January 14, 2021

In winter steelhead trout are the highlight species targeted by anglers in area rivers. The Rocky River and other streams are currently exhibiting low and clear water conditions but  given rain in the forecast that could change 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).

The Rocky River and other area streams are offering low and clear water conditions, but rain forecasted tomorrow could change that.  Anglers would be wise to check the flow data at the links above before heading to the rivers.  Anglers this week are catching 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 our current clear water conditions downsizing tolighter 6 pound flourocarbon leader and drifting 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 catch the most fish, as do nymph and streamer flies.  In stained water brightly colored (neon pink, orange and chartreuse) dime to nickel size spawn bags under a float will take the most fish.

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.  The second (and final) round of winter trout are scheduled for the last two weeks of January.

A crust of thin ice remains over our inland lakes and ponds and 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.  

Cleveland Metroparks Showcase of Aquatic Ecology, Monitoring and Management Presentation   Five Cleveland Metroparks staff (myself included) recorded a presentation highlighting our aquatic work with an emphasis on volunteer opportunities.  Interested folks can view the 46 minute recorded presentation at this link: <Aquatic Showcase Presentation>.

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
 

William proudly reports that his 13 year old son has been outfishing him on the Rocky River lately (photos courtesy of William Boyle).






Jim shared shis week "Happy New Year to you.  Some great fishing conditions out there on the Rocky right now.  Landed some nice chromers over the weekend.  The white and pink spawn sacs were the ticket.  Anglers were also hitting on jigs and beads.  Really impressed with the health of the fish population this season, most of the fish I catch are pristine and quite chunky!" (photos courtesy of Jim Gronowski).





John did some searching on the Rock this week and it paid off when he found a nice pod of fresh steelies (photos courtesy of John Burkhart).





Nick and Alex found some willing Rocky River steelhead this week (photos courtesy of Nick Zarzeczny).



Ken likes fishing crankbaits for steelhead.  Frustratingly, the steelhead were just bumping his Rapalas this week.  So he experimented and tried a Flatfish plug instead and two steelhead quickly committed to the wide wobbling bait (photo courtesy of Ken Stein).



Nick scored this nice fresh hen in a creek when the main rivers were elevated and muddy (photo courtesy of Nick Kosiba).






Billy has been smashing the Rocky River steelies on small marabou jigs drifted under floats (photos courtesy of Billy Szabo).




Jimmy proudly wore his Cleveland Browns hat on the river this week- and the steelhead approved (photos courtesy of Jimmy Miranda).




Mike had a great outing on the river this week (photos courtesy of Mike Sekerak).



Another very colorful, chunky buck steelhead (photo courtesy of Ken Harper).