Rocky River Fishing Report

Fishing Report - May 8, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:25:21 +0000

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 is currently fairly elevated and stained due to recent rains. The latest will help anglers determine the latest trend in river conditions.

The Children’s Spring Fishing Derbies on May 3^rd and 4^th were another huge success again this year! You can view some of the 100 plus photos I took at the event at the following link compliments of www.flyandfloatfishing.com : <2008 Fishing Derby photos and video>. Furthermore, the owner of that website (Sean Swatsky) also compiled a great six minute video montage of the event on Saturday morning at that same link. Here’s to looking forward to the 2009 event already (although our many employees and volunteers who make this fine event possible can certainly use their rest right now!).

Although some anglers were still catching steelhead last week, this latest rise in water levels will allow the many dropback (already spawned) steelhead head back to the lake more easily. With that said, there are always a few steelhead around in the river up until about mid-May.

Although the spring steelhead run is coming to it’s end, reports of Lake Erie run smallmouth bass are on the upswing. Streamer flies and smaller lures (spinners and plugs) will take their share of smallmouth bass in the coming weeks, as well as other live baits such as crayfish and leeches. Most larger smallmouth have been caught in the northern river reaches. I also strongly encourage others to quickly release any larger smallmouth this time of year, as they are getting ready to spawn and natural reproduction is responsible for sustaining this fishery.

When the river levels cooperate, rainbow trout fishing has been good in deeper holes and around cover in the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford just upstream of Wallace Lake. Spring stocking of trout is complete as of this time. Trout are also still available at Hinckley, Shadow, and Wallace lakes, too. Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, corn, and small spinners are among the offerings these trout will eagerly grab.

Additionally, carp and catfish are biting well in deeper holes throughout the river and white perch and freshwater drum (sheepshead) are biting well near the marina. Panfish and largemouth bass have been biting well at various Cleveland Metroparks lakes and ponds, as well.

Some early season boaters have been reporting great catches of yellow perch and walleye out of the Emerald Necklace Marina, as well.

Working hard to make your public fisheries the best they can be. Cleveland Metroparks was recently offered a donation of fish from a private 5 acre lake being drained due to issues wtih it’s 60 year old dam. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week our staff, along with the assistance of some Ohio Division of Wildlife colleagues, proceeded to do the wet, muddy, and physically challenging job of collecting and tranferring an estimated 3,000 adult bluegill, 500 largemouth bass, and 16 huge grass carp to the public waters of the Park District (exact locations of releases being withheld to allow these fish to establish, and hopefully spawn, in their new homes). A sincere thank you goes out to Allen, Barney, Chris, Dave, Jeff, Jim, John, Kevin, both Ricks, and Tim for all your hard work assisting me to make this opportunistic project such a success. A special thanks goes to the family of Rick Huff for this much appreciated donation of fish. Photos from this activity are offered below. A final “mop up” collection will occur next week as the lake is drained all the way down.

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 following photos are from the fish collection and transfer discussed in the report:

Those fish will surely make many anglers happy around the Park District!

Ralph, visiting from Arizona, took this photo of himself having what appears to be an intimate moment with a steelhead! (photo courtesy of Ralph C.).

Rodger, visiting from St. Louis to fish with friends on the Chagrin River, caught this beautiful steelhead (photo coutesy of Rodger B.).

Joe, also from the St. Louis Crew, with his first steelhead! (photo coutesy of Rodger B.).

St. Louis Rick with a nice Chagrin River steelhead (photo coutesy of Rodger B.).

Ryan shows off a buck steelie. Can you guess where he's from? If you said "St Louis" you would be correct (photo coutesy of Rodger B.).

Rodger with a fine 30 incher (photo coutesy of Rodger B.).

A panoramic vista along the Chagrin River valley (photo coutesy of Rodger B.) .

Stephen with a nice late spring steelhead (photo courtesy of Stephen W.).

A Canada goose watches over it's streamside nest (photo courtesy of Scott B.).

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Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund

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

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

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

Fishing Report - May 1, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:34:19 +0000

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 3, 2008, update: The Rocky River is currently elevated and muddy due to overnight rains.***

The Rocky River is currently running low and clear. Fishing conditions are currently good for various warmwater species (as outlined below). Fishing pressure has lightened up the past week as the steelhead trout run winds down. The latest will help anglers determine any changes in river conditions.

Although a fair number of “dropback” steelhead (that have already spawned) are still present in the Rocky and Chagrin rivers, their numbers are declining sharply along with the warmer weather. One more good rain will bring up river levels and allow these lingering fish to exit the river back to Lake Erie, to hopefully return again even larger next year.

Although the spring steelhead run is near it's conclusion, reports of Lake Erie run smallmouth bass are on the upswing. Streamer flies and smaller lures (spinners and plugs) will take their share of smallmouth bass in the coming weeks, as well as other live baits such as crayfish and leeches. Smallmouth bass and dropback steelhead can be targeted from the same deeper areas in the northern river reaches, often on the same types of offerings. I also strongly encourage others to quickly release any larger smallmouth this time of year, as they are getting ready to spawn and natural reproduction is responsible for sustaining this fishery.

