January 21, 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 and given the dry forecast that can be expected to continue 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 and Ranger lakes were stocked with 1,500 lbs of mixed trout this morning and Shadow, Ledge and Judge's lakes are scheduled to recieve trout mid-next week.

The Rocky River and other area streams are offering low and clear water conditions and given a cold and dry forecast that can be expected to continue through the weekend.  Anglers this week are employing finesses techniques in the clear water and 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 to lighter 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.  As another tip, the Cuyahoga River has a big watershed and maintains a good flow even under dry conditions and exploring it is ideal at such times.

This morning we stocked 1,400 lbs of trout at Wallace Lake and 100 lbs in Ranger Lake.  Shadow, Ledge and Judge's lakes will be stocked mid-next week.  These fish conmplement a total of 3,000 lbs of trout stocked in the sma elakes in December. 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 were in the mix.  A few trout remain at Ohio & Erie Canal from stocking in October, as well.  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 thin ice is present over much of 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.

Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS) seeks YOUR input and involvement!  Cleveland Metroparks and partners are creating a community-focused resiliency plan for the eastern Cleveland lakeshore that will Embrace the Lake as an asset for future generations. The year-long study will focus on leveraging nature-based solutions to improve the environment, reconnect communities to the lake, enhance public health and wellness, bolster the economy, and improve aquatic and terrestrial habitats. We will be working with partners, stakeholders, and the community to identify priorities and interventions to improve resilience in the study area and adjoining neighborhoods. Preliminary technical design will explore project feasibility and advance select project components towards implementation.  Learn more about the project, how to get involved and/or take the survey <here>.

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

 

Ray proudly reported on Tuesday "Got my little sister, Ari, on her first steelhead this morning on a white jig!" (photo courtesy of Ray Porter).




Justin caught a limit of trout on Monday using jigs and waxworms at Ledge Lake.  He caught a standard rainbow trout (bottom fish), brook trout and golden rainbow trout (photos courtesy of Justin Kalas).




Mark caught some fresh steel in the Chagrin River this week, including a 30" brute (photos courtesy of Mark Warren).




Sean is new to river steelhead fishing, but he's learning quick! (photos courtesy of Sean Johnson).



Jarred caught a fine steelhead late last week (photo courtesy of Jarred Bugg).




Fred scored a dandy pair of Rocky River steelies on Monday (photos courtesy of Fred Mieser).




Greg scored a pair of fresh hen steelies in the Rocky this week (photos courtesy of Greg Palka).




Nick landed a few steelies in the Rocky River this morning (photos courtesy of Nick Zarzeczny).










Ross and friends put the smackdown on the Rocky River steelhead on Monday (photos courtesy of Ross Bailey).






Brad always seems to find some gorgeous steelies in our local streams no matter the conditions (photos courtesy of Brad Gardner).



Over the extended weekend we headed north to Wisconsin to find some decent ice and Elizabeth landed this MONSTER brown trout.  The secret (she says) is her lucky brown trout hat- as seen in the picture.