December 31, 2020

In winter steelhead trout are the highlight species targeted by anglers in area rivers. The Rocky River and other streams are currently elevated and muddy and there is precipitation in the forecast into the weekend.  To monitor the most recent river water level and temperature you can check the following link: <Rocky River flow gage data><Chagrin River flow gage data> <Rocky River NEORSD station with turbidity>.  Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger and Judge's lakes were stocked with a combined 3,000 lbs of mixed trout recently (details offered below).

As can be typical in winter, local streams have exhibited a roller coaster of conditions this week- transitioning from slushy to good conditions to (currently) elevated and muddy.  Given more precipitation in the forecast into the weekend it is tough to preidict conditions, but continued elevated flows on the main streams is likely and anglers should keep an eye on the flow gages before embarking on a New Year trip to the river.  Remember, smaller tributaries are the first to clear and offer decent fishing conditions when flows are up.  During windows of fishable conditions this week anglers have caught a mix of chrome bright fresh steelhead and darker, more colorful fish that have been in the streams awhile.  Most fish have been caught in deeper holes spread throughout the watersheds. In stained water, a brightly colored (neon pink, orange and chartreuse) dime to nickel size spawn bags under a float will take many of the fish.  As water clears downsizing to salmon egg mimicking beads and soft rubber eggs (8-12 mm), small (1/32-1/64 oz) jigs tipped with maggots or live minnows under a float will gain the edge.

On Friday December 18th we stocked 1,500 lbs of trout, with 1,400 lbs going into Wallace Lake and the remainder in Ranger Lake.  These complement the additional 1,500 lbs stocked on December 9th as follows: Shadow Lake (700 lbs), Ledge Lake (650 lbs) and Judge's Lake (150 lbs).  The majority of the fish were 1-1.5 lb rainbow trout, but a good  number of brook, brown, golden rainbow and trophy rainbow trout up to 7 lbs were in the mix.  A fair number of trout remain at Ohio & Erie Canal from stocking in October.  Note: the daily limit at Wallace, Ledge, Ranger and Judge's lakes is 3 trout/angler and the limit at Shadow Lake and the Ohio & Erie Canal is 5 trout/angler.  Winter trout often bite well on a dime size ball of colorful Power Bait dough and small marabou or tube jig tipped with a waxworm or a few maggots and medium size jigging spoons.

A crust of ice has formed over our inland lakes and ponds recently, although not thick enough for ice fishing.  Anglers are currently fishing from the safety of shore in areas where the water drops off quickly, such as from docks, other platforms, etc.  Since ice fishing could be just around the corner, I offer some advice.  Most state conservation agencies recommend at least 4" of solid ice before anglers should venture out to ice fish, and in Cleveland Metroparks it is the angler's responsibility to check that.  One method is to use a spud bar near shore and check the ice thickness, and if it is > 4 inches then walk out a little further and check again.  Ice is often thinnest right at the water's edge and around inlets and outlets of the waterbody.  A pair of emergency ice picks held at the ready on a cord around the neck are are a safety must, as is bringing a length of rope.  A floating "survival suit" is something you may consider, as well.  Other safety tips are to always fish with a friend, let someone know where you'll be, and focus on areas near where other anglers are already fishing.  

Fishing Guide Permit Renewal Reminder.    Please note that 2020 Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Guide Permits expire on December 31, 2020.  Anybody interested in guiding on Cleveland Metroparks waters in 2021 may find a link to the application materials following the photos at the end of this report.  Thank you and may all your clients have fish filled trips into the New Year!

Photo Release Waivers are now Required for Fishing Blog Photos (and are fast and easy to complete online).  Photo release waivers are now required for any fishing blog photos where individuals are identifiable.  It only has to be completed one time per person (and then it's good for any subsequent photos) and there's a super easy and secure online form to do it through Smart Waiver that takes only about 30 seconds to complete.  So please use this link to complete the waiver if you send in any images for there report: <Smart Waiver link>.  Sorry for the slight inconvenience and THANK YOU for all who have contributed over the past 15 years to make this report a fun and personal offering!

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
 

Zach (top photo) took his buddy David, visiting from Brooklyn NY, to Wallace Lake yesterday to catch his first trout ever.  Well done boys!  (photos courtesy of Brian Zaptocky).



Tony scored this gorgeous buck steelhead from the Rocky River on Christmas morning.  The fish is even displaying Christmas colors! (photo courtesy of Tony Cilluffo).

 

Bill reported from the Rocky River  "Last season was the first time I tried steelhead fishing and wasn't able to connect with a single one. I finally landed my very first steelie on 12/23! I hit the river again the next day and was rewarded with a second Christmas present. It was worth the wait! I'm not sure why I waited so long to try it, but now I'm hooked for life!" (photos courtesy of Bill Simsalek).




Chuck has good luck casting small spinners at Wallace Lake before it froze over, even catching a brown trout and big golden rainbow trout (photos courtesy of Chuck Naujoks).






Ken's catches from this week show the variability in coloration you often find among winter steelhead (photos courtesy of Ken Harper).






Billy did well targeting trout at Wallace Lake fishing small jigs through the unsafe ice from the safety of shore.  He caught a nice steelhead in the river this week, as well (photos courtesy of Billy Szabo).





Tom and Pam had a good week, catching a couple steelhead and a brown trout on the fly rods (photos courtesy of Tom Allen).



Brad shows off a beautiful winter buck (photo courtesy of Brad Gardner).

Despite the frigid stream conditions, Nick landed several Rocky River steelhead on Sunday (photos courtesy of Nick Zarzeczny).