Rainbow trout fishing has been good in deeper holes and around cover in the East Branch Rocky River between Route 82 (Royalton Road) and the ford just upstream of Wallace Lake. Try fishing around undercut banks and woody debris in the river for some good action. The last river stocking for the season was this past Friday afternoon. Trout are also still available at Hinckley, Shadow, and Wallace (note closure info on this lake below) lakes, too. Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, corn, and small spinners are among the offerings these trout will eagerly grab.

Additionally, carp and catfish are biting well in deeper holes throughout the river and, additionally, white perch and freshwater drum (sheepshead) are biting well near the marina. Panfish and largemouth bass have been biting well at various Cleveland Metroparks lakes and ponds, as well.

Some early season boaters have been fishing for yellow perch and walleye out of the Emerald Necklace Marina, as well.

Children’s Spring Fishing Derbies Saturday May 3^rd and Sunday May 4^th. It’s time again for the highly popular annual Children’s Spring Fishing Derbies. Details on this free event can be found at the following link: . I would like to sincerely thank the following sponsors for their longstanding support which makes this great community event possible: Cleveland Fishing Association, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Flyandfloatfishing.com, Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders, Optimist’s Club, and Rodmaker’s Shop. We look forward to seeing you and your children, grandchildren, or other young friends/relatives there and having another great event this season!

Note: Fishing area closures! Please note that the north end of Wallace Lake and the entire Ohio and Erie Canal fishing areas are closed for fishing until after the fishing derbies this weekend. The south end of Wallace Lake is still open for fishing, though. Fishing for the general public at Ohio and Erie Canal fishing area will reopen after 4:00pm on Saturday May 3^rd and the north end of Wallace Lake will reopen after 4:00pm on Sunday May 4^th.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Yuri displays a trophy Chagrin River steelhead (photo courtesy of Fabio M.).

Ed shows off two jumbo yellow perch caught on Lake Erie. Ed and his son, Ron, caught their limit in three hours on the water (photo courtesy of Ron O.).

Many families have been enjoying the great weather by going fishing.

Pete caught this bruiser carp on a minnow in the Rocky River (photo courtesy of Matt).

Maria with a nice Wallace Lake rainbow trout.

Maria and Ben show off two white perch from their catch from the Rocky River marina area.

Joyce with a trophy steelhead (photo courtesy of Joyce S.).

These youngs ladies took time away from their school picnic and offered assistance with our trout stocking last week.

The following photos depict three youngsters who assisted me with catfish stocking for their 4-H project:

Thanks for your help, guys!

Some nice smallmouth bass have been biting in the river (photo courtesy of Stephen W.).

Brothers Dwayne and Neil with a fine catch of trout.

Fabio with another sleek steelhead caught and released on the Chagrin (photo courtesy of Yuri).

Yours truly with a surprise catfish caught while steelhead fishing recently.

A northern hogsucker on it's spawning bed. Note how well this fish camouflages with it's surroundings! (photo courtesy of Bill B.).

Garry has been catching some of his largest steelhead of the season on nymph patterns lately, as illustrated by the following four photos:

Wow, those are some nice fish! (photos courtesy of Garry Z.).

An angler hoists a fat trout aboard a fishing platform at Wallace Lake.

A mother bald eagle feeds an eaglet in a nest at Brecksville Reservation last week. The nest area is closed to the general public to avoid disturbing the birds (photo courtesy of a volunteer).

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Fishing Report - April 24, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:36:55 +0000

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 is currently running quite clear, with a greenish stain only remaining in the deeper areas. The fishing conditions are good for various fish species in Park District lakes and ponds, as well. Not surpisingly, the pleasant spring weather has lured many anglers outside over the past week, with plenty of families and children enjoying the varied spring fishing opportunities, as well. The latest will help anglers determine any changes in river conditions.

Steelhead are currently well distributed throughout the Rocky and Chagrin rivers, with most fish having already spawned and are now in “dropback” mode (slowly moving back towards Lake Erie). These fish need to replenish the engery reserves depleted during the rigors of spawning and are often feeding aggressively. Dropback steelhead are most often found in the deeper holes, although some days they may also be found in fast water or tailouts. A few fresh adult steelhead and skippers are still available, as well, especially in the northern river reaches where they feed upon the abundant emerald shiners present. Given the clear water conditions light leaders and smaller more subdued colored offerings are usually an angler’s best bet. Although the steelhead run has peaked already and they are declining in numbers now, there will still be fish available up until about the first or second week of May most years.

Although steelhead numbers are declining for the season, reports of Lake Erie run smallmouth bass are on the upswing. Olive or dark brown tube jigs of about 4" are a top smallmouth offering. Streamer flies and smaller lures (spinners and plugs) will take their share of bass in the coming weeks, too, as well as live baits such as minnows, crayfish, and leeches. Most larger smallmouth have been caught in the northern river reaches. An angler fishing for steelhead near the marina one morning this week reported catching and releasing three nice smallmouth bass up to 4½ pounds (and losing a few others) using a small jig tipped with maggots drifted under a float. I also strongly encourage other anglers to quickly release any larger bass this time of year, as they are getting ready to spawn and natural reproduction is responsible for sustaining this fishery.

