Rocky River Fishing Report

Rocky River Fishing Report - July 2009

2009-07-02T18:06:43Z

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

(Note: The fishing report is updated monthly in June, July, and August and weekly every other month)

As we move into mid-summer, highlight species targeted by anglers along the Rocky River watershed are sunfish, smallmouth bass, carp, and channel catfish. To monitor the most recent river water level and temperature you can check the following link:

Summer means family fishing time for many folks, and panfish fit the bill perfectly for a leisurely picnic and fishing outing. Bluegill and other sunfish species can be taken with a number of offerings, but a waxworm or redworm on a small hook (or tiny jig) suspended under a stick float and fished around a weedbed or shoreline brush is always a good choice. Wallace Lake, Shadow Lake, and Beyers Pond are just a few of many places in the Park to wet a line for various panfish species.

Smallmouth bass are typically found in the deeper, rocky pools of the river during the day in summer, and often move to the heads of such pools in the early morning and evening hours to feed actively. Hot and sunny mid-day periods typically offer the slowest fishing. A dark olive or brown tube jig of about 4” length is one of the best producers of bass in the river. “Smallies” also bite well on live bait (ie: minnow, crayfish, and leeches), lures (ie: spinners and minnow plugs), and flies (ie: crayfish patterns, Clouser minnows, dark brown or olive sculpin or muddler minnow patterns). There are abundant small to medium sized bass in the river along with a healthy number of trophy fish up to (and over) 20 inches in length. Anglers are always encouraged to release the larger bass so that these fine gamefish can be caught again.

Channel catfish and large carp are ubiquitous throughout the river in summer, and fishing for them can be a laid back and relaxing way to enjoy some time on the water. Channel catfish can also be found in Wallace and Hinckley lakes and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area. Catfishing is usually best during lower light conditions using baits such as nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver, and processed dough baits.

Carp are among the largest fish available to anglers during the summer month, and can often be caught throughout the day on such bait as canned corn, carp dough baits, worms or crayfish tails. A growing contingent of fly anglers looking for a challenge are targeting carp with nymphs and crayfish imitations, as well. The key to fishing for either carp or catfish is fishing on (or very near) the river/lake bottom.

The Lake Erie walleye fishing off Cleveland has been outstanding this summer. Anglers have been catching walleye trolling (and drifting when conditions permit) in Lake Erie off the Emerald Necklace marina in 57’ to 66’ feet of water. Most of the time the fish are suspended in summer; use your depthfinder to determine the depth to fish (set lines slightly shallower than the fish are suspended). Trolling spoons or crawler harnesses behind side planers with 2-3 oz. inline weights or Jet divers has been most productive for most folks, with Dispey Divers also being a productive option.

Cleveland Metroparks wetlands assessment project: What you need to know as an angler. Wetlands perform a kidney-like role within a watershed in that they filter and process sediment and other pollutants from the water. Given this water quality function, sufficient numbers of healthy wetlands in a watershed are of paramount importance in facilitating healthy fisheries in our streams and even Lake Erie. Understanding this, Cleveland Metroparks Natural Resources Division initiated a wide-ranging wetland assessment project during the 2005-6 field seasons. A summary of the findings of this study were accepted and presented at the recent International Society of Wetland Scientists meeting in June 2009, where we received positive feedback regarding the project from colleagues from all over the United States. You can to view the abstract of the research as posted on the Society of Wetland Scientists website.

This was the first of what will be a cyclic effort to routinely monitor the health of our Park District’s wetland resources. This, in addition to the comprehensive headwater stream surveys currently underway, makes Cleveland Metroparks a national leader in biological water quality monitoring, something which we take a great deal of pride in. The full report on the baseline wetland study will be available on the website in the near future for those interested.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Father and son Ken and Alex had alot of fun catching some bruiser Rocky River carp recently (photos courtesy of Ken Harper).

Mark displays a beautiful Rocky River smallmouth bass he caught on a worm (photo courtesy of Mark Kennedy).

Summer panfish fun at Wallace Lake!

A fantastic Lake Erie summer sunset (photo courtesy of Tim Krynak).

An idyllic afternoon of angling in the Park District.

Staff member Jim Spetz shows a group of grade schoolers where NOT to touch a catfish!

Willing biting and strong fighting carp can be found throughout the river in summer.

Some images of summer fun on Lake Erie follow:

Mark (top) and Tim (bottom) can certainly attest to the world class reputation of the Lake Erie walleye fishery.

The pefect place to relax and wet a line at Ledge Lake.

Natural Resources staff member Rick Spence has his hands full of grass carp during a recent fish transfer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Rocky River Fishing Report - June 2009

2009-06-05T14:54:36Z

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

(Note: The fishing report is updated monthly in June, July, and August and weekly every other month)

As we move into summer, highlight species targeted by anglers along the Rocky River are smallmouth bass, carp, and channel catfish. To monitor the most recent river water level and temperature you can check the following link:

Smallmouth bass are typically found in the deeper, rocky pools of the river during the day in summer, and often move to the heads of such pools in the early morning and evening hours to feed actively. A dark olive or brown tube jig of about 4” length is one of the best producers of bass in the river. “Smallies” also bite well on live bait (ie: minnow, crayfish, and leeches), lures (ie: spinners and minnow plugs), and flies (ie: crayfish patterns, Clouser minnows, dark brown or olive sculpin or muddler minnow patterns). There are abundant small to medium sized bass in the river along with a healthy number of trophy fish up to (and over) 20 inches in length. It has been very encouraging to see most anglers releasing the larger bass recently so that these fine gamefish can be caught again. Also, note that all smallmouth bass must be released immediately if caught downstream of the Detroit Road bridge until June 23^rd. Rock bass are also present in the same river areas as smallmouth, and can be caught using the same offerings listed above.

