***The Fishing Report Blog is updated every Thursday*** The Rocky and Chagrin rivers have significant slush and ice present, but in areas where anglers find open steelhead are being caught. Anglers can check the flow and temperature data at the following links:
<Rocky River flow gage data><Chagrin River flow gage data> <Rocky River NEORSD station with turbidity>. Mixed trout were recently stocked at five locations with more on the way scheduled for next week (details below).
Cold temperatures and heavy snow this week lead to slusg and ice formation in our streams, making steelhead fishing more challenging. Persistent anglers who found open water this week reported success drifting dime size spawn sacks, 1/64 to 1/16 oz marabou jigs tipped with maggots, and salmon egg mimmicking beads under floats. Slowing down and fishing areas more thoroughly can pay off for sluggish winter fish. Despite not being stocked directly, steelhead are also available in the Cuyahoga River, which freezes up notably more slowly than our other streams and is a good bet under our current conditions.
Anglers casting off the rocks and breakwalls at Edgewater Park, E55th/E72nd, Wildwood Park and Wendy Park continue to have opportunities to catch steelhead- although the walleye have migrated to the western basin of Lake Erie for winter. A bobber with a 1/32 oz jig tipped with minnow or maggots suspend 3-6 feet below is also a good producer in the aforementioned areas. A nightcrawler suspended under a bobber on a bare hook can also work well. A longer noodle rod is best for fishing floats. Be especially careful of icy conditions along the shoreline rocks and breakwalls, with ice cleats and a long landing net being good investments. Our boat ramps currently have varying degrees of ice present and ice fishing opportunities for steelhead, northern pike, yellow perch and sunfish could be happening in the forseable future.
On Friday December 17th and Tuesday December 21st we conducted our first round (of two) scheduled winter trout stockings. This consisted of a total of 3,000 lbs of trout distributed as follows: Wallace Lake (1,400 lbs), Shadow Lake (750 lbs), ledge Lake (650 lbs), Ranger Lake (100 lbs) and Judge's Lake (100 lbs). The majority of the fish were 1-1.5 lb rainbow trout, but a good number of brook, brown, golden rainbow and even some trophy tiger trout (a brown trout x brook trout hybrid) 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. The trout can bite well on colorful dime size balls of Power Bait dough, a waxworm ot two on a small marabou or tube jig and jigging spoons. The second (and final) round of winter trout stocking is tentatively scheduled for next week.
Ice has formed over our inland lakes and ponds recently, with the first few anglers veturing out on the smaller waterbodies. Other anglers are playing it safe until the ice getas thicker and fishing from the safety of shore in areas where the water drops off quickly, such as from docks, other platforms, etc. For those considering ice fishing I offer the following safety 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. The heavy snow this week will serve to insulate the water and slow additional ice formation, as well. A pair of emergency ice picks held at the ready on a cord around the neck are are a safety must, as is am emergency 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. Anybody interested in guiding on Cleveland Metroparks waters in 2022 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 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] .