Where to Go

In my opinion, these guys all have it right.... The best thing going from mid-October up through freeze-up is steelhead fishing. The fishery we have from the Vermilion River east all the way to Buffalo is absolutely outstanding. I ran into a guy from Anchorage Alaska up in the Boundary water park (Ely, MN) a few years back and he tells me he flies to Erie, PA to fish the fall run; he said that the fishing was WAY better in Ohio and PA than Alaska for steelhead. I assumed that the man must have been mentally challenged.... until I visited Alaska last year. The fish are bigger up there, but you will hook and land many, many more fish in Ohio and PA.

There is a pretty steep learning curve to catch steelhead using all of the various techniques, but when conditions are good - they can be caught quite easily. There are reams of excellent resources out there you can use to shorten the learning curve; the links the guys posted are top notch. This site is also loaded with many very good fishermen that will offer tons of pointers.

Here are a couple of my "key" pointers for someone new to steelhead:

1. Only fish in the stocked rivers. You can catch fish in any ditch that empties into Erie, but when you are learning, it is best to maximize your opportunities. (a.k.a. don't bother with Cuyahoga)

2. I would recommend fishing the Chagrin River, any pool downstream from SR84. There will be lots of people, but the vast majority will answer questions. You can also learn a ton just by watching the one that catches the most fish. I avoided crowds like the plague when I started steelhead fishing, and I had very little success.

3. Steelhead can be caught under just about any water condition from ultra low and clear to massive flooding. Most times you will get skunked when you try either condition. I have saved a TON of time & gas money by monitoring the flow rate of rivers