Smallmouth bass fishing in the Rocky River has been good lately.  Most fish have been modest in size at about 7”-14”, with a few larger ones being taken.  These fish are great fun on light spinning or fly fishing gear.  Live bait, such as crayfish, minnows, or leeches, drifted along the stream bottom in deeper, rocky areas in morning and evening can work very well.  Fishing artificial lures, such as a 3-4” olive or brown tube jig, can also work well.  Fly anglers often have luck on Clouser minnows, woolly buggers (white, olive, or brown), or even sculpin pattern (which, like tube jigs, are a good imitation of the round gobies that smallmouth often feed upon).

Although I have not personally witnessed any steelhead in the Rocky River as of yet, I have received the very first reports of their presence in the river this past week.  Although the mid-90 degree temperatures we’ve experienced mid-week will not help, the significant rain and cooling temperature into the weekend will set things on track to lure some more very early steelhead into the river. 

Anglers out of the Emerald Necklace Marina have been making good catches of yellow perch off Cleveland this past week, with increasing number of larger fish showing up in their catches.  Some productive spots have been off Gordon and Edgewater parks in about 37-48 foot of water.  Fishing spreaders or crappie rigs near the bottom with live or frozen salted emerald shiners is always the best way to catch a limit of tasty perch. 

Asian Carp Educational Series.    With all the talk about the asian carp in the media, folks who wish to educate themselves further on this issue can check out the series of educational videos called Life Series Investigations:  Attack of the Alien Invaders!  from WVIZ/Ideastream about the issue, what’s being done, and what the future may have in store at the following link:    <Asian Carp Video Series>   

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

Ray caught this beautiful chrome steelhead along the Cleveland shoreline this week (photo courtesy of Ray Fierst).

Brandon shows off a gorgeous 18.5" Rocky River smallmouth bass he caught this week (photo courtesy of Brandon Sebro).

Brad shows off a few Hinckley Lake largemouth bass he caught fishing from his kayak (photos courtesy of Brad Beavers).

Andrew Conroy (top) is a soldier on leave prior to his third tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and his father Owen (bottom) is sergeant with our Rangers.  Both enjoyed a fine evening of Lake Erie walleye fishing with me recently.

Doug recently caught this trophy largemouth bass fishing from his kayak (photo courtesy of Doug Mouat).

A local angler recently found this dead 31" steelie in the northern Rocky River, proving that a few nice fish are around (photo courtesy of David Rankin).

Jim caught this beautiful 17" bass this week (photo courtesy of Dana Deming).

Yours truly caught this jumbo yellow perch, just over 14", on Sunday proving that some larger fish are around. 

We were dismayed to recently find the three African cichlids above in the northern Rocky River during fish sampling.  Do not release ANY aquatic organisms into our waterways...you never know which one may become our next problematic invasive species!

 Rich shows off a good "eater" walleye caught recently on a Reef Runner crankbait the same color as the evening sky.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 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

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

As we move into late-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: <river flow gage data>   

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, deeper holes in the Rocky River, 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.  Anglers looking for a thrilling experience can try fishing medium sized topwater plugs and poppers in the mornings and evenings, which can illicit explosive hits on the surface at times.  “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 few resident 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 found throughout the river in summer, and fishing for them can be a laid back and relaxing proposition.  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 fished right on the bottom with a medium size hook and sinker with just about any type of tackle.

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 rank of fly anglers looking for a challenge are targeting carp with nymphs and crayfish imitations, as well.  The key to fishing for either carp, like with catfish, is fishing on (or very near) the river/lake bottom.

Lake Erie boaters out of the Emerald Necklace marina have been making good catches of yellow perch fishing speaders and live or salted emerald shiners in 35-40 FOW off the Cleveland shoreline.  Walleye trolling has been productive in 70+ FOW north of the city.

