Fishing Report - January 21, 2010

Published Jan. 21, 2010 at 3:23 p.m.

Rocky River was named one of the “150 Best Places to fish in America” in the June 2007 issue of Field and Stream magazine

***January 27, 2010, update:  This afternoon trout were released into Shadow Lake (400 lbs), Judges Lake (300 lbs) and Ledge Lake (200 lbs).  Although any remaining ice is unsafe to walk on, anglers can target these fish from fishing platforms and docks around the lake through the thin ice.  The Rocky River is still elevated and muddy, but should be at a fishable level in the next day or two, although it will likely be slushy again soon given the forecasted temperatures.***

***January 25, 2010, update:  This morning trout were released into Wallace Lake (800 lbs) and Ranger Lake (100 lbs).  The Rocky River is very elevated and muddy and will be at least several days until it approaches fishable conditions again.  When it does drop into shape again anglers can look forward to a fresh run of steelhead to be available.***

The fishing conditions on the Rocky River have improved drastically this week, with the water currently exhibiting a nice green stain and moderate flow.  The river is almost completely clear of thick ice, but there was quite a bit of slush and some thin shelf ice forming in the river as of this morning.  I expect the slush to burn off by afternoon.  Looking at the extended forecast the lows are largely projected to be above freezing, though, so slush and ice should be much less of an issue in the coming days.  Continued melt-off and possible rain, though, could cause the river to muddy again.  Anglers would be wise to monitor the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link, especially during transitional weather:    (note: icy winter conditions can sometimes make flow gage readings inaccurate)

Anglers out on the Rocky yesterday experienced some of the best steelhead fishing in the past month.  An appreciable run of fresh adult and skippers have moved into the northern river reaches to complement the darker fish that were already in the system prior to the thaw.  Anglers were catching fish primarily on brighter egg sacks yesterday, although as the river clears other baits such as jigs with maggots, minnows, and flies should begin working progressively better.  Steelhead are well distributed throughout the system overall.

Cleveland Metroparks plans to stock the second installment of winter trout in our lakes and ponds next week.  This will complement the 1,800 pounds of trout stocked in late December.  The ponds/lakes stocked include:  Wallace Lake (800#), Shadow Lake (450#), Ledge Lake (250#), Judges Lake (200#), and Ranger Lake (100#).  There was a very good size diversity in this last shipment of trout, ranging form about ¾ of a pound up to 3-4 pound broodstock trout (and everywhere in between).  To add a bit of holiday spice to the mix, the trout supplier plans to include a few dozen golden rainbow and brown trout in the shipment next week.

Overall, fishing has been reported as slow to fair this past week, with the best bite being reported in the very early morning at first light by several anglers and the bite shutting down as the sun comes up.  This was a similar scenario to last winter, when the stocked trout didn’t  really start to bite well until late January and early February.  Many of the fish have been caught on jigging spoons, such as Swedish Pimples, fished very shallow (between 1-3 feet of the surface).  These trout typically also bite well under the ice on small jigs tipped with a few maggots suspended under a small float and Power Bait fished near the bottom.  In light of the recent thaw, be especially careful of checking ice thickness and integrity before venturing out on our frozen lakes (a minimum of 3-4 inches of solid ice is required for foot traffic).

Local Business Highlight:  Erie Outfitters.   Erie Outfitters has become a regional hub among river steelhead anglers and Lake Erie anglers alike.  This is for good reason; owner Craig Lewis offers outstanding customer service which has gained him a particularly loyal following.  He was also a leader in the centerpin revolution (a specialized type of float fishing) that is sweeping our area.  Additionally, Craig was the center of the Great Lakes nucleus of anglers who helped the G. Loomis rod company produce their cutting edge GLX series float rods.  The fact that Craig can spin a yarn with the best of them hasn’t hurt his business, either!  Local anglers, especially those on the west side of Cleveland , should check out Erie Outfitters' comprehensive stock of steelhead river fishing and Lake Erie trolling gear.  They can be found on the web at:   

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 md@clevelandmetroparks.com .

Good Fishing,

Mike

 

Joe made a rare catch on the Rock late last week; a 23 inch brown trout.  This fish was most likely a stray from the NY Lake Erie program, and I expect to see more brownies stray into our rivers as the newly initiated PA brown trout program in Lake Erie blossoms (photos courtesy of Joe Shaw).

 

Dan had a great day on the lower Rock yesterday, going 8 for 10 on a mix of fresh chromers, like the one above, and darker fish (photo courtesy of Dan McCutcheon).

 

Brian was having a slow day ice fishing Wallace Lake Monday until he switched from a silver to a gold reflective Swedish Pimple jigging spoon, after which point he quickly hooked two nice rainbow trout.  Both fish were taken within one foot of the surface, which has been a common theme lately.

 

Local veteran Al had a great day on the Rock yesterday, too, landing 14 steelies.  He reports about a 50/50 mix between adult fish, like the chromer above, and skippers (photo courtesy of Al Katigbak).

 

Congratulations to Chris Koch on catching his first steelhead on his new centerpin float rig!  (photo courtesy of Joe Shaw).

 

Adom also experienced success on the Rocky yesterday (photo courtesy of Adom Mehwald).

 

Julio was yet another angler who struck silver on the Rock on Wednesday (photo courtesy of Julio DeJesus).

 

A sled is of great assistance to carry one's gear when ice fishing our small lakes.

 

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Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund

Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund helps provide a rewarding fishing experience to Northeast Ohio anglers through the stocking of rainbow trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and other sport fish. The Fund also supports children's fishing derbies and creation and restoration of essential habitat in the ponds, lakes, and rivers within Cleveland Metroparks.


For more information or to make a gift to Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund, please contact:

Karen J. Kannenberg, CFRE
Manager of Gift and Donor Development
Cleveland Metroparks
4101 Fulton Parkway
Cleveland, Ohio 44144
216.635.3217
kjk@clevelandmetroparks.com

 

 

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