Fishing forecast edited 4/30/11.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011

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Had to make an adjustment for all you steelhead anglers on the water conditons for the area. We thought the Grand would be in good shape for the coming days but it is still very off color and getting worse due to the melt and snowfall. The good news is the Chagrin is still in good shape with fresh fish moving in every day and the conneaut is looking very good and fishing well also. The Rocky west siders is still fishing good though it is getting very low and clear which makes the catching more difficult. We have been doing very well on lite brite zonkers, birds nest nymphs, river roe egg patterns, and pale orange and cream colored egg patterns. If you are heading to the area we are currently getting a good amount of snow that will bring the rivers up some tonight and probably melt off tomorrow making friday a bit questionable but we will see what happens and keep you up to date. Good Luck Dan and Pete. Almost forgot to tell you, i saw my first ever river otter(or any type of otter for that matter) yesterday on the Chagrin which was very exciting.

Reports are coming in strong and a few pics from the upper Chagrin.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011

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The amount of new water we as steelhead anglers have in South Chagrin Reservation is a blessing, the amount of fishable water that will actually fish well is amazing. Every bend reveals a new hole, run or riffle that looks like the fish will stack up in.


Cold clean tributary that may see some naturally reproducing steelhead.



Speaking of natural reproduction. Nice drop back that ate a big streamer on her return to the lake.

Reports from the last day and a half have been very good with anglers reporting good numbers of fish on both the East and West side tribs. Fresh fish seem to be coming in in good numbers as the ratio of fresh chrome fish vs the holdovers is 3 to 1. Orange egg patterns, great lakes sparrows, lite brite zonkers, and black birds nest nymphs have been hot. Things are looking up, good luck, Dan and Pete.

Weekend outlook, shop day tomorrow with great speakers, specials, and prizes.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Friday, March 25, 2011

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With a nice sunny outlook for the weekend and early next week it seems like we are finally going to get a nice extended period of time to get out and do some fishing. Flows on the East side are high but dropping fast due to the cold temps. Visibility will be an issue tomorrow on the larger tribs but by Sunday the Chagrin and maybe the Connie will be in good shape. For today and Saturday look to the smaller East side tribs, Elk Creek, the Rocky and the V on the west side for best results.

Good Luck.

Shop Specials for Saturday March 26th.

Free fly line with any rod/reel purchase.
10% off all fly tying materials
Free Simms steelhead layering system giveaway
Simms door prizes and more


10 am Eggs, Eggs, Eggs:
Jeff Blood, originator of the deadly blood dot fly, will present on the importance of egg patterns for springtime steelhead and why fish key in on this plentiful food source and how to best match them with flies. This is a must see for steelhead fisherman which helps demystify which egg patterns you should be fishing and when.

11:30 am Steelheading A-Z Jerry Darkes will cover what every beginning steelhead fisherman should know before they get on the river from fly rods, fly reels, fly lines, flies, stream flows, rigging up and more.

1pm Switch Rods for Steelhead: Matt Hynes will explain switch rods and why they are increasing in popularity among steelheaders both young and old. Matt will break down rod weights, line choices, swinging flies and indicator fishing into its basic parts to help you decide if this is the right rod for you. **Switch Rod Casting Demonstration with Matt Hynes following 1pm presentation**

Fly Tying: Jerry Darkes
Tube Flies for steelhead 1:30 2:30
Springtime Egg patterns 10-11:30
Must have nymphs and streamers 1-2

Shop day schedule for next Saturday March 26th and river report.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2011

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Shop Specials for the day:


Free fly line with any rod/reel purchase.
10% off all fly tying materials
Free Simms steelhead layering system giveaway
Simms door prizes and more


10 am Eggs, Eggs, Eggs:
Jeff Blood, originator of the deadly blood dot fly, will present on the importance of egg patterns for springtime steelhead and why fish key in on this plentiful food source and how to best match them with flies. This is a must see for steelhead fisherman which helps demystify which egg patterns you should be fishing and when.

11:30 am Steelheading A-Z Jerry Darkes will cover what every beginning steelhead fisherman should know before they get on the river from fly rods, fly reels, fly lines, flies, stream flows, rigging up and more.