Hinckley Lake Fish Community Survey.   On the evening of July 22, a fish community assessment was performed at Hinckley Lake which revealed a good largemouth bass population.  Some images of the bass taken during this survey are offered below, and for an explanation of how we plan to use the data you can check out the following short video clip on the Cleveland Metroparks Facebook page:  <Hinckley Lake Fish Survey>

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

The images above portray some happy young anglers and their catches from a recent kids fishing outing at Wallace Lake.

Brian caught this fine channel catfish using float fishing gear on the Rocky River (photo courtesy of Mike B.).

Jim Lampros forwarded along the photos above, illustrating that the Rocky and Chagrin rivers offer diverse options for fly fishers in the summer (photos courtesy of Jim Lampros at <Orvis Cleveland>).

Dan McCutcheon is keeping busy catching some nice walleye this summer while he awaits the return of steelhead to the Rocky River!

Lowell was fly fishing for warmwater quarry on the Chagrin River recently and was very surprised to hook into this handsome foot long rainbow trout.  It appears to be a wild fish produced from the river (photos courtesy of Lowell Nault).

Speaking of natural reproduced trout, my stream assessment crew recently sampled this juvenile rainbow trout in a small Cleveland Metroparks stream (tributary of the larger river) that was approaching 73 deg F.

The images above illustrate that Hinckley Lake has some nice largemouth bass to offer...even if they aren't always easy to catch.

__________________________________________________________________________________

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



(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: <river flow gage data>    

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, deeper holes in the Rocky River, 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 few resident 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 found throughout the river in summer, and fishing for them can be a laid back and relaxing proposition.  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 fished right on the bottom with a medium size hook and sinker with just about any type of tackle.

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 rank of fly anglers looking for a challenge are targeting carp with nymphs and crayfish imitations, as well.  The key to fishing for either carp, like with catfish, is fishing on (or very near) the river/lake bottom.

Lake Erie boaters out of the Emerald Necklace marina have been making good catches of yellow perch, in terms of numbers and sizes, fishing perch speaders and live or salted emerald shiners in 40 FOW off the Cleveland shoreline.  Anglers working the riprap along the city shoreline have been making good catches of rock bass and various other intermixed species.  Walleye trolling has been good in around 60’ of water north of the city.

Orvis Cleveland offers free Flyfishing 101 classes throughout July.   Just a note to anglers who wish to learn the basics of fly fishing, Orvis Cleveland shop is offering free Flyfishing 101 courses every Saturday in July.  For more information you can contact store manager Jim Lampros at (216) 591-1681.

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

Connor and Tristin proudly display a few of the spunky bluegill they caught in Wallace Lake recently.

Gary shows off a few jumbo perch from his catch in about 42 FOW north of the Emerald Necklace marina.

Congratulations to Jason Brooks on catching what will be the new state record steelhead trout after the paperwork is processed.  Craig Lewis at Erie Outfitters called me last Friday (June 25) because he got word a potential state record steelhead was on its way to his shop and wanted to clarify the record certification process.  I headed over to his shop to confirm the fish size/identity, while on my way half thinking it might be a chinook salmon instead or a large fish not quite exceeding the 20.97 pounds required to break the record...but low and behold the fish was an enormous steelhead of 21.3 pounds (38 inches) on a certified scale.  So the Division of Wildlife was called in and the paperwork was initiated to document a new state record (the last record fish was taken in 1996).  The fish took and orange and purple spoon down about 40' deep in 68 FOW north of Avon Point.  Joe, in the photo, netted the fish for Jason aboard Jason's boat.  Scale analysis revealed the fish to be just over 6 years old, which is on par with the last two record steelhead in Ohio (steelhead only live to be about 7 years old).

And here is the 21.4 pound steelhead I caught later that same day which broke Jason's record.  OK, enough wishful thinking for me...but wouldn't you hold a record fish for a photo op, too, if it was sitting right in front of you?!

Bubba Strauss, a wrestling coach at Rocky River HS, caught these fine walleye out of the Emerald Necklace Marina recently.

 A nice pan sized catfish caught in Wallace Lake recently.

In the photos above Natalie and Alan display some of the specimens sampled during a Wallace Lake fish population assessment this summer.  The information is being used to formulate a Wallace Lake Natural Resources Management Plan, which will be available on the Cleveland Metroparks Natural Resources website in the near future.