Channel catfish and large carp are also present in some of these same areas in the river, and fishing for them can be a laid back and relaxing way to enjoy some time on the water. Good numbers of channel catfish stocked in May also remain to be caught at Wallace lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area. Catfishing is usually best during lower light conditions using baits such as nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver, and processed dough baits. A highlight at the beginning of this month has been a number of large catfish (to 10 pounds plus) showing up in the northern river reaches near the marina. These larger catfish are moving into the river from Lake Erie on their spawning run. Resident channel catfish are available in the river all summer.

Some very large carp (over 15 pounds) were being caught in the northern river reaches at the beginning of the month, too. Carp can often be caught throughout the day on such bait as canned corn, carp dough baits, worms or crayfish tails. A growing contingent of fly anglers looking for a challenge are targeting carp with nymphs and crayfish imitations, as well. The key to fishing for either carp or catfish is fishing on (or very near) the river/lake bottom.

In addition to the aforementioned species, freshwater drum (sheepshead), white perch, and bullhead catfish are also abundant in the northern river reaches (north of Morley Ford) in early summer. For the angling generalist, any of the species thus far can be effectively targeted by fishing a fat nightcrawler worm right on the river bottom with a sinker.

Summer means family fishing time for many folks, and panfish fit the bill perfectly for a leisurely picnic and fishing outing. Anglers seeking panfish have experienced decent fishing at most of the ponds and lakes in the Park District in the past week. Crappie, bluegill, and other sunfish species can be taken with a number of offerings, but a waxworm or redworm on a small hook (or tiny jig) suspended under a stick float and fished around a weedbed or shoreline brush is always a good choice. Wallace Lake, Shadow Lake, and Beyers Pond are just a few of many places in the Park to wet a line for various panfish species.

Yet another banner season of Lake Erie walleye fishing is again upon us thanks to the many fish available from the productive 2003 spawn, peppered with an impressive sprinkling of large trophy fish up to 10+ pounds. Anglers have been catching walleye trolling (and drifting when conditions permit) in Lake Erie off the Emerald Necklace marina in 39’ to 46’ feet of water. Look for fish to move deeper later into the month. Trolling Stinger spoons or crawler harnesses behind diving planers (Dipsey and Jet divers) has been most productive for most folks.

Kendall Lake Fish Collection and Release into Cleveland Metroparks Waters Project Summary. This is an update and final summary regarding the Kendall Lake, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, fish collection and transfer project (introduced in the Fishing Report back in May). On three dates this spring (April 15 and May 13 & 19) a total of approximately 4,475 sportfish were transferred to various Cleveland Metroparks waters. Based on going rates for largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie at an Ohio fish farm the value of these fish was calculated to be $15,531.25. The specific release locations are not being named to offer these newly transplanted fish an opportunity to acclimate to their new environments and enhance a self-sustaining fishery. Photos from this activity are offered below.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Brandon caught one of the nicest smallmouth I've seen all season by the marina last week. The 17 year old used a tube jig to catch this beauty. Great job, Brandon! (photo courtesy of Allen Reinke).

A youngster fishing at Wallace Lake as a curious turtle looks on.

Some photos from the 2009 Rocky River Clean-up held on Saturday June 6.

A huge "thank you" goes out to the nearly 70 volunteers that joined us, including many local Cub Scouts and anglers.

The following photos detail a recent school fishing outing at Hinckley Lake.

Summer, kids, and panfish definitely go hand in hand!

A beautiful male bluegill in full mating regalia, which illustrates this fish's namesake well!

Although trout fishing opportunities have become increasingly limited into early summer, a few trout can still be found in early June in previously stocked Cleveland Metroparks waters.

The following images detail the final visit of our staff to Cuyahoga Valley National Park Kendall Lake, which is being drained for repairs, to collect/transfer fish to Cleveland Metroparks waters.

All those nice bass, bluegill, and crappie are sure to brighten the days of Cleveland Metroparks anglers at various Park District lakes and ponds.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T20:57:07Z

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

The Rocky River rose in level and muddied following today’s rain. With more rain in the forecast, the conditions will likely remain elevated and stained into the weekend. Anglers can check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good in the river again this week, with a number of trophy bass being reported. A dark brown or olive tube jig about 3-4” (on spinning tackle) or a brown/olive woolly bugger or sculpin streamer fly are great offerings for river smallmouth, and live bait are always another good choice. Minnow style crankbaits and spinners will also produce bass well at times. Anglers are strongly encouraged to gently handle and release any larger smallmouth caught in the river right now, as these fish are in the river to spawn and sustain a fine natural (unstocked) fishery.