Cleveland Metroparks plans to stock another 800 pounds of rainbow trout in the East Branch Rocky River (600#) and Wallace Lake (200#) tomorrow afternoon. The Ohio Division of Wildlife stocked 500 rainbow trout at Shadow Lake on Friday April 18^th. These latest fish will supplement the trout that have been stocked around the Park District in recent weeks (check archived fishing reports for more info regarding previous stockings). Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, corn, and small spinners are among the offerings these trout will eagerly grab.

The courtesy docks at the marina were installed last week for the convenience of early season boaters, as well.

Children’s Spring Fishing Derbies Saturday May 3^rd and Sunday May 4^th. It’s time again for the highly popular annual Children’s Spring Fishing Derbies. Details on this free event can be found at the following link: . I would like to sincerely thank the following sponsors for their longstanding support which makes this great community event possible: Cleveland Fishing Association, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders, Optimist’s Club, Rodmaker’s Shop, and the Woods and Waters Club. We look forward to seeing you and your children, grandchildren, or other young friends/relatives there!

Good Fishing,

Mike

Chuck caught this trophy buck steelhead in the Rocky River (photo courtesy of Monte Casey).

Dave displays a trophy 31" steelhead from the Rock (photo courtesy of Dave D.).

Smallmouth are starting to bite well in the river (photo courtesy of John P.).

Andrea caught and released this fine hen during a recent fly fishing outing (photo courtesy of Andrea S.).

Carp on the fly rod are a challenge being pursued by increasing numbers of anglers every year. This golden hued beauty came from the Chagrin River (photo courtesy of Jim).

As a Baldwin-Wallace college graduate, I considered it a privilege to spend time on the water with retired B-W President Mark Collier this week. Here is Mark with his very first steelhead caught after a little basic instruction (this was one of ten he hooked). We were rewarded by dead drifting small, pale pink egg patterns through deeper holes with moderate flow.

Tim, who serves as the Firelands Fly Fishers Director of Communications, displays a colorful Rocky River steelhead caught on an olive flashback nymph (photo courtesy of Tim S.).

Kevin caught this large buck steelie on a minnow (photo courtesy of Kevin G.).

Don Mayer, 90 years young, engaged in battle with a feisty Rocky River steelhead (photo courtesy of Monte Casey).

Tom with a fine Rocky River catch (photo courtesy of Monte Casey).

Although most steelhead have wrapped up spawning over the past week, some fish are still on their nests (photo courtesy of Kory K.).

"Doc" had plenty of reason to smile during a recent outing on the Rock (photo courtesy of Scott).

Marty displays a dropback hen caught on a beadhead nymph (photo courtesy of Tim S.).

Joe displays one of several steelhead he caught on Woolly Buggers during a
recent fly fishing outing (photo courtesy of Joe L.).

Garry caught and released this 10 pound class buck steelie Monday morning (photo courtesy of Garry Z.).

Rich caught this buck on a Woolly Bugger (photo courtesy of Joe L.).

This dropback was regaining her silvery coloration (photo courtesy of Mike S.).

Scott displays a torpedo-like chrome hen (photo courtesy of Monte Casey).

Anglers work a popular stretch of river last week.

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Fishing Report - April 17, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:18:27 +0000

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 fishing conditions are good, with the water on the clear side with a green stain to the deeper areas. The weekend outlook is looking to be similar, with a small amount rain in the forecast being welcome as the river continues to clear. The pleasant spring weather has lured many anglers outside this week, although a bit of hiking can lead you to your own little piece of paradise on the river. Anglers can check the latest to determine any changes in river conditions.

Steelhead are currently well distributed throughout the Rocky and Chagrin rivers, with a good number of trout spawning and visible as darker shadows in the riffles in the upper river reaches. One of several hot spot of spawning activity has been just upstream of Cedar Point Road on the East Branch of the Rocky River, where many fly fishers are enjoying sight fishing in shallow, clear water riffles in that area. One tip I would suggest in that situation is to use a single fly pattern, as tandem rigs inadvertantly foul hook fish very easily in that situation. A small, dark nymph pattern or tiny egg pattern is often a productive choice in such a situation for trout or suckers.