This Wallace Lake largemouth bass almost has its crayfish meal all the way down the gullet.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

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



(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, panfish, and channel catfish.  To monitor the most recent river water level and temperature you can check the following link: <river flow gage data>    

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 good number of 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 large carp (some exceeding 15 pounds) can be caught in the northern river reaches throughout the month, as well.  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.

Rocky River Clean-Up Saturday June 5.     The annual Rocky River volunteer clean-up will be held this Saturday June 5 from 9:00-11:30am, to be followed immediately by a “thank you” cookout for our volunteers (food sponsored by the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders).  This is a collaborative effort between caring citizens, Rocky River Watershed Council, Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders, Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, and Cleveland Metroparks.  We will be meeting at 9:00am sharp at the picnic shelter at Scenic Park (near the marina) to form into groups and discuss our plan of attack to clean-up the river.   All are welcome (including children) and please come dressed to possibly get a bit wet and muddy.

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Samuel and Aidan show off a few beautiful Wallace Lake sunfish caught while fishing with their father recently (photos courtesy of Rob Larissey).

This young man caught five largemouth bass during a recent fishing trip on a smaller Cleveland Metroparks lake (photos courtesy of Joyce Smith).

Channel catfish are available in the Rocky River throughout the summer (photo courtesy of Mike B.).

Justin is catching the Rocky River smallmouth bass on black twister tail jigs (photos courtesy of Justin Marconi).

Michael proudly displays a gorgeous Lake Erie walleye caught recently.

A jumbo bluegill caught recently at a Cleveland Metroparks lake.

A local angler got a huge surprise when he pulled this fish out of Shadow Lake on June 1st.  Originally, he thought the nearly foot long fish was a piranha, but in fact it is a very close relative to the piranha known as a red bellied pacu.  The human-like teeth of this largely herbivorious species are quite different than the very sharp, triangular, sharklike teeth of the predatory piranha...although the fish otherwise look very similar. This South American native was undoubtedly released by an owner when it outgrew its aquarium.  To avoid the very real possibility of spreading disease or unwanted species, people should never release any organisms into Cleveland Metroparks which did not come from the park (photos courtesy of Joe Oriti, Bob Hinkle, and Dana Smith).

You all are invited to join us for the annual Rocky River Clean-Up on Saturday June 5 to give a little back to the river that gives us all so much (photo above are some folks from the 2009 clean-up).

 __________________________________________________________________________________

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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com

The Rocky River is currently exhibiting fairly low and clear water conditions.  It doesn’t appear that there will be enough rain in the near future to change those conditions much over the Memorial Day weekend.  Anglers can  keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>     

River anglers continue catching a seasonal mixed bag of smallmouth bass, carp, catfish, sheepshead (freshwater drum), rock bass, and suckers.  A nightcrawler, minnow, or crayfish drifted near the bottom in the deeper holes and runs is a great way to have an opportunity to hook up with any of the aforementioned species.  A four inch dark olive or brown tube jig or similar size/color woolly bugger fly are especially effective offerings for targeting smallmouth bass on artificial lure.

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.

Trout and farm raised channel catfish left over from the spring children’s fishing derbies this past weekend are biting at Wallace Lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area.  Power bait is catching most of the trout, and chicken livers are working well for catfish.  A nighcrawler fished on the bottom is an effective tactic for the equal opportunity angler looking to catch a trout or catfish.  This week will be among local anglers last realistic opportunities to catch a trout before the water gets too warm.

The Lake Erie boating forecast for the holiday weekend is looking promising.   Anglers out of the Emerald Necklace marina have been making some decent catches of  yellow perch in about 40’ of water and walleye fishing is picking up, with some fish being taken closer to shore in the evenings in about 10-25’ of water and others starting to be caught in deeper waters.

