As we move into mid fall, 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, accordingly, but this will likely change with rain in the forecast into the weekend. 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 at the moment, but that could very likely change with more rain in the forecast the next few days. Lots of fallen leaves in the water have added another challenge for anglers. Fresher steelhead are being taken in the northern river reaches, such as around the marina and river mouth, although fish with some color (meaning they've been in the river longer) have been observed all the way up to Berea Falls on the East Branch Rocky River this week. Pods of steelhead are present throughout the system, primarily in deeper holes given the current conditions. A few fish have even been reported spawning further upstream. The Chagrin River has been fishing well this week. Skippers (smaller 15-18" steelhead) are beginning to show 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. There are an increasing number of minnows in the northern river at this time, which draw in feeding steelhead.
The shoreline fishing at E55th and E72nd accesses has been good this week and will only get better later 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 are currently 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, boating anglers have been chasing yellow perch and night walleye. Yellow perch have not exhibited a consistent pattern lately, but some anglers have reported good catches in 40-50' off the stadium and Edgewater Park, 38-48' off Gordon Park, and 45-52' 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 stickbaits around E72nd. 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>.
Saying Goodbye to a Fishing Friend. Over the years many local anglers had the fortune to meet Jay Monday fly fishing the Rocky River, often alongside his brother Armand. He was always friendly to other anglers and cheerful to be out enjoying the river?�+s bounty. Jay passed on October 26th after a long battle with cancer. He kept fishing until the end, and I was very pleased to catch up with him at the Steelhead Expo last month. Jay had a touching service, where his brother Armand provided hand tied flies to his friends, who in turn pinned them to Jay?�+s fishing vest as they said a final farewell. I have provided a few photos of Jay below, including a colorful trophy Rocky River buck steelie he caught in the recent past.
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
Chris caught this bonus chinook salmon in the Rock this week. The 36?��, 15 pound salmon was hanging out with a smaller hen salmon and hit a black jig right in front of Chris and a surprised friend. Note the black inside of the mouth found on a king salmon, unlike the white inside mouth of a steelhead (photos courtesy of Ken Harper).
DeAngelo and a friend had a great week of casting Husky Jerk crankbaits for walleye at E72nd after dark (photos courtesy DeAngelo Williams).
Fabio and Yuriy swung up some nice Chagrin River chrome this week. Fabio has been doing well with a Senyo Artificial Intelligence spey pattern (photos courtesy of Fabio Malaspina).
Steelhead are the main draw at E55th breakwall this time of year, although other species are biting, too, as evidenced by the extra jumbo yellow perch in the top image caught on Tuesday.
Frank had a great day on the Chagrin recently, hooking seven steelies on spawn (photos courtesy of Frank Filippelli).
In this installment of Know Your Fish, can you name the specimen held here by BW professor Tyler Lawson which was sampled at Edgewater Marina on Tuesday ? Please enter your guesses in the comments section, and I?�+ll post the answer there in a few days.
Local angler Jay Monday, who passed on October 26th, will be missed by many folks on the river (photos courtesy of Armand Monday).
Eagle Scout candidate Brandon Longstreth from troop #424 designed and constructed 5 fish attraction structures as part of his community project. I assisted him in sinking them just off the south sitting bench at Acacia Lake last Friday. He will also be installing two fishing line disposal/recycling units at the lake. The effort was a collaboration between Brandon/Eagle Scouts, the <Ohio Clean Marina Program>, and Cleveland Metroparks.
On Tuesday we met with a Baldwin Wallace University biology class as OSU professor Dr. Justin Chaffin discussed harmful algae and nutrients in Lake Erie. We then proceeded to sample water chemistry and plankton at Edgewater Marina and Wallace Lake so that students could compare and contrast results between Lake Erie and an inland lake.
John caught several fine steelhead in the Rock on spawn this week (photos courtesy of John Fay).
Over the past week we transferred several hundred quality size gamefish from Metroparks golf course ponds to our public fishing areas.
Thank you to Bob Lamb/Olmsted Falls Historic Society, Tom Krause, Brian Katigbak, and Dave Mitskavich for donating beautiful sportfish mounts to Cleveland Metroparks, several of which are pictured here. The walleye (3), yellow perch (2), smallmouth bass, and steelhead will be displayed at our Lakefront facilities when they reopen in spring 2015.
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.