Other anglers are choosing to focus on the non-spawning steelhead located in deeper river areas. A good place to look is a deeper hole downstream of a spawning riffle, where there is often a mix of fish including those that have spawned aready (called “spent” or “dropback” steelhead), silvery fish that have not spawned yet, as well as a few younger “skipper” steelhead in the 15”-20” size range. These fish are often feeding on eggs washing downstream from the spawning areas and can be very conducive to feeding. Under clear water conditions the flies aready mentioned earlier work good in these areas, too, as well as smaller, more subdued colored spawn bags, jigs/maggots, and minnows. A baitfish streamer or Woolly Bugger can also be good producers for fly anglers. Some anglers prefer to fish articial lures and catch fish on spinners (with silver in the finish is always good), smaller spoons, Flatfish style plugs, and even small rubber “trout worms”. Basically, just about anything a steelhead will hit can work well during prime river conditions in spring.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has been stocking steelhead smolts (6”-9” juveniles) at the Emerald Necklace Marina this week. These small fish are not legal to keep or even possess. Please release these fish carefully and immediately if you catch any, as they are the future of our steelhead fishery. I would further advise anglers fishing in that area to use larger hooks and bait offerings (or stick with artificial offerings) to avoid hooking many of these small trout.

A few good sized smallmouth bass have also been reported from the river this week, mostly caught incidentally by steelhead anglers fishing with minnows. Streamer flies and smaller lures (spinners and plugs) will take their share of smallmouth bass in the coming weeks, as well as other live baits such as crayfish and leeches. Most larger smallmouth have been caught in the northern river reaches. Please consider quickly releasing any larger bass this time of year, as they are preparing to spawn and natural reproduction is responsible for sustaining this fishery.

Cleveland Metroparks stocked 800 pounds of rainbow trout in the East Branch Rocky River (600#) and Wallace Lake (200#) on Wednesday. The fish in the river were stocked at various locations near access points between Royalton Road (Rt. 82) and the ford just upstream of Wallace Lake. Furthermore, the Ohio Division of Wildlife is scheduled to stocked 500 rainbow trout at Shadow Lake on Friday April 18^th. These latest fish supplement the trout that have been stocked around the Park District in recent weeks (check archived fishing reports for more info regarding previous stockings). Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, corn, and small spinners are among the offerings these trout will eagerly grab.

Two courtesy docks at the marina were installed on Wednesday this week for the convenience of early season boaters, as well.

Noteworthy fish observations this week. A northern pike, a rare catch in the Rocky River, of approximately 27” was caught and released by an angler at Morley Ford earlier this week. During fish sampling with a Case Western Reserve University Ichthyology (fish biology) class on Tuesday, several golden redhorse suckers were collected among the abundant white suckers. Redhorse suckers are a species that are not tolerant of pollution, so it’s an encouraging sign that they’ve been showing up in the river. Also on a positive note, rainbow and greenside darters were very abundant in the area sampled. In addition to being beautifully colored little fish, these are both what we call an indicator species, sort of a “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to water quality and aquatic habitat.

Good Fishing,

Mike

John caught this fine hen on a small green hare's ear nymph fly (photo courtesy of John J.).

Chris caught this beautiful 29" buck steelhead this week (photo courtesy of Chris M.).

Fabio caught this big steelhead fly fishing the Chagrin River recently (photo courtesy of Yuri).

Cleveland Metroparks staff and CWRU students performing fish sampling with electrofishing gear this week.

One of several nice smallmouth bass collected during sampling (all fish were released unharmed).

Two CWRU biology students display a steelhead before it's release.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has been stocking juvenile steelhead (smolts) in the Rocky River near the marina this week. The river is slated to recieve a total of 90,000 of these small trout.

Here's a cool photo of freshly stocked juvenile steelhead feeding on emerald shiners. Those little guys didn't waste any time putting on the feed bag!

One of several nice steelhead caught by Tom (photo courtesy of Tom K.).

Tom's buddy Randy also got in on the great steelhead fishing action (photo courtesy of Tom K.).

A good looking sucker caught on the fly rod (photo courtesy of Tom E.).

Jon caught this Wallace Lake rainbow trout using a jig tipped with maggots under a small float on his ultralight rod.

You have to love being able to fish for steelhead in a T-shirt instead of winter gear! (photo courtesy of Eric P.).

Sean with a fine specimen (photo courtesy of Chris M.).

This goby had an appetite bigger than it's mouth! (photo courtesy of John P.).

Chris caught this steelie with perfect fins from the Chagrin River. Although the odds are against it, this is what a wild naturally reproduced trout should look like (photo courtesy of Chris M.).

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Fishing Report - April 10, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:46:00 +0000

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 fishing conditions are currently good, with the water on the clear side with a green stain to the deeper areas. The weekend outlook will be dependant upon how much of the rain in the forecast we receive, which is likely to be a good amount over the next several days. Anglers would be wise to check the during changing weather patterns to determine the trend in river conditions.

Steelhead are currently well distributed throughout the river, with many fish spawning and visible as darker shadows in the riffles. The depressions steelhead make with their tails to deposit their eggs are called “redds”. A short video of spawning trout (complete to music) can be viewed on the personal website of local fishing guide Monte Casey at the following link: . Many fly fishers are enjoying this annual opportunity to sight fish for trout in shallow, clear water riffle areas. One tip I would suggest in that situation is to use a single fly pattern, as tandem rigs inadvertantly foul hook fish very easily in that situation. Many white suckers are also spawning in similar areas. A small, dark nymph pattern or tiny egg pattern drifted with minimal weight is often a productive choice in such a situation for trout or suckers.