Rocky River Clean-Up Saturday June 5.     The annual Rocky River volunteer clean-up will be held on Saturday June 5 from 9:00-12:00, to be followed immediately by a “thank you” cookout for our volunteers (food sponsored by the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders).  This is a collaborative effort between caring citizens, Rocky River Watershed Council, Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders, and Cleveland Metroparks.  We will be meeting at 9:00am sharp at the picnic shelter at Scenic Park (near the marina) to form into groups and discuss our plan of attack to clean-up the river.   All are welcome and please come dressed to possibly get a bit wet and muddy.

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

This young angler caught and released this fine largemouth bass in a Cleveland Metroparks lake recently.

A very happy Ashley caught her first two fish ever in grand style.  First, she caught the gorgeous brown trout in the top photo in a Cleveland Metroparks lake, which was followed soon thereafter by the large rainbow trout in the next photo.  Nice job, young lady!

This young man pulled in a colorful bluegill at a recent school outing at Wallace Lake (photo courtesy of Tim Krynak).

Justin has been catching some fine smallmouth using 3" green tube jigs on the northern Rocky River (photos courtesy of Justin Marconi).

Another nice largemouth bass taken by a young fisherlady in Cleveland Metroparks this week.

The photos above are from the annual Ken Mantkowski handicapped fishing outing at Ledge Lake this past Saturday.

Bob and his wife made a nice catch of trout recently fishing Power Bait on the bottom at Ledge Lake.

Stephen appreciates the multi-species diversity in the Rocky River, and if he's not chasing steelhead and suckers he's looking for panfish such as this handsome bluegill (photo courtesy of Stephen White).

Jim (top) and Fred are still catching some nice trout at Wallace Lake.

Joyce is all about fishing in comfort and style!

Strawberry Pond in North Chagrin Reservation was electrofished yesterday to remove non-native common carp and goldfish.  Although this lake needs to be dredged and offers a marginal recreational fishery, there are a few nice bass there, as exhibited by a few of the photos above (which were returned to the pond).  Several hundered carp and goldfish collected were donated to the Zoo and Lake Erie Nature and Science Center to feed their captive animals.

__________________________________________________________________________________

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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com

The Rocky River is currently exhibiting good fishing conditions, with a light stain and moderate flow.  Given quite a bit  more rain in the current forecast, though, the river will likely elevate and stain into the weekend.  Anglers can  keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>     

River anglers continue catching a seasonal mixed bag of smallmouth bass, carp, catfish, sheepshead (freshwater drum), rock bass, and suckers.  A nightcrawler, minnow, or crayfish drifted near the bottom in the deeper holes and runs is a great way to have an opportunity to hook up with any of the aforementioned species.  A four inch dark olive or brown tube jig or similar size/color woolly bugger fly are especially effective offerings for targeting smallmouth bass on artificial lure.

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.

Trout and farm raised channel catfish left over from the spring children’s fishing derbies this past weekend are biting at Wallace Lake and the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area.  Power bait is catching most of the trout, and chicken livers are working well for catfish.  A nighcrawler fished on the bottom is an effective tactic for the equal opportunity angler looking to catch a trout or catfish.

Now that the lake is settling down, boating anglers out of the Emerald Necklace marina are catching yellow perch in about 40’ of water and walleye in closer to shore in the evenings in about 10-25’ of water.

Thank you for making the 2010 Children’s Fishing Derbies a success!     Thank you to all the families who attended our spring Children’s Fishing Derbies this past weekend.  For the fourth year in a row, we broke our former attendance record, with 2,483 folks coming out to enjoy the day with us.  The weather was perfect both days and plenty of trout, panfish, catfish, and bass were caught by children with smiles as big as their fish.  We could never make this event the success it is without the assistance of all of our top notch volunteers, sponsors, and staff…so a big thank you goes out to you!  A handful of snapshots detailing the event are offered following the report.

Fish-A-Thon to raise environmental awareness.     Local anglers Mark Ward and Eric King are promoting a Fish-A-Thon event at Mosquito Lake to raise awareness about the impacts of discarded fishing line and lead weights on bird life.  To learn more, you can check out the following link:  <2010 Fish-A-Thon> 

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Jay ended his steelhead season recently with this fine specimen (photo courtesy of Armando Monday).