Anglers are still catching a modest number of rainbow trout at a number of locations in the Park District. Late season trout have also been biting in deeper holes of the East Branch Rocky River between Royalton Road and the covered bridge, as well as at Ledge, Hinckley, and Wallace lakes. Stocked trout have been biting on Power Bait in brighter colors, small jigs tipped with maggots or waxworms suspended below a float, and small to medium size spinners.

Bluegill, crappie, and other panfish have been biting well around Cleveland Metroparks on grubs or small bits of worm fished below a bobber. Wallace, Ledge, and Shadow lakes and Beyer’s Pond are a few of many places to pursue panfish around the Park District.

Cleveland Institute of the Great Outdoors Fly Fishing Classes. Have you been aspring to take up or better learn the fundamentals of flyfishing? Cleveland Metroparks Institute of the Great Outdoors has two upcoming classes to choose from that suits the bill. Class A is a one day class at Sunnybrook Trout Club with staff from Chagrin River Outfitters learning the basics of fly fishing. This one will be held on June 6 from 9:00am to 5:00pm and is $75.00 (class limit of 12).

The second offering (Class B) is taught by instructor Bill Grake and is an evening class on July 8 from 6:00-9:00pm at Garfield Park Nature Center, followed by an outing to Sunnybrook Trout Club on July 12 from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Cost is $150 ad class is limited to 6 people.

Equipment and lunch will be provided in both offerings, and all you have to bring is your enthusiasm for learning. You may contact Dana Smith at (216) 341-1704 or dfs@clevelandmetroparks.com for more info or to sign up.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Corey caught and released this gorgeous 19" River River smallmouth bass on a swimbait (photo courtesy of Corey Butram).

Pete caught this hefty Rocky River carp on corn this week (photo courtesy of Matt).

This gentleman caught two nice trout fishing worms on the bottom of Ledge Lake the afternoon of this report.

Geoff caught this trophy 21" Rocky River smallmouth on his favorite lure: a perch colored Rapala Shad Rap. Incidentally, Geoff serves a General Curator at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (photo courtesy of Tom Robatin).

"Alabama Jim" caught these three nice rainbow trout fishing the East Branch Rocky River this week.

Stan caught and released this fine Rocky River smallmouth (top photo) on a rubber crayfish soaked in bass attractant oil (bottom photo).

Nice job Stan, and thanks for releasing that fine smallie!

One of my employees brought me these "mystery teeth" late last week, which he found along the shoreline of Shadow Lake. Can you figure out what animal they came from? The answer is below (following the three photos).

Those are pharyngeal teeth from the throat of a grass carp, used for shearing stringy aquatic vegetation that they feed upon.

Several photos follow depicting fish collection activities from a non-fishing Cleveland Metroparks pond that were transferred to our public waters for anglers' enjoyment.

Jim had a hard time lifting that hefty bluegill in the bottom image!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - May 21, 2009

2009-05-21T15:16:22Z

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

The Rocky River level is currently low and clear, and given the current weather forecast not much should change into the weekend. Anglers can check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in the river again this week despite the low, clear water conditions. A dark brown or olive tube jig about 3-4” (on spinning tackle) or a brown/olive woolly bugger or sculpin streamer fly are great offerings for river smallmouth, and live bait are always another good choice. Anglers are strongly encouraged to gently handle and release any larger smallmouth you catch in the river right now, as these fish are in the river to spawn and sustain a fine natural (unstocked) fishery.

Anglers have reported fair to good success this week fishing for rainbow trout and channel catfish (stocked a few weeks ago) at Wallace Lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area. Late season trout have also been biting in deeper holes of the East Branch Rocky River between Royalton Road and the covered bridge, as well as at Hinckley Lake. One successful tactic anglers have been using for trout at Wallace Lake lately has been to cast out a minnow type streamer fly or small jig several feet below a clear casting bubble bobber and bring it back with a fairly quick retrieve. Stocked trout have also been biting on Power Bait in brighter colors and small spinners.

Lake Erie boating anglers out of the Emerald Necklace Marina have been making some limit catches of good size yellow perch on the east side of Cleveland in 30-40' FOW, as well as hooking up with walleye trolling crankbaits along the city shoreline at dusk and right after dark. Smallmouth bass are also available, along with sheepshead, for anglers focusing on jigging the artificial reefs off Lakewood with tubes and dropshot rigs.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derby Photos. Sean Swatsky of www.flyandfloatfishing.com has again graciously taken the time to post all our spring fishing derby photos at a separate link for folks to enjoy. Please check them all out at the following link:

Good Fishing,

Mike

Two young lads pose with a beautifully colored spring bluegill from a Park District pond.

Tomoaki saved the best for last (of the season), catching this magnificent 33" Chagrin River buck steelie on a yellow sucker spawn pattern on his flyrod. Nice work, Tomoaki! (photo courtesy of Tomoaki Ogino).

Garry knows how to have a good time chasing carp on the flyrod, as highlighted by this fine Rocky River golden bruiser (photo courtesy of Garry Zimmerman).

This young angler scored a white bass and scrappy carp fishing near the marina this past weekend.