Other anglers are choosing to focus on the non-spawning steelhead located in deeper river areas. A prime spot this time of year is a deeper hole located just downstream of a spawning riffle, where there is often a mix of fish including those that have spawned aready (called “spent” or “dropback” steelhead), silvery fish that have not spawned yet, as well as a few younger “skipper” steelhead in the 15”-20” size range. These fish often feed on eggs washed downstream from the spawning areas and can be very conducive to biting. Under clear water conditions the flies aready mentioned earlier work good in these areas, too, as well as smaller, more subdued colored spawn bags, jigs/maggots, and minnows. Some anglers prefer to fish articial lures and catch fish on spinners (with silver in the finish is always good), smaller spoons, Flatfish style plugs, and even small rubber “trout worms”. Basically, just about anything a steelhead will hit can work well during prime river conditions in spring.

If the river becomes elevated and floods over the next few days (which is looking likely based on the radar) the weekend steelhead fishing conditions will be poor, but anglers can always switch gears and target stocked trout at Wallace and Hinckley lakes. Rainbow trout in the ponds and river bite well on small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber, as well as Power Bait (various bright colors) fished near the bottom. Some anglers also experience success casting small spinners or other lures.

Although no stocking will be conducted this week, Cleveland Metroparks is scheduled to coordinate stocking another 800 pounds of rainbow trout in the East Branch Rocky River next week. Over the past three weeks, the following quantities of rainbow trout were stocked: 1,100# in the East Branch Rocky River, 2,500# in Hinckley Lake (by ODNR), and 400# in Wallace Lake.

The lower Rocky River is currently being dredged near the marina in anticipation of the recreational boating season. The courtesy docks will likely be put back in place between mid and late April, dependant upon river conditions.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Jim caught this beautiful hen on his flyrod in the Rocky this week (photo courtesy of Jim A.).

A fly fisher works a pod of spawning white suckers this afternoon.

A father teaching the basics of fishing to his son on the lower Rocky.

A pair of spawning steelhead observed today from an overhead vantage point.

A young lady and her father enjoying some coffee, conversation, and leisurely fishing near the marina.

Mike shows off a fresher hen steelhead (on the left) in contrast to Jack's darker buck steelhead.

A fly fisher plies his craft on a sun dappled riffle.

Joe displays a fine specimen (photo courtesy of Monte Casey).

Jeff caught this fine steelhead on the fly rod this week (photo courtesy of Jeff S.).

David display a very nice buck steelhead taken at Rockcliff Springs access this week.

This skipper steelhead taken near the marina will make a fine dinner for two.

The river was being dredged today near the boat ramps. The courtesy docks will likely be installed mid to late April.

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Fishing Report - April 3, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:29:39 +0000

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 7, 2008, update: The Rocky River fishing conditions are currently excellent, and should remain that way for the next few days based on the forecast. Fish are well distributed throughout the system, with many having moved a long distance upstream from the lake.***

The Rocky River fishing conditions are currently excellent. The river is exhibiting a nice green stain and moderate flow. The outlook for the coming days will be dependant upon how much rain and snowmelt we recieve: if it ends up being dry the river conditons will continue to be very good into the weekend.. Anglers would be wise to check the during chaning weather patterns to determine the trend in river conditions.

Given the current river conditions, steelhead will be caught on a variety of offerings. Bait fishers will do well on spawn bags (brighter colors in stained water, more subdued colors as the water clears), jig and maggot combinations, and live or salted minnows. Fly anglers will do well on all the standard fare, including egg, nymph, and streamer patterns. Anglers who prefer to fish articial lures can catch fish on spinners (with silver in the finish is always good), smaller spoons, Flatfish style plugs, and even small rubber “trout worms”. Basically, just about anything a steelhead will hit can work well during prime river conditions of early spring. Increasing numbers of steelhead have been found spawning in shallow, gravelly riffles, and many anglers have been targeting trout downsteam of these areas in deeper water.

The white sucker run in the river has gained momentum this week. A video clip with some commentary regarding the sucker run filmed on Tuesday can be viewed at the following link: (thanks to Sean Swatsky for assistance in posting this video link). Suckers provide fine sport on light tackle, and will take small fly patterns, grubs, or worms readily. Taking a younger or beginning angler fishing for suckers is a great idea, as there are plenty of these fish present at areas below barriers (such as fords).

The trout fishing opportunities throughout Cleveland Metroparks are abundant. Rainbow trout were stocked today by Cleveland Metroparks staff in the East Branch of the Rocky River between Royalton Road and Wallace Lake (600 pounds) and in Wallace Lake (100 pounds). Furthermore, the Ohio Division of Wildllife stocked Hinckley Lake today with 2,500 rainbow trout, and is also scheduled to stock Shadow Lake with 500 trout on April 18. The Park District plans to continue stocking the East Branch of the Rocky River with catchable size trout throughout the spring season.

Rainbow trout in the ponds and river bite well on small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber, as well as Power Bait (various bright colors) fished near the bottom. Fly fishers can target trout with streamers, such a Wooly Buggers in black, white, or olive. Some anglers also experience success casting small spinners or other lures.

