Conneaut Creek, OH Fishing Report

The Next couple weeks will be primetime on the Conneaut.  Fresh steelhead and big lake run smallies will be on fire.  Stop in the shop for hot flies.

April marks the start of some prime fishing here in the midwest. On the local front steelheading takes center stage; but not to be overlooked are lake run smallmouth bass that start showing up in the same tributaries as steelhead mid-April and are in the rivers thru mid Jun, carp, bass, panfish, and PA-MI trout fishing. Yes its a fine time for flyroders so make some time to hit your local river, stream, lake, pond or wherever it is you prefer to sling a fly and enjoy the springtime.

 So this one is kinda heavy. Please, if you enjoy a good jam while hitting the river I want you to press play and work through some of the shots below. I love to fish, and coinciding with that, is making sure that there are some hot jams setting the stage for the day.

 Richard below set some high standards for us this week and that half smurk/grin can sum up an emtion of, wow did that fish just grace me with its presence. Yes it did Richard, and what a fantastic fish it was.  

 We were also fortunate enough to catch up with a couple guys who besides being from the Pits#$%5g area were pretty classy guys. It was a great day with some awesome weather and some nice fish brought to the net. Mike shown below has spent many of days chasing wild PA trout, but after a couple days chasing Steelhead, I think a new 7wt rod may be in his near future.

As winter starts to loosen its grip anglers in northeast Ohio cant help but think spring steelhead, while others have been hitting the rivers all along when conditions permitted. There have also been a few lucky ones whom visited the Bahamas for a weeks of fun in the Bohemian sun. Come on down to the shop and check out the new gear and tying materials that have arrived and take advantage of the great free seminars this month (posted on home page of web site) Looking forward to spring.

 A lot of ice and slush, time to tie up for spring!

Things have settled into a winter time pattern here on steelhead alley. The rivers are opening back up due to one of our bizarre winter warm ups; but thats a good thing because before they froze the fishing was very good. All three major East side rivers had plenty of fish so keep your eye on things and if the weather is right after the thaw and drop give it a go because the fish are in.

Conneaut will be prime by Thursday and fish well thru the weekend until the cold sets in again.  Plenty of fish in this system so if the Connie is your river of choice have at it and enjoy the nice weatehr.

Hard to believe that another year has just about passed here along steelhead alley, Thanksgiving has come and gone and 2013 is just around the corner, amazing really. Not sure if its possible or not but does time really go faster as you get older? It seems like it most of the time these days. However there are times that if I pay attention, usually with a rod in my hand, that things seem to slow down to a very peaceful and manageable pace. These times though fleeting i am very thankful for this year more than ever. Hope everyone had a wonderful 2012 and 2013 is your best yet. On the North Coast of Ohio 2012 has been a tough one for many Steelheaders. An unusually warm spring had the fish in and out very early and this Fall started good but stalled out after Thanksgiving. However reports are in that with these last few rains that the fish have arrived in good numbers. One angler described it as a triple run of fresh fish on an eastern trib on Tuesday and anglers on the lower Chagrin did well also on Tuesday. So lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that 2012 that came in like a lamb on the fishing front goes out like a lion. Happy Holidays everyone.

Well we wanted rain and we got it. Hurricane Sandy blew up the eastern seaboard and dump a whole bunch of rain on Ohio.  


 Flooding out most of NE Ohio's rivers, Sandy forever changed them. When the river's get such a forceful blow much of the river can change. Your old reliable fishing hole may be a thing of the past or that piece of water you hardly ever fish, may have turned into something special.

Yes its time once again.



 
Time to get together with a few buds and hit the rivers for some steelhead.
 
Ot hit the river by yourself and find an old friend waiting for you.
 
The first few of the year get that fire burning again.
 
With the recent rains the start of November should also be the start of some great fishing.

So good luck to all you steelheads and hope everyone finds a few like this. 
 
Dont forget to hit the shop as well and check out the great new flies and gear.
 
 

BLOWN!

Cold rains have once again brought steelhead back to the tributaries of Lake Erie in North East Ohio. The Savvy steelheaders out there have all ready taken advantage of the early opportunities and struck chrome while others are still waiting to wet a line. The lower Chagrin had been fishing very well for early October and the last few days of rain will jump start this season. Anglers on the west side have been enjoying good fishing on the Rocky as well. The east side tribs like the Conneaut and Elk have not been getting as much water as we have here but did get some which will help. Time to celebrate the return of the steelhead and go fishing.

The Connie hasn't been producing big numbers yet, but it is right around the corner. The Connie' is an awesome stretch of water. It can fish well starting in the fall, and we have caught steelhead in the creek into June and beyond some years! One reason we love it so much is that it is swinging water! That isn't to say that you cannot do nymphs and eggs here as well, but we figure, if you can swing, why not! Orvis endorsed guide, guru and tying maniac, as well as shop buddy Greg Senyo provides reports on the Connie. Bust out your switch rod, and step foot in Ohio! This creek is only about a 1/2 an hour from Erie. Remember that Ohio fishing licenses switch over in March!

We had some pretty good rains this past weekend, and it brought the creeks up a bit. Oil should fish pretty well for another couple of days. I would bring along some light cahills, tan caddis and some midges. The Allegheny should be fishing pretty good as well. The bay is still hot, with the western flats fishing well. Poppers and clousers are great choices for fishing this water. All in all, should be a pretty good week for fishing!! Tight lines, and happy fishing!

Springtime in the Midwest is a great time to be a bugslinger, weather your chasing cold water trouts or warm water bass things are going strong.  For bass it’s been streamer time for sure but don't be afraid to go top water as the waters are warming and the top water bite has been picking up considerably.  For trout we all know its traditionally prime time for dry fly fishing which we all love but the heavy rains in central PA have many rivers and streams running high and hard.  For me that means break out the 6 weight with a sinking line and chuck a big meal for those big PA trout that are typically hard to fool.

Recently it’s been PA trout fishing and lake run smallies. On our local tribs the smallie action has been dynamite. In PA the trout fishing has been ok but inconsistent. Based on what I have seen so far though i think that is about to change. With stable weather and the arrival of green drakes and sulphurs two of trouts favorite mayflies fishing will be right back on track in a big way. Some good deals on gear at the shop so stop on in.

PA golden trout or palamino is a prize catch in the keystone state.

Nymphing is always productive if the trout are not coming to the surface.

Swinging soft hackles in north central PA.

This big bug drives both fish and fisherman bananas. Timing the green drake hatch right can be frustrating but if you do you will not forget it.

While the creeks are up now, as they clear fishing should be awesome! This weekend Blue Wing Olives were coming off pretty well, and we are looking to see some tan caddis, Mothers Day Caddis and some Sulphurs on the way. Elk is blown right now, but as it clears, the smallie fishing should pick up.  I would expect it to be another two weeks before the smallies move into shallow water. Tight lines, and happy fishing!