The following photos were taken at the 18th annual Ken Mantkowski Memorial Fishing Outing at Ledge Lake this past Saturday:

Thank you to the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Central Basin Steelheader, and Grand River Tackle for assisting Cleveland Metroparks in putting on this fine event.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - May 14, 2009

2009-05-14T19:29:08Z

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

The Rocky River level is currently fairly elevated and muddy due to recent rain, but was still fishable at the time of this writing. Anglers planning a trip would be wise to check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in the river this week. A dark brown or olive tube jig about 3-4” (on spinning tackle) or a brown/olive woolly bugger or sculpin streamer fly are great offerings for river smallmouth, and live bait are always another good choice. Please consider gently handling and releasing any larger smallmouth you catch in the river right now, as these fish are in the river to spawn and sustain a fine natural (unstocked) fishery.

There are still a modest number of steelhead available in the river, but their numbers seem to dwindle by the day. This latest rain will likely push those remaining spawned out fish from the river, but may entice a final few fresh ones to come in. For all intents and purposes, though, the steelhead run is pretty much done for the year.

Anglers have reported good success this week fishing for rainbow trout and channel catfish (stocked for the recent children’s fishing derbies) at Wallace Lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area. Another trout “hot spot” has been on the East Branch Rocky between Royalton Road (Route 82) and the covered bridge in Mill Stream Run Reservation (where they have been stocked throughout the spring season. Trout have been biting at Hinckley Lake, as well. Stocked trout have been hitting well on Power Bait in brighter colors and small spinners.

Virginia Kendall Lake Fish Collection and Release into Cleveland Metroparks Waters. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has decided to drain Virginia Kendall Lake for dam repairs and dredging. I have worked out an arrangement with their folks in which we can collect and transfer the fish in that lake to our Cleveland Metroparks waters (rather than letting them go to waste). On two dates thus far this season (April 15 and May 13) we have electrofished the lake and transferred a running total of approximately 2,000 sunfish, largemouth bass, and white crappie to our public waters. See the photos below detailing this activity. We plan to revisit the lake another time or two to obtain the remaining fish, which will be detailed in this report in the future.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Gabby shows off a beautiful Wallace Lake bluegill (photo courtesy of Scott Bendler).

Adom caught this 10 pound 6 ounce trophy channel catfish in the Rocky River (photo coutesy of Adom Mehwald).

Allister caught this fine buck steelhead this week (photo courtesy of Andrew).

David is still catching steelhead in the Rocky, too, including this beauty (photo courtesy of David Mullins).

Ken caught and released this 20.5 inch trophy smallmouth in the Rocky (photo courtesy of Ken Johnson).

A historic photo of an angler fishing the Rocky River. Can you guess that ford? (photo from Cleveland Metroparks archives).

The Rocky River eagle nest is doing well (photo courtesy of Tamara Lauschin).

A few photos form the Virginia Kendall Lake fish collection and transfer detailed in the text of the report:

We'll be back there soon for more.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - May 7, 2009

2009-05-07T17:25:56Z

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

The Rocky River level is currently fairly elevated and muddy due to overnight rain. The cooler weather this week has extended the spring fishing season. Given the rain throughout the current weekend forecast I would not expect river conditions to change much for the weekend. During changing weather patterns anglers can check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:

The cooler weather this week has served to extend the steelhead fishing season in the Rocky River. of steelhead trout in the Rocky River. Anglers reported fair to good steelhead success over the past week, with most of the fish being spent (spawned out) trout with a small number of fresh ones mixed in. Expect steelhead number to continue to dwindle into the coming week.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in the river this week. A dark brown or olive tube jig about 3-4” (on spinning tackle) or a brown/olive woolly bugger or sculpi streamer fly are great offerings for river smallmouth, and live bait are always another good choice. Please consider gently handling and releasing any larger smallmouth you catch in the river right now, as these fish are in the river to spawn and sustain a fine natural (unstocked) fishery.

Anglers have reported good success this week fishing for rainbow trout and channel catfish (stocked for this past weekend’s children’s fishing derbies) at Wallace Lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area. Another trout “hot spot” has been on the East Branch Rocky between Royalton Road (Route 82) and the covered bridge in Mill Stream Run Reservation (where they have been stocked throughout the spring season. Trout have been biting at Hinckley Lake, as well. Stocked trout have been hitting well on Power Bait in brighter colors and small spinners.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Congratulations to 9 year old Dorian on catching this brute 13 pound 8 ounce trophy steelhead in the Rocky River. Her father said this beauty was the first one she landed this season (but was one of ten she hooked) and she is learned an important life lesson during that process: that persistence pays off! (photo courtesy of Rick Pichola).

This 28" steelie is 7 year old Caleb's first, caught on a black woolly bugger in the Rocky. Great job young man! (photo courtesy of Bradley Wagner).

Jeff and his girlfriend Sam have been catching some beautiful steelhead, as well as a few bonus smallmouth bass, on the Rock this week (photos coutesy of Jeff Petrow).

A gorgeous pumpkinseed sunfish in all it's glory.

Some photos of a few of the happy attendees of our spring children's fishing derbies this past weekend. Check back next week for a link to all the photos from the event.

