Peak steelhead trout season ahead for Erie stream anglers

Each fall through spring, the ice-free sections of several streams on the eastern half of Ohio's portion of Lake Erie have some great fishing available for steelhead trout (a.k.a. steelies, silver bullets, chromers) thanks to stocking efforts by the Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW).Due to not having ideal conditions for egg and fry survival most years, little natural reproduction occurs in Lake Erie tributaries.After being raised from eggs at the Castalia State Fish Hatchery for about a year, they are released as "smolts" into one of six streams just before they are ready to imprint on it to return to when they become sexually mature and make their spawning runs.The goal of the DOW is to stock approximately 450,000 fingerlings per year into the following streams (2018 estimates): Ashtabula (69,928), Chagrin (90,008), Conneaut (75,079), Grand (90,076), Rocky (90,014) and Vermilion (63,203).After migrating to the lake, they grow rapidly on the abundant, cool-water bait fish supply, especially smelt. They gain about 2 pounds per year before returning to spawn in 2-3 years.Unlike salmon, most steelhead do not die after spawning the first time, so many fish return for multiple runs and can commonly grow in excess of 11 pounds and 30 inches.Due to poor navigation skills of some of these smolts, they don't know where to go and may end up in many other streams along the lakeshore that were never stocked. Some become secret honey holes known to only a few that harbor steelheads every winter.For example, I know of one Wood County ditch that feeds a small creek that empties into the western end of the lake where some steelhead are seen most years as far upstream as the fish can get and still keep their backs wet.Other locations are harder to conceal, like when anglers catch them while fishing the Sandusky River in the early spring before the walleyes make it to downtown Fremont, and those caught in the Maumee and Ottawa rivers and Swan Creek in Toledo.They are probably there all winter, but fewer people think to fish these rivers then.Common fall and winter fishing techniques include using a spinning or fly rod with trout or salmon egg bags, a 1/32-ounce jig tipped with maggots or flies fished close to the bottom under a pencil bobber or similar set-ups.I have also landed several while ice fishing around the islands, and others are widely caught in nearby marinas and harbors and near the mouth of Cold Creek.In the spring, drifting some of these same baits through a pool or their spawning bed, called a redd, can be especially productive. Additional lures to try in the spring should include mall crank baits and spinners.For stream fishing, water level and clarity are critical for success, with a goal of 8-12 inches of visibility. Anglers learn through experience what water levels lead to successful outings.On the Ohio Division of Wildlife steelhead page, there are links to stream gauges on all of those that are stocked with steelhead except the Ashtabula River. I got to their site by simply doing an internet search for Ohio steelhead trout.Websites maintained by the parks in "Steelhead Alley" show public access locations and offer detailed fishing tips. Another helpful website is provided by the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders Association at ohiosteelheaders.com/ohio-fishing/Cleveland Metroparks posts updates and has a list of registered stream steelhead fishing guides on its site (clevelandmetroparks.com) that may help speed up the learning curve for catching your first one.As a cool-water species, they spend their summers in the Central and Eastern basins of Lake Erie below the thermocline. However, while water temperatures are cool enough in the fall through spring, they may roam throughout the lake.By the way, summer is a fun time to target the species, best caught by trolling with large spoons behind Dipsey Divers or Downriggers through loose pods of fish located on the fish finder near schools of bait fish.In fact, the Ohio state record steelhead was caught in this manner in Lake Erie off Avon Point on June 25, 2010 by Jason Brooks. It weighed 21.3 pounds and was 38 inches long.Some Central Basin charter boat captains run lake trips for steelhead during the summer. Having line peeling off a reel while a fish launches itself several feet into the air is a thrill that can become addictive.Landing a steelhead trout can be quite a thrill for anglers on Lake Erie. In this photo, Eric Hirzel of Erie Gold Charters shows off a steelhead trout caught about 20 miles from Cleveland.