Adam caught these trout at the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area on Power Bait (photo courtesy of Adam Zakarowsky).

The following photos detail scenes from our 2010 Spring Children's Fishing Derbies from this past weekend.

Thanks again to all the children and their families that came out to join us for two wonderful days of fish, smiles, and sunshine!

__________________________________________________________________________________

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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com



The Rocky River is currently muddy and moderately elevated due to recent rain.  Given more rain in the current forecast, this may not change much in the near future.  Anglers can  keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>      

During the limited windows of opportunity that anglers have had to fish the river this week, lake-run smallmouth bass were biting.  A 4” dark brown or olive tube jig or similarly colored/sized woolly bugger fly fished slowly through a deeper, rocky hole is a good way to hook up with these feisty bronze football shaped bass.  Keep in mind, though, that these are the spawning adult fish that sustain this natural fishery…so I strongly encourage catch and release of all larger smallmouth bass this time of year.

River anglers can also expect a mixed bag of other species, including carp, catfish, sheepshead (freshwater drum), rock bass, suckers, and the few remaining steelhead.  A nightcrawler drifted near the bottom in the deeper holes and runs is a great way to have an opportunity to hook up with any of the aforementioned species.

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.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies are coming soon!    Our highly popular annual kid’s fishing derbies are coming up this weekend; Saturday May 15 at the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area and Sunday May 16 at Wallace Lake.  A total of 1,300 pounds of rainbow trout and 1,000 pounds of farm raised channel catfish were stocked in anticipation of this event.  Please note that both locations are closed to fishing to the general public until 4:00pm the day of the respective events and our Rangers are issuing citations for those who ignore the clearly posted signs stating this temporary closure.   Wallace Lake south of the swimming are is still open to fishing (it is only posted as closed north of the swimming area).  For more information on this free event, you can check the following link:   <Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies info>   

I would lake to extend a very special “thank you” to the sponsors of this event, as follows:   Stink’s Bait and Tackle (donation of live bait and many prizes for the kids), Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders ($1,500 donation to our Fishing Fund and several volunteers for the events), Pulse Jigs (donation of many prizes and tackle for the kids), Erie Outfitters (donation of hooks and bobbers), and Cleveland Fishing Association (provide several volunteers to work the event).  Please consider patronizing these fine local businesses and/or joining these great sportsman’s groups that make a point of giving back to the fishing community.

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Nate caught this beautiful 19" smallmouth in the Rocky River at dusk this week (photo courtesy of Nate Adams).

This scrappy largemouth bass hit a Rebel Wee-Craw crankbait at Wallace Lake this week.

Some very large channel catfish migrate from Lake Erie into the Rocky River from mid-May through mid-June (photo courtesy of Mike B.).

Bill caught this fine largemouth bass recently (photo courtesy of Bill Doehring).

A feathered angler at a strategic perch waits patiently for a fish to swim within stiking range at Wallace Lake

Thank you to the <Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders> for supporting our Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund with a $1,500 donation recently.

A total of 1,300 pounds of rainbow trout and 1,000 pounds of farm raised channel catfish were stocked in the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area and Wallace Lake in anticipation of our annual children's spring fishing derbies this weekend.  Among the fish were about a dozen golden rainbow trout and a half dozen albino channel catfish to keep things interesting!

Some photos from the 2009 Spring Children's Fishing Derbies:

Bring a son/daughter, grandchild, younger brother/sister, neighbor kid, cousin, or any other interested child you know and come out and join us this weekend!

___________________________________________________________________________________

 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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com



The Rocky River is now exhibiting good fishing conditions, with a modest stain from the rain last night.  As the steelhead make their seasonal exit anglers are focusing efforts on the usual cast of warmwater species (as outlined in the report).  Anglers can  keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>   

The highlight this week has been lake-run smallmouth bass in the river.  A number of anglers have reported very good fishing for these bronze brawlers over the past week.  A 4” dark brown or olive tube jig or similarly colored/sized woolly bugger fly fished slowly through a deeper, rocky hole is a good way to hook up with these feisty bronze football shaped bass.  Keep in mind, though, that these are the spawning adult fish that sustain this natural fishery…so I strongly encourage catch and release of all larger smallmouth bass this time of year.