Thank you to all who came out and enjoyed a wonderful weekend of fishing with us!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - April 29, 2009

2009-04-29T18:54:21Z

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

***May 1, 2009, update: Just a reminder that anglers are not permitted to walk across our golf courses to access the river. You are certainly welcome to fish the river adjacent to our golf courses, but use the river and streamside shoreline to access those areas. Thank you.***

The Rocky River level is currently moderately low and clear. The exceptionally warm weather over the weekend has led to a sharp decline in the numbers of remaining steelhead but the good news is that the warmwater fisheries opportunities are heating up just as quickly. The weekend river conditions will be dependant upon how much of the rain in the forecast we recieve, and wise anglers will check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature before planning their trips:

Three consecutive days of 85 deg F heat has led to a mass exodus of steelhead trout in the Rocky River. Over the weekend, I viewed a number of fish swimming back downstream towards the lake, and have heard similar reports from other anglers. Still, a modest number of spent (already spawned) fish do remain, along with a few fresh fish that have not yet spawned. Expect steelhead numbers to continue dwindling into the coming week.

On the plus side, though, the river warmwater fisheries are gaining momentum just as quickly. During river sampling this morning we turned up many smallmouth bass of all size classes in the Rocky, with a number being of trophy size (see photo below). A dark brown or olive tube jig about 3-4” is a great offering for river smallmouth. Please consider quickly releasing any larger smallmouth you catch in the river right now, as these fish are in the river to spawn and sustain a fine natural (unstocked) fishery.

We also turned up several good size carp, quillback, and golden redhorse suckers that would put up a spirited tussle on the end of any rod. In fact, if you can catch all three of these species in one day you've acheived a rare feat: the Rocky River "Suckermouth Slam"! OK, I admit that I just came up with that last part...but it really is quite an accomplishment for those seeking a worthy challenge. A worm fished on the river bottom will entice any of the latter species. On the other hand the larger lake-run white suckers were pretty much gone from the areas where they were formerly concentrated, having finished spawning and heading back to the lake. Expect a some large channel catfish to begin running up the northern river reaches from Lake Erie soon, as well.

Anglers have reported excellent success overall this week fishing for stocked rainbow trout at Cleveland Metroparks in Wallace and Hinckley lakes and the East Branch Rocky. Tomorrow Cleveland Metroparks plans to release the final 400 pounds of rainbow trout of the season into the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford downstream of the covered bridge. Stocked trout have been biting best on Power Bait in brighter colors and small spinners.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies May 2 and 3. The highly popular Spring children's fishing derbies are coming up on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Details on this free event, complete with prizes for various catches, can be found at the following link: <2009 Children’s Fishing Derbies> Some images from last year’s event can be viewed on the flyandfloatfishing.com site at

NOTE: Wallace Lake and the Ohio Erie Canal fishing area will be stocked for the upcoming children’s derbies and certain areas will be clearly posted as closed to fishing between Thursday morning up until the fishing derby ends on 4:00pm on May 2 (Wallace Lake) and May 3 (Ohio and Erie Canal). Wallace Lake north of the swimming area will be posted as no fishing, but will be open on the southern half. Rangers will be enforcing these closures with a “zero tolerance” policy (citations issued) for those who choose to disregard the clearly posted signs. There are always plenty of catfish and trout left for everybody after the events have ended and the children, many of them fishing for the first time, have caught theirs.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Joanne and Joe have still been catching plenty of steelhead fly fishing the Rocky this week, with a few bonus smallmouth bass in the mix (photos courtesy of Joanne Steinhauser).

Two large smallmouth bass of many we sampled (and released) from the river this morning.

A surprising number of central quillback carpsucker have been turning up in the Rocky this week. Note the long first spine of the dorsal fin which is responsible for the moniker of this fish. This native species, although it looks like a carp, is actually a type of sucker (photo courtesy of Tony N.).

Congratulations to Addison Fry on catching his first steelhead this past weekend (photo courtesy of Scott Heidrich).

Ken caught and released this fine 17" smallmouth bass on Monday on a brown Berkley Gulp rubber crayfish (photo courtesy of Ken Johnson).

John has been capitalizing on the "changing of the guard" in the river from trout to warmwater species, as the following images depict.

Yes, the last photo depicts a smallmouth who tried to eat an egg imitation! (photos courtesy of John Proch).

Dave caught this 28" steelie this week (photo courtesy of David Genco).

Jason Dillinger of Pulse Jigs, one of the sponsors of our Spring Children's Fishing Derbies, ties up these walleye and smallmouth jigs that work great on the artificial reefs off Cleveland in spring and early summer (photo courtesy of www.pulsejigs.com).

Smallmouth this size can be a ton of fun on light tackle (photo coutesy of Stephen White).

A few fresh steelhead are still around, but will continue to decline sharply in numbers into May (photo courtesy of Tony DeLuca).

A trio of curious red fox kits explores the world outside of their den this week (photo courtesy of naturalist Tim Krynak).

An image from the 2008 Children's Fishing Derbies. Make sure to join us this year! More photos from last years event can be viewed at <2008 Fishing Derby Photos>.

