FINALLY!!

After few unsuccessful attempts I have finally succeeded at lending a Steelhead past Saturday. I did take a good look back at my "steelhead attempts" and took a little different approach which in return paid off. By now I know there is no better bait that a spawn sac and a steelhead egg spawn sac especially. The fresher the eggs the better.
I have made several attempts at steelhead a few weekends in a row with a fly rod.  I have seen many anglers hooking up beautiful fish using a spinning rod and a float using spawn sacks. Of course I have seen a couple of guys successful with a jig and a maggot, but you can't help to steer more towards the spawn sacs especially after fishing next to a guy who gets a hook up almost at every cast. I was dumbfounded and looked with a obvious disbelieve at him running nothing but spawn sacs under his 7 ounce float. Of course we were at this really "hot spot" but no matter what I have tried it did not produce anything other that defeat and "ENVY".
And so I came back home with my pride tarnished and started thinking. The first thing I did was to throw away my old spawn sacs. I went to DICKS's and bought some red and orange salmon eggs and some additional chartreuse netting to make my own new spawn sacs. I have made several sacs in two different sizes in orange, pink, chartreuse and white. But them in "CLEAN" medicine bottles and place them in the fridge for a couple of days. I have also made several leaders with double hooks and egg loop knots on each of them. Then come Saturday I went to the river. It was freaking cold, but with a little cold weather experience I've got from previous winter I manged to dress very appropriately. My new 3.5 mm neoprene boot legged with 1000 mg insulation are a blast. With a merino wool socks on I've managed to stand in the water for about 5 hours with no problem. While other anglers kept on taking worm up brakes on the bank I've kept on casting. It was about 27 degrees that morning and I've had very low expectations on catching anything.  I know that fish in that weather wait until about 11 am to start biting. But to my surprise the guy (the wizard I've met a week before at the same fishing hole) next to me started hooking up some serious fish. After about and hour I hooked up a beautiful small hen about 17 inch long. I did land it with my net took a picture and let it go back in the water to a surprise of a fellow angler. You would be so surprised at some of the reason that people keep the fish they catch. I did actually wonder at the "legality" of some of them, but because they all kept just the limit of 2 I did not question what they did with them. I have spent the next 2 hours casting and assisting my "neighbors" with my net as they did have problems with landing their catches. Then the fish "shut off" suddenly. I guess water temperature has a lot to did with that. Then about 11 I did hook up a nice buck, somewhere in the range of 30 inches, but I could not land it do to the fact that my reel got wet a while earlier and the drag was useless, and without a good drag it is very hard to do land this fish. But I was excited anyway and called it a day - a good day that is. The biggest and most important thing I've learned that day? - If you fish with a spinning reel in temperatures below freezing mark - keep it dry at all time or it will cost you your reel and the fish.  The drag will stop engaging the the anti-reverse mechanism will be useless as well.  Perform occasional maintenance of your rods and reels.  Use chopstick or ice-of paste such as Stanley's Ice-off paste to keep line guides from freezing.  This will obstruct your casting to virtually impossible.  Ice-off paste will keep it ice free for about 1 hour which is great considering it would take only few casts without it to ice up the guides.  Until next time - TIGHT LINES EVERYBODY!!


 

A HIT!!

Friday. November 4th.   Decided to fish at Rockcliff Spring bridge area again (again).  Was first on the river.  Decided to start with the float fishing first.  I have brought some live minnows but no action whatsoever.  Switched to fly rod.  Kept trying  different flies.  I did not have many egg patterns except some crystal meth which I know don't work in clear water.  Nothing.  Then I've switch to this one called Eggi Juan Kenobi and after a couple of casts got a hit and a hook up.  I could see the fish about 3 feet from me.  I could see it twitch and roll couple of times and then it broke off.  I got so excited.  I guess I'm finally going  in the right direction.  I guess I did not set the hook right, and the fly was kinda small (size 14).  I had to leave shortly after this.  I will get me a whole bunch of these fly patterns in bigger sizes for next week.  Hopefully weather will cooperate.

Halloween

The last day of October.  No luck.  I have ventured out to the river in hopes of getting my first Steelhead.  Nothing.  Tried both a float and a fly rod.  Tried the Cedar Point Road area first.  Nothing.  Did not notice any other anglers.  I guess the experienced ones wait a little longer for the Steelhead to reach this area in greater numbers.  Stayed there for  about an hour or so.  Great water condition but no bite.  Decided to go closer to the lake.  Drove to Rockclif Ford.  About 15 anglers at the hole already.  No one getting any bites.  Then this guy walks in and in about 3 minutes after I got there  he hooks a nice buck in 2 or 3 casts.  I don't how he does.  I know that he fishes like everyday so I guess experience and practice translates directly into results.  He was using orange spawn sacs.  He explained to us that they were "special" but would not elaborate.  I've tried the same color store bought spawn sacs to no avail.  I hope I will have a better luck next time.  Till then.

Back Again.

  It's this time of the year again.  The Stealhead time!!  Weather getting colder, water cooler, conditions needed for them to start the fall run.  There are first reports of Steelhead coming from anglers fishing the Rocky River using traditional and fly fishing tackle.  Can't wait to get back on the river, but first I must use the remaining days of the boating season to catch me some perch and hopefully some walleye.

  First let me tell you that i am a novice at fishing in general.  I have started this blog out of frustration from the lack of information and resources for novice and beginning fishermen.  I have caught my first Steelhead this year after a very long and tiresome fall and winter.  I can't even count how many times I have ventured out to the river just to come back frustrated and tired and of course with no catch not even a hit.

The public access to the river is incredible.  26 miles of public land along the river is unmatched.  Although there are many fishing holes along the river, many of them are overcrowded and over-fished.  I look at the Rocky River basically as north and south section.  The south section goes all the way up to Barea Falls down to Puritas Road and northern part from Puritas to the Necklace Marina in Rocky River.

The Rocky is a very interesting river system.  I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best spots for a beginning Steelheader to catch his or hers first Steele.  The popular spots are good if you want to learn from other anglers.  I learn by observation and occasional conversation with a fellow angler (of course if they are willing to share any knowledge).    I am still discovering new fishing spots, both for spinning and fly fishing.  For spinning tackle you will have to find deeper pools where using a float or drifting is possible.  The whole river is open is available for fly fishermen.  I have seen fish being caught in less then a foot of water using fly tackle.  This is impossible or next to impossible using a float, believe me I've tried.  Although it may be possible to present the lure to the fish but I have never been successful in setting the hook in a fast and shallow drift.  That's why I want to explore the fly fishing tackle this season.  If course I will not abandon my spinning rod and a float as they have been very good to me so far.

I have started my Steelhead adventure at Rock Cliff Springs Ford.  Very good spot, but often over fished.  In the full season it is not unusual to see about 20 anglers on both sides of the ford often almost rubbing elbows and casting over each other lines.  Although as I've said it would be a good place to observe and learn, but your success rate will be much smaller because the fish are stressed due the large number of people at the fishing hole.  The best solution is to get there early (very early).  I have seen people getting there prior to sunrise and just standing there in the water so they could get the best fishing spot, and around 10 or 11 am some other guy would just come, stand next to them and catch a fish with their first cast.  Yeah, that's steelheading.  Nothing like it.