Thank you to the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders. I would like to thank the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders for recently donating $1,000 to support the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund, which benefits all local anglers. I would encourage steelhead anglers looking for a great local sportman’s group to check out more info on this club at the following link: http://www.ohiosteelheaders.com

Good Fishing,

Mike

Longtime local steelhead guide Monte Casey spent his lunch break on Tuesday afternoon fly fishing at Morley Ford...

...and, with a river boiling with suckers before him, proceeds to hook and land a steelhead among them about a half dozen casts after getting there. This is why Monte is a legend (note dress shoes and slacks!).

Although not caught on the Rocky River, I just had to share this photo of Kyle (from Tennessee) with an enormous Ohio steelhead caught and released while fishing with flyfishing guide Patrick Robinson (photo courtesy of Patrick R.).

A young lady tries her luck fishing at Morley Ford this afternoon.

Rainbow trout were stocked today at Hinckley and Wallace lakes, as well as the East Branch Rocky River (see details in report above).

Frank caught this fine trout at Wallace Lake today.

I properly disposed of this clump of fishing line at Morley Ford this week. Even though the great majority of anglers are considerate (and even clean up after others), it's the ones that leave behind trash that tarnish the reputation of our entire group.

A cool photo of a steelhead being released (photo courtesy of Jim G.).

Increased activity among many groups of animals can be observed during the spring breeding season (photo courtesy of Jim G.).

Jeff displays a pan-size rainbow trout caught recently.

An angler displays a pair of average lake-run white suckers caught recently.

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Fishing Report - March 26, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:49:22 +0000

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 1, 2008, update: The river is still elevated, but large numbers of lake-run white suckers and some steelhead were being caught at barriers today. The county wildlife officer issued 8 citations for snagging along the river today, so anglers would be wise to abide by the fishing regulations.***

***March 31, 2008, update: The river is finally dropping into shape after flooding again late last week, but with the current forecast could flood again soon. An angler's best bet would be to keep an eye on the flow data, as anything under 600-700 cfs would be considered in the reasonably fishable range.***

The Rocky River fishing conditions are currently excellent, at least for the time being. The river is exhibiting a nice green stain and moderate flow. The outlook for the coming days will be dependant upon how much rain and snowmelt we get: if it ends up being dry the river conditons will continue to be very good, but if it’s wet the river could flood again relatively quickly given the saturated ground. Anglers would be wise to check the regularly during the coming days to determine the trend in river conditions.

Given the current near prime river conditions, steelhead will be caught on a variety of offerings. Bait fishers will do well on spawn bags (brighter colors in stained water, more subdued colors as the water clears), jig and maggot combinations, and live or salted minnows. Fly anglers will do well on all the standard fare, including egg, nymph, and streamer patterns. Anglers who prefer to fish articial lures can catch fish on spinners (with silver in the finish is always good), smaller spoons, Flatfish style plugs, and even small rubber “trout worms”. Basically, just about anything a steelhead will hit can work well during prime river conditions of early spring! Anglers can expect some steelhead to be spawning in shallow, gravelly riffles, too.

Rainbow trout were stocked today in the East Branch of the Rocky River between Royalton Road and Wallace Lake (500 pounds) and in Wallace Lake (300 pounds). The fish were put in Wallace Lake so that anglers would have a good opportunity to catch trout this weekend even if the river floods again. A few trophy fish in the 3 to 4 pound range were stocked among the fish, that average 12”-15”. Keep in mind that the trout limit in the river is currently 2 per/day and in Wallace Lake it’s 3 per/day. One Lorain man learned this the hard way, as wildlife officers issued him citations totaling nearly $700 in fines for overbagging steelhead trout in the area. The Park District plans to stock another 800 pounds of trout early to mid next week, too.

Park District lakes and ponds are currently largely ice free, allowing for open water fishing opportunities (as opposed to ice fishing). Rainbow trout in the ponds and river bite well on small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber, as well as Power Bait (various bright colors) fished near the bottom. Fly fishers can target trout with streamers, such a Wooly Buggers in black, white, or olive. Some anglers also reported success jigging lures such as small Swedish Pimple spoons. Waters stocked in recent months include Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judges lakes.

The Park District plans to continue stocking the East Branch of the Rocky River with catchable size trout throughout the spring season. Furthermore, the Ohio Division of Wildllife plans to stock Hinckley Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout on April 3, as well as Shadow Lake with 500 trout on April 18.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Jim caught this gorgeous chrome steelhead on his flyrod recently (photo courtesy of Jim G.).

John caught his first Rocky River steelhead this week (photo courtesy of John).

Chuck displays one of the steelhead he caught this week (photo courtesy of John).

Zach assisted me with trout stocking today on the East Branch Rocky River and Wallace Lake as part of his high school community service project (as outlined in the following four photos)

Thanks again for your assistance today Zach!

