Fished Astabula on Monday and it was high & stained. No fish. We drove everywhere - the Project waters on Walnut. Very crowded and too windy, Sixteen Mile, very clear and no fish. Struchen Flats, Seratannia, no fish. Back to motel for a nap. Out again to Ohio for the late afternoon. No fish. Overall slow for both Elk and Ohio. I wound up landing three males 24" - 26" all on BH black stoneflies on 4X.
Ohio & PA steelhead - Oct 18 - 20
- Thread starter wbranch
- Start date
Prospector
Well-known member
I fished Oct 16. Where I went there were fish in every hole but only about 5-8. Started about 10am with a nice tint to the water but it rained quite a bit and by 330pm I left due to a chocolate flow. Caught 3 and lost 1 in the general size range you experienced.
I would have thought more fish would be moving in with the heavier flows but I guess that didn’t happen. They will come eventually.
I would have thought more fish would be moving in with the heavier flows but I guess that didn’t happen. They will come eventually.
Prospector
Well-known member
Timing does seem to be everything but it has evolved into sort of a mini model of the battle of Okinawa. So in honor of Veteran's day…
The steelhead that make it through the heavily fortified beaches are the lucky ones. Every hole after that for awhile is heavily contested. Then there’s some posted water that can provide a bit of base camp to prepare the final offensive. They need to run the gauntlet from Folly’s end to I-79. Those final 4.5 road miles have been stacked with 100 vehicles on several days I’ve been through there. A constant raining of sinkers from 200+ anglers in this tiny stretch is reminiscent of the munitions that rained down from northern mountains. It’s a tough life for a steelie to make it this far. Being constantly flossed, snagged, and stripped of eggs then having to make it back to the safety of the lake they have to do it all over again. Needless to say I never stay and fish these 4.5 miles that once was my favorite spot. It has gotten so crazy I go elsewhere.
The steelhead that make it through the heavily fortified beaches are the lucky ones. Every hole after that for awhile is heavily contested. Then there’s some posted water that can provide a bit of base camp to prepare the final offensive. They need to run the gauntlet from Folly’s end to I-79. Those final 4.5 road miles have been stacked with 100 vehicles on several days I’ve been through there. A constant raining of sinkers from 200+ anglers in this tiny stretch is reminiscent of the munitions that rained down from northern mountains. It’s a tough life for a steelie to make it this far. Being constantly flossed, snagged, and stripped of eggs then having to make it back to the safety of the lake they have to do it all over again. Needless to say I never stay and fish these 4.5 miles that once was my favorite spot. It has gotten so crazy I go elsewhere.
The first lake gauntlet comes as the smolts exit the tribs and work their way through the Walleye. It’s tough on the smolts when there are large Walleye year classes, sometimes multiple ones, in the Lake Erie system. In inland lakes high abundances of Walleye can be tough on Largemouth Bass populations and vice versa.
Prospector
Well-known member
Mike,
You are correct, the last 3-5 year walleye population has taken its toll on steelhead. The SM bass population isn’t healthy out there either. It has really crashed from where it was 10 years ago. Days of catching consistently 40 - 50 between 2 anglers has dropped to 5-10 the last few years.
CRB
Well-known member
one more the pesticide the feds used on lampreys in a western Erie county tributary took many young.