River anglers are also catching a mixed bag of other species, including carp, catfish, sheepshead (freshwater drum), rock bass, suckers, and the few remaining steelhead.  A nightcrawler drifted near the bottom in the deeper holes and runs is a great way to have an opportunity to hook up with any of the aforementioned species.

Stocked trout are still being caught around the Park District on Power Bait, corn, worms, and smaller spinners.  Anglers are focusing efforts on areas that have been stocked this year, which include the East Branch Rocky River, Wallace Lake, Hinckley Lake, Shadow Lake, and Judges Lake.

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.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies are coming soon!    Our highly popular annual kid’s fishing derbies are coming up on Saturday May 15 at the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area and Sunday May 16 at Wallace Lake.  For more information, you can check the following link:   <Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies info>   

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Brandon (with hat) and Matt have been taking full advantage of the diversity of the warmwater fishery in the lower Rocky, having caught numerous smallmouth bass peppered with a mix of longnose gar (the one pictured is 32"), sheepshead (freshwater drum), and carp.  Looks like fun!  (photos courtesy of Brandon Aspery).

One of Armando's last steelies of the season was a real bruiser at 33" and 13.5#  (photo courtesy of Armando Monday).

Joanne and Steve had great fun on their last steelhead trip of the season.  During the festivities, Steve (who pulled the giant Easter egg out of the river in last week's report) caught and released this large snapping turtle.  This guy has a real knack for pulling interesting things from the river!  (photos courtesy of Joanne Steinhauser).

Congratulations to Steve (top), who caught his first steelhead under the tutelage of Glenn (bottom) (photos courtesy of Glenn Leppo).

Kyle has enjoyed the transition from steelhead to tackle busting carp in the Rock.  The largest he caught was pushing 30"  (photos courtesy of Kyle Hinderer).

Malachi and his father Nate have been having fun pursuing the bronze bruisers of the Rock (photos courtesy of Nate Adams).

Rick caught a surprise largemouth while pitching tube jigs for river smallie this week (photo courtesy of Rick Mulraney).

Rick got out one last time and landed this chromer beauty before hanging up his steelhead rod for the season (photo courtesy of Rick Coker).

Pat is having fun with the last of the steelhead and his fly rod.  The one beauty was 32" (photos courtesy of Patrick Campbell).

I saved this one for last because a neat story goes along with it.  Kevin was on a lunch break fishing excursion on the Rock and was ready to give up a bit earlier than planned due to strong wind, which was making fly fishing difficult.  He flung out his fly for one last cast, and then started to leisurely walk back towards his vehicle to go back to the office without paying much attention while dragging his fly along for the ride.  Wouldn't you know it...his reel started screaming and at the end of a spririted battle the 9 pound buck steelie in the photo came to hand!  (photo courtesy of Kevin Lester).

__________________________________________________________________________________

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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com



After being elevated and muddy most of the week, the Rocky River is now exhibiting excellent fishing conditions.  This will be among the last good opportunities for anglers to catch a steelhead, and lake-run smallmouth bass  are in the river in good numbers.  It is looking like some rain in the forecast for this weekend, so wise anglers will keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>    

This week will mark the “last hurrah” of many steelhead anglers before the run tapers off into the first week of May.  But a modest number of fresh steelhead did come in with the last rain, so go get them while you can.  With the elevated water temperatures, fish can be very aggressive.  In addition to the traditional steelhead baits and flies that work most of the season, an actively stripped streamer fly can be an exciting way to catch the last steelhead of the season.  Also, small spoons or spinner with silver in the finish can also work well.