A "non-human angler" surveys the waters of the Rocky for fish this week (photo courtesy of Joanne Steinhauser).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky River Fishing Report - April 23, 2009

2009-04-23T21:42:14Z

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

The Rocky River level is currently dropping into perfect fishing conditions, and should only get better into the weekend given the weather forecast. The river is exhibiting moderately high flow with a brownish green stain transitioning to “steelhead green” (as the anglers dub it). The weekend fishing prospects are looking great accordingly, too. During changing weather patterns anglers can check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: (note: the flow gage, which had been malfunctioning recently, was inspected/repaired by a USGS technician yesterday and should again be accurate).

Many anglers have experiencing their best steelhead success of the year over the past two weeks, and this weekend should not disappoint. Anglers have been catching fish on all the standard fare lately, including: spawn sacks (pink and peach colors have been good), suckers spawn flies (cream, yellow, pink, and chartreuse), woolly bugger streamers (in brown and olive), jigs and maggots (see a few highly effective jig patterns in the photos below), and lures (spoons and spinners with some silver and wobbling plugs). This is the time of year to “pick your poison”, as fish are around in good numbers and you can often find some willing to hit your offering of choice. As was the case before this last rise in water level, expect a very good mix of dime bright fresh run fish, spawning fish, and spent (already spawned) fish. Given the way this spring run has been going (off to a late start), I would expect plenty of fish around into early/mid May this year as long as we don’t get a string of extremely hot days.

Anglers have reported excellent success overall this week fishing for stocked rainbow trout at Cleveland Metroparks in Wallace and Hinckley lakes and the East Branch Rocky. Today Cleveland Metropark released 400 pounds of rainbow trout into the East Branch Rocky River, which complements other recent stockings of trout released into Wallace Lake and the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford downstream of the covered bridge this spring. Additionally, the Ohio Division of Wildlife released 2,500 trout in Hinckley Lake and 500 trout in Shadow Lake in April as well.

Stocked trout have been biting best on Power Bait in brighter colors, jigs tipped with maggots, and small spinners (especially in white and silver combinations); but salmon eggs, live minnows, earthworms, canned corn, and waxworms have all accounted for trout over the past few weeks.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies May 2 and 3. The highly popular community kid’s fishing derbies are coming up on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Details on this free event, complete with prizes for various catches, can be found at the following link: <2009 Children’s Fishing Derbies>

A huge thank you goes out to those who sponsor this event, including Jason Dillinger (of > and formerly of Rocky River Tackle) who donated a stack of new fishing equipment for prizes and use at the derbies, the and the Cleveland Fishing Association (both of whom made generous monetary contributions), and <Dick’s Sporting Goods> (who donated $400 in gift certificates for prizes and water bottles to give away).

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

Hannah shows off a beautiful steelie she helped her proud father, Brion, catch. Daddy calls her the "Egg Drifting Princess" (photo courtesy of Brion McCutcheon).

Congratulations to Zack, who caught his first steelie in the Rocky River this past Saturday! (photo courtesy of his father John Jazwa).

Bradley caught this trophy 30.5" 10.2# buck steelie in the Rock this week (photo courtesy of Bradley Wagner).

Marty caught this 22" brown trout in the Rocky River back in late March, which was quite a pleasant surprise (photo courtesy of Marty Kilbane).

It's official, for the first time in likely a century we have a documented and successful eagle nest in the Rocky River valley of Cleveland Metroparks! You can see the fuzzy white head of one eaglet in the lower left frame of the top photo, and the bottom photo depicts the adults feeding a fish to the juveniles (photos courtesy of official ODNR eagle nest monitoring volunteer Lisa Romaniak).

Father and son Brad and Herb experienced outstanding success fly fishing the Rocky River this past Saturday. Above is a photo of one of many they landed (photo courtesy of Brad Falkinburg).

Above are some of the hottest steelhead jig patterns being used on the Rocky River this spring. All were tied by Jason Dillinger, at www.pulsejigs.com (440.331.5380), who is an official supporter of our upcoming Spring Children's Fishing Derbies.

A great blue heron takes flight near the Hinckley Lake boathouse this week.

Richard, from Kansas City, was visiting family in the area this past Saturday and caught this fine steelhead (photo courtesy of William Solar).

Ross (top) and Ross Sr. (bottom) caught these 31" and 29" steelhead, respectively, near where the Rocky splits into the East and West Branch (photos courtesy of Ross Wilber).

Matt, Tim, and Marty (in the photos above respectivley) experienced some fine fly fishing for steelhead on the Rock this past Saturday (photos courtesy of Tim Schulz).

Tony with a gorgeous hen (top) and father and son Ross Wilber and Ross Sr. wtih a magnificent buck (bottom) from the Rock. Tony, who spends as much time on the river as anyone, relays "I’ve been having great success on orange, pink, peach and pearl/white sucker spawn flies. The occasional olive or black wooly bugger will produce as well." You can take that advice to the bank, as Tony's weekly photos indicate! (photos courtesy of Tony DeLuca).

Anglers enjoying a picture perfect spring day boating and fishing at Hinckley Lake.

David with a chrome topedo of a steelie from the Rock (photo courtesy of David Snacki).

Mother and daugther Fran and Julia try there hand at fishing for some Wallace Lake trout.

This 30" hen was the largest of seven Justin caught fly fishing the Rocky on a recent outing. He caught the fish on an orange sucker spawn pattern with a small red bead at the head (photo courtesy of Justin Telep).

