Ohio steelhead trip

Patrick - thanks for the info.

Wmass' post definitely got some good conversation going in here on this subject. From an outsider's perspective, I had no clue about all of these factors involved in a good/bad season for these particular fish.
 
Streamerguy, I'll definitely agree with you that the numbers are reasonable as if you look at most pacific coast rivers they aren't piled up in shallow pools by the dozens like they used to be in Erie Tribs. The problem is that the streams here are to small for the number of anglers that fish them. I would have loved last fall if there weren't so many people as I could still find a fish or two here and there if everyone wasn't taking up all the fishable spots and roping 95% of the ones caught. If the numbers stay at what they were this past season that should drive away many of both less devoted and food-fishermen and provide more opportunities for C&R guys who appreciate just having a fish or two at the end of the line each day.
 
Fuller - I just checked my inbox but I didn't see a message from you. See if you can re-send and thanks for the contact.
 
I agree Char-Master. The fish to water ratio is more natural and appropriate as Patrick stated. The people to fish/water ratio just needs to go down proportionally, and hopefully that happens if the return numbers keep declining. In the meantime, it's nice to have other options throughout the Alley with better conditions/fish numbers. Hopefully PA doesn't keep going in a downward trend. Is it too early to start the rain dances??
 
I can speak to conditions on the Rocky River this past winter. The steelheading has been hot all winter. I've been driving home from work along the river a couple times a week, and anytime after a rain when the water begins to change from brown to green the bite has been on. I've stopped many times for a half hour and watched numerous trout hooked and landed.

The best thing is the lack of crowds. Sure, sometimes there are 6-8 anglers at the Rockcliff ford or other popular spots, but at every one of them you can walk a few hundred yards and have a hole to yourself.
 
Six gun,this rain we got last night and today blew out the Chagrin,Grand,Rocky and probably the others.I don't think they will be in shape this weekend.They were just starting to get to good levels but that changed.
 
I think it's been the nicest run we've had in Ohio for years. It's been spread out and there are plenty of fish. In Ohio, if you walk a little, there is plenty of elbow room. Even on the Rocky. Fished Rocky yesterday in the morning (because I live there as well) and it was not bad at all. And while I like to joke that Rocky is the Elk Creek of Ohio, it is nothing like Elk in terms of shoulder to shoulder from top to bottom as it was in the Fall of 2014.

If the rains come, I can assure you there will be much better fishing on Elk in the fall.

riser wrote:
I can speak to conditions on the Rocky River this past winter. The steelheading has been hot all winter. I've been driving home from work along the river a couple times a week, and anytime after a rain when the water begins to change from brown to green the bite has been on. I've stopped many times for a half hour and watched numerous trout hooked and landed.

The best thing is the lack of crowds. Sure, sometimes there are 6-8 anglers at the Rockcliff ford or other popular spots, but at every one of them you can walk a few hundred yards and have a hole to yourself.
Click to expand...
 
troutwilleatflies -

Great info. I'm going to keep an eye on the gauges and see if it's worth going. How long do you think before they recover? I may just take my chances and pray they clear up enough because, looking ahead, I really have no other time.

One thing I have hated about fishing in Ohio (and honestly, I know a lot of PA is like this from when I lived there) is how much and how long the waters get blown out after a storm. It seems like you need a solid 3-4 days without rain to get close to pre-rain turbidity in a lot of places, both rivers and stillwater. The West (Utah, in particular) was totally different from these waters. You would get nasty blow outs after major storms, but within a day, the stream were usually just stained and very much fishable due to the soil content more "rocky" than "silty."

 
Some this is up with the messaging on here and no one is getting PMs...but I basically said what Patrick posted above about the rocky only about the chagrin and a few nice runs on the lower portion. I'll try to send another after work, and yeah I checked the gauges and the rain has blown all the rivers out with a few inches of snow in the forecast, not looking good for this weekend
 
I appreciate the help on this, for sure. A 3 hour drive and a hotel stay for chocolate milk water would be a real nightmare.
 
That's what I am too, little under 3 hours from the Chag
 
Part of me is thinking of going up if for no other reason than to scout for a second trip up there. It seems like you really want to know where you're gonna go beforehand and then get out as early as possible the morning you plan to fish. The question, of course, is if that's worth a 3-hour haul...
 
I'm all of the tribs constantly from Oct through June every year. All you gotta do is ask :)
 
Well, hell. Let's do it up! Let me know when and where and I'll get there. The only competing interest is, at some point, I'll have to drop what I'm doing and head to Nebraska to join a close friend on a turkey hunt. That will be a "get here now" scenario based on when the flocks break up and the birds fire up. Other than that, I can go up there whenever.
 
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