***The Fishing Report Blog is updated every Thursday*** The Rocky and Chagrin rivers are locked up with ice closer to Lake erie, but offer plenty of open water upstream of that. Anglers can check the flow and temperature data at the following links:
<Rocky River flow gage data><Chagrin River flow gage data> <Rocky River NEORSD station with turbidity>. Note: in winter ice on gage sensors can cause erroneous readings. Recently trout were stocked at five locations in Cleveland Metroparks (details below) and anglers are pursuing them on the ice.
The Rocky River and other area streams are locked up with ice in downstream reaches closer to Lake Erie, but are offering plenty of open water in great shape upstream of that. Expect mostly fish that have been in the rivers awhile since the ice jams may impede upstream migration of additional fresh steelhead. Most fish have been caught in deeper holes spread throughout the watersheds. Good bets are brightly colored (neon pink, orange and chartreuse) dime to nickel size spawn bags under a float as well as salmon egg mimicking beads and soft rubber eggs (8-12 mm), small (1/32-1/64 oz) jigs tipped with maggots and live minnows under a float.
Protected Lake Erie harbors, such as Edgewater, Wildwood and E72nd boat ramp area also offer ice fishing opportunities for steelhead, northern pike, yellow perch and sunfish. Fortunately, the abundance of gizzard shad in these areas arew thinning out somewhat and the bite is picking up. Ice anglers catch steelhead on spawn sacks, small jigs tipped with a waxworm or a few maggots or a minnow, all typically suspended 4-6 feet beneath a small ice bobber. Small to medium size jigging spoons, such as Litle Cleo or KastMaster, actively jigged without any bait added, also produce steelhead through the ice with regularity.
In late January we conducted our second round (and final) scheduled winter trout stockings. This consisted of a total of 3,000 lbs of trout distributed as follows: Wallace Lake (1,400 lbs), Shadow Lake (750 lbs), ledge Lake (650 lbs), Ranger Lake (100 lbs) and Judge's Lake (100 lbs). These complement to 3,000 lbs of trout distirbuted in the same manner back in December. The majority of the fish were 1-1.5 lb rainbow trout, but an impressive number of brook, brown, golden rainbow and even some tiger trout (a brown trout x brook trout hybrid) were in the mix.
Note: the daily limit at Wallace, Ledge, Ranger and Judge's lakes is 3 trout/angler and the limit at Shadow Lake and the Ohio & Erie Canal is 5 trout/angler. The trout can bite well on colorful dime size balls of Power Bait dough, a waxworm ot two on a small marabou or tube jig and jigging spoons.
Since anglers have been venturing onto our frozen lakes and ponds to ice fish I offer the following safety advice. Most state conservation agencies recommend at least 4" of solid ice before anglers should venture out to ice fish, and in Cleveland Metroparks it is the angler's responsibility to check that. One method is to use a spud bar near shore and check the ice thickness, and if it is
> 4 inches then walk out a little further and check again. Ice is often thinnest right at the water's edge and around inlets and outlets of the waterbody. The heavy snow this week will serve to insulate the water and slow additional ice formation, as well. River ice forms less consisatently than on lakes and ponds and changes more quickly, so exercise extreme caution in this scenario. A pair of emergency ice picks held at the ready on a cord around the neck are are a safety must, as is an emergency length of rope. A floating "survival suit" is something you may consider, as well. Other safety tips are to always fish with a friend, let someone know where you'll be, and focus on areas near where other anglers are already fishing.
If you ever do fall through the ice, the most important thing to do initially is gain your composure. Panicking is the worst thing you can do. People report getting the wind knocked out of them when they first feel the hit of the ice cold water. Get to the edge of the ice and once your breathing is under control use your ice picks to simultaneously claw back the direction yor came in while kicking your legs. It's as if you are "swimming" back onto the ice. Once on the ice DO NOT STAND UP! Roll the direction you walked in until you feel you are on thicker ice then retreat to shore the same way you came in. Hopefully you never need to use this advice. I did watch a person fall through the ice on a local Lake Erie harbor a few years ago. The inexperienced ice fisher did not have ice picks on him. At the urging of those folks nearby he did everything noted above, but could not get the grip to pull back onto the slick ice. Then someone slid him a pair of picks and he immediately got out as described above, thankfully.
Thank you to Cleveland Fishing Co. for your Generous Support! Thank you to Brian Tighe, owner of Cleveland Fishing Co., for donating a total of $1,500 to support the Cleveland Metroparks fisheries program from 2021 proceeds! This donation to our Fishing Fund greatly helps with our fish stocking, among other projects such as support for kid and family fishing events. It has never felt better to show your Cleveland fishing pride! Check out their website and products
<here>.
The Barbie Rod Steelhead Derby Fundraiser is BACK! After a 2 year hiatus due to Covid, the popular and fun Barbie Rod Steelhead Derby is back this year and scheduled for Saturday April 2nd. The sixth annual event was held in 2019 so we will pick up where we left off and call this our seventh annual event. One big difference this year will be that Cleveland Metroparks will be leading the event and Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders (a non-profit) will be hosting the raffle. A big tip of the hat goes out to past event organizer Mark Warren for 5 years of leading a highly successful event before passing on the reigns. Trophies for three largest steelhead, raffles, and a cookout are all part of the day's festivities for this fun event where anglers must fish for steelhead with a kiddie fishing pole! 100% of proceeds from the fundraiser event go to support the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund. The event headquarters has been moved to South Mastic Woods Picnic Area (immediately south of the Putritas Road bridge), a more central location on the Rocky River that offers almost twice the space as the marina area location. More details coming soon. Mark your calendars for this fun event for a great cause!
Photo Release Waivers for Fishing Blog Photos (fast and easy to complete online). Photo release waivers for photos sent in for the fishing report can easily be completed online through Smart Waiver (takes only about 30 seconds to complete) at the following link:
<Smart Waiver link>. You only need to do this one time and any future additional photos submitted are covered too.
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 .