Jeremey caught this steelie on spinning gear this past Sunday (photo courtesy of Jeremy).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Rocky River Fishing Report - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T19:44:11Z

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

***April 22, 2009, update: As many anglers have suspected, the flow gage is currently malfunctioning. USGS plans to visit today and hopefully fix the issue. The Rocky River level is elevated and muddy, but some anglers are still fishing for steelhead.***

The Rocky River level is currently elevated and muddy due to recent rain, but is quickly on the drop. The weekend fishing prospects are looking great right now, given no additional precipitation in the forecast until Sunday. During changing weather patterns anglers can check the lastest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: ge data>

Many anglers were experiencing their best steelhead success of the year until the river flooded the week. Anglers can expect a similar scenario as the river conditions again drop into shape. Other good news was a number of very good size steelhead being reported. In the coming days, anglers would be wise to focus on barriers to fish migration upstream which will concentrate these migrating fish. Using larger offerings such as a bright pink or chartreuse spawn bag or sucker spawn fly, black streamers (gives good contrast in muddy water), or a wobbling plug worked slowly are all good bets when the water is elevated and off-colored. As the waters continue to clear into the weekend switch to smaller size and more subdued colored offerings. As was the case before this last rise in water level, expect a very good mix of dime bright fresh run fish, spawning fish, and spent (already spawned) fish.

Anglers have reported excellent success overall this week fishing for stocked rainbow trout at Cleveland Metroparks in Wallace and Hinckley lakes and the East Branch Rocky River (although the former is on the muddy side at the moment). Today the Ohio Division of Wildlife will be releasing 500 rainbow trout in Shadow Lake, which will complement last week’s stocking of 1,200 pounds of catchable rainbow trout released into Wallace Lake and the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford downstream of the covered bridge. Additionally, two weeks ago the Ohio Division of Wildlife stocked Hinckley Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout.

Stocked trout have been biting best on Power Bait in brighter colors, jigs tipped with maggots, and small spinners (especially in white and silver combinations); but salmon eggs, live minnows, earthworms, canned corn, and waxworms have all accounted for trout over the past few weeks.

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

Ron Hayes caught his first steelhead in the Rocky River in grand fashion this past Saturday. The 31" trout (weighing 13 pounds) was caught near the marina on jig and maggots. The trophy trout is at the local taxidermist since Ron is rightfully having it mounted. Nice work Ron! (photo courtesy of Ron Hayes).

Congratulations to father and son Greg and John, who both caught their first steelhead from the Rocky River this past Monday (photos courtesy of Greg Ponchak).

Lowell "Skip" Nault and some buddies made a fly fishing excursion to the Rocky River this past week and they all went home with sore arms. Skip displays a fine 7 pounder from that trip in the photo above. They found the hot fly to be the "Santa's Helper" and the hot bite between 10-11:00am. Skip serves as president of the Clearfork River Chapter of Trout Unlimited: http://www.cfrtu.org/default.asp?LOC=HOME (photo courtesy of Lowell "Skip" Nault).

Dan McCutcheon caught this magnificent 33" 14.9 pound steelie recently (photo courtesy of Erie Outfitters: http://www.erieoutfitters.com/ ).

John has been catching the Rocky steelhead very well the past few weeks, including this 29" beauty (photo courtesy of John Glemza).

Do you remember how in last week's report Justin said he was on spring break and that "those steelhead are next"? Well, to the dismay of the steelhead, Justin and his father made good on that promise as evidenced in the three photos above. Justin found that a chartreuse sucker spawn worked best in the morning, and that a small minnow streamer worked great later in the day (photos courtesy of Justin Telep).

Tony landed this bruiser buck on his flyrod (photo courtesy of Tony LoShiavo).

Joanne and her mentor Joe Schiel experienced some fine steelhead fishing on the Rock on Easter morning. Rumor has it that the steelhead like colorful eggs on Easter, too (photos courtesy of Joanne Steinhauser).

Our old friend Garry sent in this photo of a buck steelhead that he caught twice in one week in the Rock. If you catch him, too, you can just call him "Little Garry" (photo courtesy of Garry Zimmerman).

A few nice smallmouth bass are making a showing in the river right now, including these ones caught (and released) during a Case Western Reserve University Ichthyology class field outing on Tuesday.

A few of the larger trout stocked in Wallace Lake last Wednesday.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Rocky River Fishing Report - April 9, 2009

2009-04-09T13:54:18Z

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

The Rocky River level has risen steadily (and deceivingly) over the past few days due to snowmelt in the southern portions of the watershed. The river was quite fishable yesterday at a flow over 600 cfs, so hopefully we don’t get too much rain in the coming days and the flow crests and begins to drop again. The changing conditions over the past few days illustrates how useful the river flow gage can be for planning a trip, and the lastest trend in flow can be checked at the following link:

I received many reports of good numbers of chrome bright steelhead moving into (and through) the northern river reaches earlier this week. Some lucky anglers who intercepted pods of moving fish experienced fireworks on the end of their line as fresh run spring fish are full of vigor. In the coming days, anglers would be wise to focus on barriers to fish migration upstream which will concentrate these migrating fish. Using larger offerings such as a bright pink or chartreuse spawn bag or sucker spawn fly, black streamers (gives good contrast in muddy water), or a wobbling plug worked slowly are all good bets when the water is elevated and off-colored. Expect a very good mix of dime bright fresh run fish, spawning fish, and spent (already spawned) fish.

