September 16, 2021

***NOTE:  The Fishing Report Blog has resumed weekly Thursday updates from September-May***   As we begin our approach towards fall, highlight species targeted by anglers along the Rocky River and other area streams include smallmouth bass, carp, panfish, and channel catfish.  Anglers also noted a modest uptick in the number of early steelhead this week along the Cleveland shoreline and in the northern river reaches. 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>.  Lake Erie anglers are targeting walleye and inland lake/pond anglers are pursuing largemouth bass, channel catfish and panfish. 

With the cooling weather, anglers noted a modest uptick in the number of early steelhead this week.  See some photos of recent catches below as examples.  Good spots to try for early steelhead are off the rocks and breakwalls at Edgewater Park, E55th/E72nd and Wildwood Park and in the northernmost river sections by the lake.  Casting a spoon (ie Little Cleo or KO Wobbler) or spinner (ie Vibrax or RoosterTail) at these locations are as good a bet as any for connecting with an early steelhead trout.  These same areas are beginning to produce a few walleye after dark, as well, with Perfect 10 and other shallow running stick-style crankbaits working well.

White and yellow perch, channel catfish, rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum and various sunfish species can be found along the Cleveland shoreline in late summer and can be caught on offerings such as live bait, tube jigs, and dropshot rigs.  Although not consistent from day to day, white perch and even a few yellow perch have made appearances at the shoreline at spots like E55th breakwall, Edgewater Park and Wendy Park recently, at times in decent numbers, and have been biting on bits of worms or small minnow fished on the bottom on a crappie rig.  The best bite varies but more often than not has been in the morning and late afternoon lately.

Anglers are pursuing a mix of warmwater species in the streams.  Smallmouth bass are the most sought after among them and bite best at the heads of deeper pools in the mornings and evenings.  A dark olive or brown tube jig 3-4" length is one of the best producers of bass in the river.  "Smallies" also bite well on live bait (ie: minnow, crayfish, and leeches), lures (ie: spinners and minnow plugs), and flies (ie: crayfish patterns, Clouser minnows, dark brown or olive sculpin or muddler minnow patterns). 

Channel catfish, carp, sheepshead, white perch and sunfish are also present in some of these same areas in the river, especially around the marina on the Rocky, and fishing for them can be a laid back and relaxing way to enjoy some time on the water.  Catfishing is usually best during lower light conditions using baits such as nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver, and processed dough baits.   Catfish often bite best following a rain when the water is a bit murky.  Carp can often be caught throughout the day on such bait as canned corn, carp dough baits, worms or crayfish tails.  For the angling generalist, any of the species thus far can be effectively targeted by fishing bits of nightcrawler worm right on the river bottom with a crappie rig.

Anglers at our inland lakes and ponds are catching catfish, largemouth bass, and panfish.  Wallace Lake, Ledge Lake, Shadow Lake, and Beyer's Pond are just a few other spots worth poking around in late summer.

Steelhead Expo at the Rocky River Nature Center Saturday September 25th.    After a year hiatus due to the pandemic I am pleased to report that the Steelhead Expo is back and bigger than ever! The event is a great way to kick off the steelhead season and will be held at the Rocky River Nature Center on Saturday September 25th.  This event is a collaborative effort between the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders and Cleveland Metroparks and will offer a full day of expert speakers and seminars, vendors, and other related information to kick off the fall steelhead season. There is no charge for the event but OCBS, a non-profit sportman's group which is very active in the local fishing and conservation communities, is offering a raffle as a fundraiser so donations or participation in the raffle is encouraged.  Location info here: <Rocky River Nature Center>.

Cleveland Fishing Company limited release shirt to benefit the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund.  From now through September 19, Cleveland Fishing Co is offering presale only orders on some cool new designs (see image below as well as at link) where 100% of profits benefit the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund. This is an opportunity for anglers to show their local pride while supporting local public fishing programs- and look cool doing it. Don't miss out- order by Sunday 9/19! Order <here>.

Photo Release Waivers for Fishing Blog Photos (fast and easy to complete online).  Photo release waivers for photos sent in for the fishing report can easily be completed online through Smart Waiver (takes only about 30 seconds to complete) at the following link: <Smart Waiver link>. You only need to do this one time and any future additional photos submitted are covered too.

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

 

Bridget shared this week "Hi!  My first catfish ever!!  Now I’m 'hooked'!".  Incidentally, that is a flathead catfish she caught at Wendy Park pier, which can grow to over 50 lbs in Ohio.  She followed that up with a fine largemouth bass from the Rocky River on Monday.  Hooked indeed! (photos courtesy of Bridget Hill).




Kevin caught his first steelhead of the season on Monday on his first cast fishing along the Lake Erie shoreline.  He caught the fish on a size 4 blue and silver Vibrax spinner.  He then switched Claire over from a spoon to a similar spinner and she caught her first steelhead ever!  Both fish were of quality size too (photos courtesy of Kevin Kertis).





Christian took his little brother and girlfriend to a local stream seeking steelhead- and they scored silver! (photos courtesy of Christian Furlong).



Michael appreciates a good freshwater drum, aka sheephead, which I can respect!  He shared from E55th breakwall on Monday "I'd like to submit the attached photo for the Metroparks Fishing Report. My brother-in-law and I caught 14 large freshwater drum. The largest was 28.5 inches. Five were over 25 inches long. Lot's of fun to catch." (photo courtesy of Michael Dudzinsky).



Carp are a fish that are willing to bite in the middle of a sunny summer day, grow good size and fight good.  What's not to like?  This one was caught on corn in the Rocky River (photo courtesy of Ted Choukalas).



Elizabeth and I accomplished catching our 2 person yellow perch limit from a Cleveland breakwall on Friday afternoon (the limit is now 10 per person in the Cleveland area as of last year).  We were fishing live golden shiners on crappie rigs with 1 oz weights from shore.







Chuck had a very successful kayak fishing outing on the Rocky River north of the boat launch on Monday.  He hooked 4 steelhead, landing 2 (his buddy also lost a steelhead), as well as a legal size walleye, two big channel catfish and a good size white perch.  He just missed accomplishing the rare "Gold, Silver and Bronze Challenge" by one smallmouth bass! (photos courtesy of Chuck Earls).





Cleveland Metroparks Youth Outdoors program has a goal of offering outdoor recreation opportunities to kids in underserved urban areas.  Naturally, fishing is a big part of their programming.  In many cases, staff are treated to the privilege of helping these kids catch their first fish ever!  Above are a few photos from their fishing adventures this week.



From now through September 19, Cleveland Fishing Co is offering presale only orders on some cool new designs (see image above as well as at link) where 100% of profits benefit the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund. This is an opportunity for anglers to show their local pride while supporting local public fishing programs- and look cool doing it. Don't miss out- order by Sunday 9/19! Order <here>.



The Steelheaders Ball is back!  This is a very nice evening that you can take a significant other to even if they don't care about steelhead- and for a great cause! Purchase tickets online at: <Steelheaders Ball tickets>




Key Bank is big on giving back to the community through an annual volunteer program.  They do all kinds of projects around our parks.  Yesterday I was fortunate to have two volunteers assist us in repaired 10 fishing rod racks and re-rig 100 kid fishing poles- all of which have seen "extreme duty" over the years.  Thank you very much Aud (pictured) and Mark!



The Steelhead Expo is back on Saturday September 25th!  See report above for more details.