1pm Switch Rods for Steelhead: Matt Hynes will explain switch rods and why they are increasing in popularity among steelheaders both young and old. Matt will break down rod weights, line choices, swinging flies and indicator fishing into its basic parts to help you decide if this is the right rod for you. **Switch Rod Casting Demonstration with Matt Hynes following 1pm presentation**

Fly Tying: Jerry Darkes
Tube Flies for steelhead 1:30 2:30
Springtime Egg patterns 10-11:30
Must have nymphs and streamers 1-2

**Get a sneak peak as local guides show you some of their most productive patterns.


River Report: Right now the smaller Grand Tribs are getting pounded by anglers who are finding fresh run fish while many others are fishing the higher flows of the Chagrin and Conneaut hoping to do battle with a spring run silver bullet. Bait anglers and swingers on the Chagrin and Conneaut should do well the next couple of days while fly guys indicator fishing will be better off sticking with the smaller tribs for now and hitting the bigger water tomorrow. Elk Creek is still producing but mostly holdover darker fish with very few fresh fish in the system. Good luck to everyone the next couple of days, it should be very good. Dan and Pete

Gone Fishing...

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2011

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this morning and could not be happier. This time a week ago we had 16 inches of snow, this morning i am rocking shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt on the road to meet clients to go fishing. On the fishing front the Grand tribs and Elk look good for the weekend and some of the medium sized Ohio tribs are fishing as well. For the Big Rivers the Rocky is coming into shape and should provide great fishing this weekend for you westsiders. On the East side the Chagrin, and Conneaut are still a few days away while the Grand as always takes much longer. Will post some pics tonight, tight lines Dan an Pete.

The time has just about come.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2011

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For some serious steelheading to start going down in Northeast Ohio. We still have some snow on the ground which will melt off in the next couple of days and then the forecast looks really good. Very little to no precipitation in the 10 day forecast and temps in the mid 40's to low 50's will be just what the Dr, ordered to get this ball rolling. Here at the shop decided not to wait any longer and began the guiding season today with pretty good results with a handful of clients on the water. At this point everyone seemed happy to just be on the water and catching a few fish was a very nice bonus. Look for the catch rate to only go up from here as more rivers began to fish in Ohio and steelhead continue their annual trek into our beautiful Lake Erie tributaries. I will post some pics from today with the next report.


Don't forget to get your 2011 fishing license if you have not done so already. Old ones have expired so it's time to renew them. Reports from Ohio today include a few fish caught on both Payne and Mill creeks and Elk Creek in PA is a nice sexy green with anglers having some luck with a mix of fresh and older fish. Again look for the rivers to settle down in the next 4 days or so and fishing to begin in earnest in Ohio by the weekend. I know everyone is ready.
Tight Lines Dan and Pete.

When will we get a break?

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2011

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Just as things start to look good for steelhead alley more rain is on the way. However those anglers fishing the smaller tributaries have been catching some nice fish while the rest of us wait for the larger rivers to come down. The Grand tribs have been producing OK as well as Elk creek in PA which clears very quickly. Remember we are still well ahead of schedule as the rivers this early in March are typically still frozen solid so rain and swollen rivers right now is a good thing and it will not be long until we are all enjoying a stellar spring season.

In the meantime tie some more flies and stop in the shop to see all the great new gear that is arriving daily. My new favorite has to be the Sage VXP 10 ft 7 weight. Far and away the best steelhead stick i have seen, think XP but lighter, little softer tip and more responsive, it's phenomenal. Pair the VXP up with a Bauer or Lamson with rio steelhead line and you have a rig that can't be beat.

The other thing you should all be doing right now is exploring the possibilities of public access on the Chagrin right by the shop. The South Chagrin Reservation has about 4 miles of continues public access from South Woodland rd south to Miles road with some great water to explore. Find it now, where to park, etc. fish it when the river comes down.

Tight Lines, Dan and Pete.


Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2011

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After the flood...Sweet feathers.

Posted by Dan | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2011

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Some perspective.


This is the view in Gates Mills for the last 104 yrs.


This is what it will look like from now on. How things change. It will not be long until steelheaders are recalling piscatorial pursuits that start with the phrase "I remember when the dam was still in Gates Mills I was......". Remember when.



We recently scored some sweet rhea feathers but not many so get em' quick. Perfect for tying intruders!

Normally hear i would add some river reports but we just got done with a fly tying class and Matt broke out the whiskey so i am out.