This week was also a “Celebration of the Sucker”, with good numbers of anglers focusing efforts on these abundant and fun to catch fish. Large numbers of lake-run white suckers are present throughout the northern few miles of river. This annual migration of good size (14”-18”) fish offers a great opportunity to take a relatively inexperienced angler out to enjoy a great chance at success. Simply fishing a small sinker and hook with a worm or grubs on the river bottom, or slowly working a small leadhead jig, are effective tactics for hooking lots of white suckers. Many anglers also like catching suckers on light flyrods and nymph patterns. Groups of suckers can often be viewed actively spawning in shallow water, and many others will be in the deeper holes.

Anglers have reported excellent success overall this week fishing for stocked rainbow trout at Cleveland Metroparks in the East Branch Rocky River, Wallace Lake, and Hinckley Lake. Yesterday afternoon a large load of 1,200 pounds of catchable rainbow trout were liberated into Wallace Lake and the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford downstream of the covered bridge. Among the trout, three trophy broodstock trout between 4-6 pounds were released in Wallace to make a few lucky anglers’ day. Additionally, last Friday the Ohio Division of Wildlife stocked Hinckley Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout. Cleveland Metroparks will not be stocking next week.

Stocked trout have been biting best on Power Bait in brighter colors and jigs tipped with maggots; but salmon eggs, live minnows, earthworms, canned corn, waxworms, and small spinners have all accounted for trout over the past few weeks.

"Fishin With Major Chuck". Regular readers of the fishing report may recall some images recently submitted by US Army Major Charles “Chuck” Preble of some unique fish caught fly fishing some lakes where he is stationed in Iraq. Chuck was home on leave this week and I had the pleasure of fishing the Rocky River with him for a few hours yesterday morning. Despite non-ideal conditions for fly fishing, the fish gods still smiled and Chuck expertly hooked and landed two fine steelhead early on (see photos below)...hopefully he got a few more after I left for work. Chuck departs for Iraq again today, so I felt especially privileged to spend some of his valuable free time together.

As an illustration of the routine sacrifice folks like Chuck make for our great country, he met his 6 month old son for the first time during this latest visit home (she was born while he was on active duty in Iraq). Yet, you would never know it was a sacrifice at all fishing with Chuck as he is nothing but positive. Make a point of thanking a soldier (veteran or active) that you know and let him or her know that you do appreciate what they selflessly give for their country. Chuck has currently served 18 years with the Army and is additionally an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Akron.

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

Kevin caught this heaping handful of white sucker while fishing the Rocky River with his father (photo courtesy of Konrad Bohm).

Amber caught this silvery hen in the Rock this week (photo courtesy of Sean at www.flyandfloatfishing.com).

Brennon (top), from Minnesota, was in town visiting his friend Tim (below) and they hooked into some fine Rocky River steel fly fishing this past Sunday. Brennon's 30.5" trophy buck came on a nymph, and Tim's beautiful hen munched a black bunny leach. Tim serves as Director of Communications for the Firelands Chapter of the Federation of Fly Fishers: http://www.firelandsflyfishers.org/ (photos courtesy of Tim Schulz).

Eddie (bottom pic) took his younger brother Petey (top) fishing and they caught this sucker and steelhead among their fishy bounty (photos courtesy of Eddie Draganic).

A trio of lady fly fishers from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Trout Club pose for a photo during a recent trip on the Rocky (photo courtesy of Sean at www.flyandfloatfishing.com).

The steelhead have finally carried out their revenge, scoring this Ray and Corey doubleheader this week! Rumor has it that Ray (on the left and still looking suprised) bit on a Cheeto fly and Corey ate a rubber hamburger imitation (photo courtesy of Ray Fierst).

Father and son Jack (top) and Tony (bottom) have shared a lifelong bond as fishing partners. Tony expressed how grateful he is that his father introduced him to fly fishing, which is his now his favorite pastime. Tony relays that he is happy (but just a wee bit jealous) that Dad will be retiring in less than a year and will have more time to fish than he does! (photos courtesy of Tony DeLuca).

Buddies Shawn (top) and Justin (bottom) had a ball catching suckers in the Rocky River this week. Additionally, Justin is still wreaking havoc on the East Branch Rocky River stocked trout population. He's on spring break and warns the fish that "...THOSE STEELHEAD ARE NEXT!!!" (photos courtesy of Justin Telep).

The following images depict US Army Major Chuck Preble fly fishing the Rocky River while on leave yesterday morning (he goes back to Iraq today):

Chuck tied the pink sucker spawn he caught his fish on himself and I thought it was quite appropriate that he used bead chain from his military dog tags to weight them.

Some cool photos of spawning white suckers. Note the heavy stripe the males get, in particular, when spawning (photos courtesy of John Proch).

The latest fly creations from the vice of Chico (photos courtesy of Chico).

An appropriate parting shot...goodbye for this week! (photo courtesy of Sean at www.flyandfloatfishing.com).

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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