Fishing Report - January 28, 2010

Published Jan. 28, 2010 at 12:13 p.m.

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

***February 3, 2010, update:  The open water in the main branch of the Rocky River is largely slush free this morning, although there is abundant shelf ice along the edges.  Anglers have been experiencing success ice fishing for trout at Cleveland Metroparks lakes and ponds (see report for details of areas stocked last week).***

***January 29, 2010, afternoon update:  A good amount of the slush dissipated in segments of the Rocky River this afternoon, but expect the river to be slushy again tomorrow morning.  Sunny afternoons are an angler's best but right now.  Also, anglers were having good success catching stocked trout at Wallace Lake on gold Swedish Pimples spoons today.  People were already out on about 4 inches of ice again, but still be very cautious if you choose to do the same (especially around the lake margins).***

***January 29, 2010, morning update:  Not unexpectedly given the very cold overnight temperatures, the river is extremely slushy this morning with quite a bit of new shelf ice.  Given the current extended forecast, fishing prospects in the river will remain poor for this weekend.  On the plus side, this arctic blast should have folks back on the ice in our smaller ponds after several more days of sub-freezing temperatures.***

The fishing conditions on the Rocky River are just dropping back into fishable shape this morning, with the water currently exhibiting a brownish green stain and flow still on the heavy side.  Slush in the river was moderate this morning with very little shelf ice, but expect both to get worse in the coming days given the cold temperatures in the forecast.  Ice on our lakes and ponds is still unsafe following the recent thaw, but is already forming again and will hopefully be safe to walk on sometime next week.  Anglers can monitor the latest trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:    (note: icy winter conditions can sometimes make flow gage readings inaccurate)

Prior to the thaw induced flooding, anglers on the Rocky River were experiencing some of the best steelhead fishing of the new year.  An appreciable run of fresh adult and skipper steelhead had moved into the northern river reaches to complement the darker fish that had already been in the system since prior to the thaw, and I would expect a similar scenario as the river continues to drop back into fishable condition.  Anglers were catching fish primarily on brighter egg during the last window of opportunity, and a few steelhead were already being hooked on similar offerings this morning.  Given the current weather forecast, the window of opportunity to fish the river will likely be painfully short again this time, with ice and slush expected to increase by the day.

Cleveland Metroparks completed the final round of winter trout stockings of our lakes and ponds this week. These fish complement the 1,800 pounds of trout stocked in late Decemmber.  The ponds/lakes stocked this week include:  Wallace Lake (800#) and Ranger Lake (100#) stocked on Monday and Shadow Lake (400#), Judges Lake (300#), and Ledge Lake (200#) stocked on Wednesday.  There has been a very good size diversity in this shipment of trout, ranging from about ¾ of a pound up to 3-4 pound broodstock trout (and everywhere in between).  To add a bit of spice to the mix, the trout supplier included a few dozen golden rainbow and brown trout in the shipment this week.  Anglers were already catching trout the day we released them at several lakes.

Trout fishing at our lakes and ponds was heating up prior to the trout releases this week, and should be even better now.  Many of the fish continue to be caught on Swedish Pimple jigging spoons fished very shallow (between 1-3 feet of the surface).  These trout typically also bite well under the ice on Power Bait fished near the bottom and small jigs tipped with a few maggots suspended under a small float.  Until the ice on our lakes reforms, anglers can target these fish from the fishing platforms and docks available…especially at Wallace, Shadow, and Ledge lakes (note:  a minimum of 3-4 inches of solid  ice is required for foot traffic).

Local Business Highlight:  Rodmakers Shop.   The Rodmakers Shop, owned by Frank Simoncic and Ray Halter,  has been a local angling institution for 27 years.  This full service tackle outfitter is centrally located within Cleveland Metroparks system in Strongsville.  They have just about anything a local steelheader, fly fisher, Lake Erie troller, parent taking a kid fishing for the first time, or trout/bass/muskie angler could possible want…and if they don’t they are always happy to order it for you.  Beyond having a great selection of bait, tackle, rods/reels, and providing fishing/hunting licenses and watercraft registration, the owners of this shop also routinely give back to the fishing community.  They always support our spring children’s fishing derbies with prizes, and Frank has been a proponent of river access for steelhead anglers with the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders Board of Directors for as long as I can remember.  Local anglers, especially those centrally located in the county or traveling up I-71 from the south to fish our rich waters, should make a point of visiting the Rodmakers Shop. You can give them a call at (440) 572-0400 for information on business hours.

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 Drew on catching this brute chrome buck steelhead in the Rocky River this week (photo courtesy of Drew Foltynski).

 

This fine hen steelhead ended a dry spell for Kyle late last week (photo courtesy of Kyle Hinderer).

 

Justin capitalized on the short window of opportunity late last week and caught the steelhead in the photos above on spawn sacks (photos courtesy of Justi Telep).

 

Trout fishing at our lakes and ponds has been heating up, as evidenced by the trout displayed by Albert and Jim at Wallace Lake.

 

Mike caught this fine specimen of a chrome steelie in the Rocky this week (photo courtesy of Mike B.).

 

The following photos depict trout stocking at five of our lakes and ponds this week, as detailed in the report:

I think anglers will appreciate the diversity in this shipment of trout!

 

An angler caught this nice trout at the Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation fishing area this week (photo courtesy of unidentified angler).

 

This colorful and chunky steelie was caught in the Rocky River recently (photo courtesy of unidentified angler).

 

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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

 

 

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