Fish fly at the river

VERMILION — Yearling steelhead trout made a splash at the city boat launch. Community members lined the sides of the ramp on Friday as more than 20,500 trout were stocked into the Vermilion River. This was the 22nd year for the stocking event. Vermilion Mayor Jim Forthofer said that not only is the event fun for everyone, but it also has a great deal of significance. "Fish are what built the city of Vermilion," he said. "If it were not for the abundant fish in Lake Erie, the Native Americans would not have populated the area, followed by our settlers and then our boat builders to help fish the lake and the river. That's what grew our town." The steelhead trout were raised at the Castalia fish hatchery. They were transported in two hatchery trucks. This year, more than 450,000 steelhead will be stocked in seven Ohio rivers that flow into Lake Erie. Vermilion will receive a total of 55,000 fish. Chris French, fish hatchery program administrator, said the trout stocked at the Vermilion River were about seven and a half inches long, and they'll spend about 2 weeks in the river. Then they'll swim out to the Lake Erie and spend two-to-three years growing. After the time in the lake, the steelhead will return to the river in which they were stocked in. They'll be more than 20 inches in length and weigh up to 10 pounds — a good size to catch them. "We have people from all over Ohio, out of state and even different countries coming here to Ohio to fish for steelhead trout," French said.