The steelhead fishing on the Rocky and Chagrin rivers received a much needed bump in flow this week, with more rain on the way. River conditions are very good this morning, especially for bait anglers, with a greenish brown stain to the water and dropping flow. Anglers on the Rock have reported a good number of fresh fish moving and biting over the past day, especially in the northern river sections near the marina. With more rain on the way these fish will distribute throughout the river systems thoroughly, and we should have some of the best fishing yet of the season once the river level drops and clears even a bit further.
In the currently stained water conditions angler drifting nickel size bright pink or chartreuse spawn bags (trout or salmon eggs) will often do the best. Fly fishers prefer brightly colored eggs patterns or larger contrasting color streamer flies under these conditions. As the water continues to clear, small jigs tipped with a few maggot or waxworms and live (or salted) minnows will work well. Some anglers this week have reported scuess with minnow type crankbaits and spoons (Little Cleo spoons are popular), especially near the river mouths.
Cleveland Metroparks has scheduled our first round of winter rainbow trout stockings in our lakes and ponds for early next week (tentatively scheduled for Monday and Tuesday December 10 & 11). The 2,000 lbs of trout will be distributed between Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger, and Judges lakes, with Wallace receiving the most fish since it is the largest of these lakes. These trout bite well on thumbnail size nuggets of brightly colored PowerBait fished on near the lake bottom with a small sinker, small jigs tipped with a few maggots suspended about 2-3 feet below a small bobber, canned corn, and small spinners, among other offerings. Keep posted to the fishing report for an update on these stockings early next week.
For the fourth (and final for 2012) week in a row largemouth bass and bluegill were transferred from private ponds to Cleveland Metroparks public fishing waters. We target this type of activity in the fall because the process is less stressful on the fish due to cold water temperatures. Most of Cleveland Metroparks fishing lakes and ponds have benefitted from the release of these fish, and from similar activities, over the past few months. With the cold water, though, they are not pushovers to catch and require some patience in the form of moving around a lot to find them and a slow retrieve.
The Lake Erie fishing report can be found at the following link: <ODNR Lake Erie fishing report>.
The Cleveland Metroparks Fisheries Program and Fiscal Responsibility. Despite tough economic times, this has been a year of growth for the Cleveland Metroparks fisheries program. Although park budgets were tight all around, no significant internal funding was cut from the fisheries program budget due to its popularity and relatively low cost. And on top of this, cost recovery for the program was outstanding in 2012. This year a total of $19,120.00 direct funds were generated from grants, donations, and the Fishing Guide Permit program. And we had a fantastic year for donations of valuable sportfish through special arrangement with private properties with lakes and ponds at non-Metroparks golf courses, a school campus, and a private residence. In fact, just over 75% of the total value of fish collected in 2012 ($17,397.00) were collected from such offsite locations, and reflect another form revenue generation at little relative cost to us for staff time, fuel, and equipment. This is a novel program that allows us to further expand our fisheries program and the quality of the experience for local anglers. So please be aware that your tax support of Cleveland Metroparks is rewarded with not only wise management of the fishery resource, but also with a keen eye on how that money is spent to maximize benefit the fishing public.
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
Little Leanni is taking up some serious gear at a tender young age! Her proud father Gio calls her the "Steelhead Pricess". Gio had a good day yesterday on small creek that flows partially through Cleveland Metroparks property, and shows off a few fish from his catch above (photos courtesy of Giovanni Quintana).
<Dave Ragone>.