This past Saturday, the folks from flyandfloatfishing.com (Sean, Brett, Jim, and Matt) offered a free fly fishing seminar at North Chagrin Reservation and had a very good turnout. Thanks for sharing your time and expertise guys! (photo courtesy of Sean S.).

Sean shared this cool photo of a few flyrods lined up during the seminar (photo courtesy of Sean S.).

Jeff caught this rainbow trout at Wallace Lake today just before we stocked it again!

During the first few warm, wet evenings of spring many species of amphibians mate. This spotted salamander was crossing the parkway in Cleveland Metroparks during such an evening (photo courtesy of Jared Minzan).

This spring peeper was also found on a roadway during an evening migration. The species name crucifer, latin for "cross-bearer", refers to the characterisic cross ("X") shaped marking on the frog's back (photo courtesy of Jared M.)

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Fishing Report - March 19, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:10:04 +0000

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

***March 22, 2008, update: The Rocky River flow gage is repaired and online again (link in report below). Today the river level was still on the high side and the stain was brownish, but not too muddy. High water fishing tactics should allow determined anglers to target steelhead on Sunday.***

The Rocky River is flooded again due to rain and snowmelt, and is only looking to get worse in the coming days. Expect closures along Valley Parkway due to flooding. The weekend river fishing outlook is poor, as it will take several days of dry weather at this point before the river level even crests and then begins to drop again. The Rocky River is still out of service, but USGS is again working on addressing the issue.

During a brief window of fishable river conditions at the beginning of this week a few fresh steelhead and lake-run white suckers were being caught. When the river level finally begins to drop again drifting hot pink or chartreuse spawn sacks is a great choice for steelhead in stained water conditions. Fly anglers in off-colored water do best with brightly colored egg patterns or dark colored streamers with some brighter contrast, such as an Egg Sucking Leach pattern. Expect some steelhead to be spawning in shallow, gravelly riffles when the water level drops, as well.

Trout fishing in Cleveland Metroparks lakes and ponds is looking to be the best fishing prospect for this weekend. As the ice continues to melt, there is a growing margin of open water available along the perimeters of Park District ponds, which will all anglers to target trout with traditional (non-ice fishing) gear and methods. Rainbow and brown trout bite well on small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber, as well as Power Bait (various bright colors) fished near the bottom. Some anglers also reported success jigging lures such as small Swedish Pimple spoons. Waters stocked this winter include Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judges lakes.

The Park District plans to commence stocking the East Branch of the Rocky River with catchable size trout beginning next week, and administer weekly stockings throughout the spring season. Depending on the flooding situation next week, though, that timeframe may be shifted a bit later. Furthermore, the Ohio Division of Wildllife plans to stock Hinckley Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout on April 3, as well as Shadow Lake with 500 trout on April 18.

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

Flooded river conditions at Morley Ford on the afternoon of this report.

As depicted in the two photos above, there is a growing amount of open water on Park District lakes and ponds where anglers can target trout.

Pete caught this skipper steelhead on corn during a brief window that the river was fishable this past Monday.

This coyote was observed near Bonnie Park recently (photo courtesy of Robert K.).

Expect closures along Valley Parkway due to flooding in the coming days.

Although not from the Rocky, Matt caught this large buck steelhead from an Ohio stream recently (photo courtesy of Jeff A.).

The following two photos are courtesy of Joe:

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Fishing Report - March 13, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:35:28 +0000

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

***March 17, 2008, update: Anglers were catching a few steelhead at barriers today despite the Rocky River still being fairly elevated with a brown stain. This is a short window of opportunity prior to more rain and snowmelt in the forecast which will cause the river to flood again. The flow gage is out of service again so anglers should watch the weather and plan their trips accordingly.***

***March 14, 2008, update: The Rocky River is currently very high and muddy. Look for the river to drop into good fishing condtions again after several days of relatively dry weather without significant snowmelt.***

***March 13, 2008, afternoon update: Due to sustained snowmelt throughout the day, the river was getting elevated and muddy by late afternoon. Keep an eye on the flow gage data to determine the latest trend in flow.***

The Rocky River is finally dropping back into good fishing conditions, with the river currently exhibiting moderately high flow with a nice greenish brown strain. Looking at the forecast, though, rain and snowmelt will very likely cause the river to “blow out” (flood) again by the weekend. If you would like to fish the river in the near future the goal should be to get out there as soon as you can! The good news is that the ice jam that was located by the marina earlier this week is now gone, allowing fresh fish to move into the lower river umimpeded. Also, after nearly a week of being out of service, the Rocky River is back online. Anglers would be wise to check this resource regularly to determine the trend in river conditions over the next few days.

Many anglers experienced modest success steelhead fishing this week, with a fair number of Lake Erie run white suckers also turning up in the northern reaches of the river recently. A few fresh silver steelhead are around, but most this week have had at least a blush of spawning color. Numbers of suckers will continue to increase until their run peaks later in spring. Drifting hot pink or chartreuse spawn sacks is a great choice for steelhead in stained water conditions. Some anglers have also been doing well drifting jigs (various colors) or live minnows the past few days. Other good choices under these conditions are wobbling plugs and flies such as larger brightly colored egg patterns or dark colored streamers with some brighter contrast, such as an Egg Sucking Leach pattern.

