February 2, 2023

***NOTE:  The Fishing Report Blog is back to regular weekly Thursday updates from September-May***  The Rocky and Chagrin rivers are slushy this morning.  Steelhead fishing opportunities could be better into the weekend as we get a bit of a warm up.  Anglers can monitor the most recent river water level and temperature at the following links: <Rocky River flow gauge data><Chagrin River flow gauge data><Rocky River NEORSD station with turbidity>. Trout stocking will be completed at five locations by the end of the week, but ice is currently not safe to walk on (see details below).

Area stream have significant slush and ice formation as of this morning, but conditions may improve into the weekend with a bit of a warm-up forecasted.  You can visit the links above to stay abreast of the latest trend in flow, although be aware that ice formation on the flow gage sensors may lead to erroneous readings.  Anglers this week have been doing well using dime to nickel size spawn bags (in varied colors), 1/32 and 1/64 oz marabou/hair/tube jigs tipped with a few waxworms or maggots, soft or hard salmon egg size beads, and live and salted emrald shiners- all drifted under a float.  Further below I offer some tips for winter steelhead fishing.  The size of the larger fish continues to be outstanding this year, with quite a few steelhead exceeding 30 inches in length in the mix (as evidenced several of the images below).  A good number of steelhead have migrated well upstream in the Rocky and Chagrin rivers, as well as others streams, with fish being well distributed throughout the watersheds.  As a tip, when other area streams are slushy the Cuyahoga River tends to ice up more slowly and may be worth your time to explore.

On Monday we stocked Wallace (1,400 lbs) and Ranger (100 lbs) lakes with the second (and final) round of winter trout and Shadow (750 lbs), Ledge (650 lbs) and Judge's (100 lbs) lakes are scheduled to recieve fish tomorrow. These stocking locations and quantities are a duplication of the 3,000 lbs of trout stocked back in mid-December. The majority of the fish are 1 lb rainbow trout, but a good number of golden rainbow, brown, brook, and even some tiger trout and another sigle albino brook trout (stocked at Wallace Lake). 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 often bite well on colorful dime size balls of Power Bait dough, a waxworm or two on a small marabou or tube jig, and jigging spoons. The ice on local lakes is not safe to walk on at this time, but anglers can target these fish through the thin ice from the safety of fishing docks/platforms a nd areas where the shoreline slopes more rapidly into deeper water (being an old sandstone quarry, Wallace Lake offers various areas where shoerline ledges are good for doing this).

Thank you to Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders and the Ohio Division of Wildlife for your Support.  Thank you to the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders for awarding Cleveland Metroparks a check for $3,794.37 to support our family and children's fishing events throughout the year.  The funds were acquired through an Ohio Division of Wildlife grant program.  OCBS is a great club that hosts fun and informative monthly events and speakers, and is also involved with local stream conservation and angler access efforts.  Folks can attend a meeting without being a member if they wish to feel out the club before joining, too.  More on the group and their upcoming events here: <OCBS website>.

Tips for Steelhead Fishing in Cold Winter Conditions.  Below are some tips that may help anglers who are struggling to find steelhead fishing success this time of year.  A temperature plunge in winter can definitely slow things down (and usually does).  But I've caught lots of steelhead through slush in rivers and ice fishing harbors, so it never can be too cold.  Here's my strategy:

• SLOW things down, fish so you are very near the bottom, and cover an area more thoroughly than you would when it's not so cold (repeated drifts through holding areas)
• Scent helps.  Bait usually produces best in really cold winter conditions or can be applied to artificials
• Expect bites to be very light at times.  Downsize gear accordingly and set the hook if your float or stike indicator does anything out of the ordinary at all
• Sometimes getting out after the sun warms the water a few hours can be productive
• When fishing in slushy conditions, concentrating all your slit shot within a foot of the offering can help get it down to the fish better (this is called bulk shotting) or put bait on a jighead instead of a plain hook
• You will fish best if comfortable.  Layered clothing, a warm hat, footwear/waders with feet with space for some air and warm socks, and rag wool fingerless gloves provide some warmth even if wet.  Also, a thin pair of latex or nitrile gloves can even help yet dexterity remains.

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 already covered.

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