Also, please note that ODNR stocked 90,293 steelhead smolts (juvenile steelhead that will come back to the river in 1 to 3 years) near the marina on Monday and Tuesday.  If you fish in that area, please handle the small fish with extreme care, and consider using larger hooks and artificial baits to avoiding hooking excessive numbers of these small trout.

As the steelhead run tapers off, the Lake Erie smallmouth bass run is heating up.  A number of anglers have reported very good fishing for these bronze brawlers over the past few days.  A 4” dark brown or olive tube jig or similarly colored/sized woolly bugger fly fished slowly through a deeper, rocky hole is a good way to hook up with these feisty bronze football shaped bass.  Keep in mind, though, that these are the spawning adult fish that sustain this natural fishery…so I strongly encourage catch and release of all larger smallmouth bass this time of year.

Stocked trout are biting around the Park District on Power Bait, corn, worms, and smaller spinners.  Anglers are focusing efforts on areas that have been stocked this year, which include the East Branch Rocky River, Wallace Lake, Hinckley Lake, Shadow Lake, and Judges Lake.

Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies are coming soon!    Our highly popular annual kid’s fishing derbies are coming up on Saturday May 15 at the Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area and Sunday May 16 at Wallace Lake.  For more information, you can check the following link:   <Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies info>

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Congratulations to Kristina and Stephen on recently catching their first steelhead (photos courtesy of Bradley Wagner).

Jeff caught this 5.5 pound trophy smallmouth bass on the Rocky River recently (photo courtesy of Jeff Shaw).

Skip was fooling around with his five weight flyrod having fun with the suckers and, wouldn't you know it, he was surprised by his largest steelhead of the year!  The 12 pound brute buck hit a white sucker spawn fly, which has been a top producer for him for steelhead and suckers (photo courtesy of Lowell "Skip" Nault).

Veteran steelhead Ken Harper caught this 33" buck in the 14-15 pound range recently while fishing the Rock.  Wow!  (photo courtesy of Ken Harper).

Ryan caught this fine steelie on a small black pheasant tail nymph (photo courtesy of Ryan Smas).

Steelhead eggs are supposed to be in the river this time of year...but an Easter egg?  Steve Nyetrae may have made the oddest catch of the year from the Rock when he snagged this large Easter egg!  He followed up his peculiar catch with the fine steelhead in the second photo (photos courtesy of Joanne Steinhauser).

 A fun tactic for fresh late spring fish is to swing or strip a big streamer on a switch rod.  The top photo is a fresh steelie that was taken using this method this week, and below that is a well stocked box of effective streamers (photos courtesy of Dan Pribanic at <CRO>).

When Dan isn't dealing with a pesky steelhead on the end of his line, he enjoys watching the wildlife along the Rock such as this mama duck with nearly a dozen ducklings in tow (photos courtesy of Dan McCutcheon).

Patrick shares a similar philosophy with Dan when on the water, as exhibited by his photos above taken this morning (photos courtesy of Patrick Campbell).

For the second year in a row, we have an eaglet hatched in the Rocky River valley.  The photos above depict the newly hatched young being fed, and the proud parents actively guarding the nest (photos courtesy of ODNR eagle monitoring volunteer Lisa Romaniuk).

__________________________________________________________________________________

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



The Rocky River is currently low and clear, but that will likely change dependant upon how much precipitation we receive into the weekend.  A needed bump in water level would serve to bring some of the last fresh fish of the season into the system.  During transitional weather periods, wise anglers will keep an eye on the flow gage for the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link: <river flow gage data>      

Steelhead fishing was more challenging on the Rocky and Chagrin rivers this week due to the low and clear conditions.  Anglers willing to implement a finesse approach, though, still hooked into plenty of steelhead.  The fish are very well distributed from the marina area all the way up both branches of the river.   Anglers have primarily caught post-spawn (spent or “dropback” steelhead) fish this week, although a modest number of fresh fish were also reported.  Given the low water conditions, most fish have caught in the deeper holes this past week. 

