts later I was fortunate enough to get this one. The river is quite low so finding fish was a challenge." (photo courtesy of Robert Elshaw).
Frank had a great Monday on the Rock, going 5 for 5 on steelhead using spawn (photos courtesy of Frank Filippelli).
The Linda Mae out of Wildwood Park is making some great catches of big yellow perch in 52' of water off Euclid (photos courtesy of Wildwood Marina).
Julio scored this plump fresh hen from the Rock this on Tuesday (photo courtesy of Julio Dejesus).
This week we transferred a bunch more quality largemouth bass and bluegill from non-fishing areas to our public fishing areas, such as Wallace and Shadow lakes.
Owen captured some images of anglers enjoying time on the river this week. Enjoy the lingering fall colors while it lasts! (photos courtesy of Owen Lockhart).
Note: The fishing report is updated monthly in June, July, and August and weekly every other month
***Note: All photo submissions must first complete the Cleveland Metroparks photo waiver.***
2024 Cleveland Metroparks Registered Fishing Guides
(name, company, contact)
- #24-001 Gareth Thomas, Alley Grabs Guide Service, [email protected] (216) 235-5056
- #24-002 Jeff Liskay, Great Lakes Flyfishing LLC, [email protected] (440) 781-7536
- #24-003 Monte Casey, The Steelhead Guide, (440) 773-8064 www.steelheadguide.com
- #24-004 Anthony Montagnese, Covered Bridge Outfitters, [email protected] (440) 320-105
- #24-005 Lucas Smith, What That Vise Do LLC, [email protected] (724) 841-1564
- #24-006 Nicholas DelVecchio, Wildwood Outfitters, [email protected] (724) 433-2315
- #24-007 Nate Miller, Steelhead Alley Outfitters, www.steelheadalleyoutfitters.com (440) 796-6105
- #24-008 Jim Lampros, [email protected] (216) 513-6011
More information on Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Guide Permit requirements, including the permit application, you may check the following link:
<Fishing Guide Permit Program>
Learn how you can support recreation opportunities through a donation to the Cleveland Metroparks
Fishing Fund.