Although ice on Park District ponds is not safe to venture out on, anglers fishing from the solid ground of fishing platforms and points sloping into deeper water are still catching rainbow and brown trout. Waters stocked this winter include Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judges lakes. Small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber and Power Bait fished near the bottom have both accounted for their share of trout this winter. Some anglers also reported success jigging lures such as small Swedish Pimple spoons.

The Park District plans to commence stocking the East Branch of the Rocky River with catchable size trout beginning about the third week of March, and administer weekly stockings throughout the spring. Furthermore, the Ohio Division of Wildllife plans to stock Hinckley Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout on April 3, as well as Shadow Lake with 500 trout on April 18.

Good Fishing,

Mike

Chuck displays two nice steelhead he caught in the Rocky this week.

Bob has been catching about a 50/50 mix of steelhead and white suckers the past two days, and caught and released this big sucker this morning. Incidentally, Bob was the angler in the Associated Press photo that appeared in a Florida paper earlier this winter (that I included in a past fishing report).

Conditions at Morley Ford on the date of this report. Bill (pictured) caught a steelhead on a minnow earlier this morning.

Tony caught this nice steelhead on a red spawn sack this morning.

The river near the marina is clear of ice again.

A trio of buffleheads cruises along near the marina this morning.

Despite the snow, these bluebirds know that spring is just around the corner.

Quite a few "dropback" or "spent" (spawned out) hen steelhead, like the one pictured above, have been turning up lately.

The following three photos are courtesy of Ross B.

The next two photos were taken by Jeff A. last week.

Thanks for sharing those great photos, guys!

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Fishing Report - March 6, 2008

Mike Durkalec — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:04:36 +0000

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

***March 7, 2008, update: The river conditions are still very elevated and muddy. If the river fishes this weekend, it will not be until towards the end.***

As has been the case the better part of this week, the Rocky River is still high and muddy. If things stay relatively dry the river could be approaching fishable into the beginning of the weekend but, realistically, any additional melt-off and/or precipitation would delay that. The has been down for the past several days, but USGS is aware of the issue and is planning to deploy a repair crew tomorrow.

Up until the high water, many steelhead anglers were experiencing very good success throughout the Rocky River. As the water levels begin to recede look for concentrations of steelhead downstream of barriers. Drifting hot pink or chartreuse spawn sacks is a top choice in off colored water conditions. Other good choices under these conditions are wobbling plugs and, for fly anglers, larger brightly colored egg patterns or dark colored streamers with some brighter contrast (such as an Egg Sucking Leach pattern).

Ice conditions have greatly deteriorated on Park District lakes this week. Still, anglers fishing from the solid ground of fishing platforms and points sloping into deeper water have been catching rainbow and brown trout. Waters stocked this winter include Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judges lakes. Small jigs (especially black and chartreuse colors) tipped with maggots and suspended under a small ice bobber and Power Bait fished near the bottom are effective tactics. Trout can also be caught by jigging lures, such as small Swedish Pimple spoons.

The Park District plans to commence stocking the East Branch of the Rocky River with catchable trout beginning in mid-March, and continue weekly stocking throughout the spring.

Fly Fish Ohio podcast with Cleveland Metroparks Aquatic Biologist. For those wishing to get better acquainted with the Aquatic Biologist that humbly serves you, it was my pleasure to tape a recent audio podcast at the request of the good folks at Fly Fish Ohio. In this interview we discuss steelhead fishing, Cleveland Metroparks and the Rocky River, fisheries management, and even paddlefish (yes, I said paddlefish…you’ll have to tune in to find out more!). The podcast can be downloaded at the following link:

Good Fishing,

Mike

High and muddy river conditions at Morley Ford on the date of this report.

Veteran steelheader Brion displays a beautiful trout with a blush of color (photo courtesy of Brion M.).

Al, another veteran angler, holding an impressive fresh run buck (photo courtesy of Brion M.).

Under Brion and Al's expert tutelage, first time steelheader Matt caught several nice fish, including this silvery brute (photo courtesy of Brion M.).

Dan got in the game, too, with this trophy chromer (photo courtesy of Brion M.).

The following is an action series featuring Kodiak the trout hound...

Kodiak inspects a freshly caught skipper steelhead...

...then determines that it's a worthy "snack"!

The steelhead thinks otherwise, though, and flops to freedom with a harrowing tale to tell his fellow trout (Disclaimer: no fish were harmed in the making of this mini-series).

Corey and his father have been catching some very nice trout at Wallace Lake lately, including this 20" fish that makes the foot long trout next to it look small! (photo courtesy of Corey Butram).

Matt and Jeff pose with a buck decked out in striking spawning colors (photo courtesy of Jeff A.).

Due to deteriorating ice conditions, trout anglers have been fishing from solid ground this week.

A happy angler caught this brace of steelhead on jig and maggots late last week.

A colorful buck comes to shore just prior to being released to make another angler's day.

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