With the clear water and moderately heavy fishing pressure, the most successful anglers have downsized their offerings and used finesse tactics.  Using lighter fluorocarbon leaders (4-6# test) and smaller floats/indicators and less/smaller split shot are all good bets for this weekend.  Bait anglers have been catching fish on small jigs tipped with maggots, small eggs sacks, single salmon eggs, minnows, and rubber trout worms in white and pale pink.  Fly anglers continue to have luck using dark colored beadhead stonefly or Copper John nymphs (or similar pattern) and smaller eggs patterns in sizes 12-16.  Another good change-up tactic for pressured fish, especially near the marina area, is to fish a small spoon (such as Little Cleos), medium size spinner (such as a Vibrax or Roostertail), or small plug (such as a Flatfish or Rapala minnow).

Trout have been biting all around Cleveland Metroparks this week.   The East Branch Rocky River was stocked Monday with the last 650 pounds of rainbow trout of the season.  Trout were released between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford just south of Wallace Lake the past four weeks in a row, so there are plenty of fish available.  Many larger trout were mixed in all of these shipments, and angler feedback about that has been all positive.  Hinckley Lake was stocked with 2,500 trout last Thursday by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.  Additionally, Wallace Lake still offers trout stocked throughout the winter and earlier in spring.  Other lakes worthy of angler attention are Ledge, Shadow, Judges, and Ranger lakes; all of which have received planting of trout throughout the winter. 

Power Bait in various colors has been a top producer of stocked trout this week.  Single salmon eggs, redworms, small jigs tipped with maggots, waxworms, canned corn kernels, and Roostertail spinners have all accounted for plenty of trout this week, as well.

Reports of Lake Erie run smallmouth bass continue to increase in the northern few miles of the Rocky River.  A 4” dark brown or olive tube jig or similarly colored/sized woolly bugger fly fished slowly through a deeper, rocky hole is a good way to hook up with these feisty bronze football shaped bass.  Keep in mind, though, that these are the spawning adult fish that sustain this natural fishery…so I strongly encourage catch and release of all larger smallmouth bass this time of year.

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 .

Tight Lines,

Mike

Congratulations to Mike on catching his first steelhead from the Rocky River!  (photo courtesy of Mike Roby).

Albert (top) and Alabama Jim (below) hoist some fine crappie caught in Cleveland Metroparks waters (photos courtesy of Mark Fascione).

Nick and Beth have been enjoying the spring steelhead fishing on the Rock (photos courtesy of Nick Gareau).

Congratulations to Jesse on catching his first steelhead, a 31" brute, on a small green and white jig near the marina (photo courtesy of Jesse Ohl).

Justin caught this handsome buck on a gold beadhead nymph (photo courtesy of Justin Fick).

Congratulations to Keith on catching his first two steelhead from the Rocky this week (photo courtesy of Bradley Wagner).

A happy Jane poses with a colorful buck with her guide from Chagrin River Outfitters (photo courtesy of Dan Pribanic at <CRO>).

Drew caught this dandy hen on his float rod (photo courtesy of Drew Foltynski).

Robert caught this fine Rocky River steelie on eggs (photo courtesy of Rober Larissey).

Justin (top) and Marc (below) experienced some fine fly fishing on the Rock this week.  Most of their fresh steelhead hit black wooly bugger flies (photos courtesy of Justin Marconi).

Don caught these good size trout on the East Branch Rocky River.  He has been catching them very well using a Berkely Gulp 1" minnow in the black back/white belly color (photo courtesy of Don Burrie).

It wouldn't be a complete report without the "King of the Rock"!  Dan's persistence has rewarded him with some mint bright chromers this week (photos courtesy of Dan McCutcheon).

Brad continues to catch some fine steelies fly fishing the Rock this week (photos courtesy of Bradley Wagner).

Unfortunately, anglers have been catching some fish with parasitic (and non-native) sea lamprey attached to them recently.  The top photo shows the suction cup-like mouth with rasping teeth this fish uses to attach to, and feed off of the blood of, its host (top photos courtesy of Bradley Wagner, bottom photo courtesy of Dan Pribanic at <CRO>).

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

Note:  For all other fishing related inquiries please contact Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com