Depending on who you talk to and when the steelhead fishing is either pretty good or not so much. There are definitely good numbers of fish in certain areas while other seem pretty thin, the trick is finding them. The Grand has given us a few very good days of fishing while the Chagrin and Conneaut run hot and cold depending on the day. Right now its all about covering water and covering more water until you locate what your after. Rain is in the forecast tonight so lets hope for another good push of chrome. In the meantime here are a few pics from the past week.

Ready for a safe release after a good battle.


Nice bright buck from the Chagrin.

And a little fellow from the Chagrin.

When your kissing the fish you know your having a good day.

Big flashy baitfish pattern was hammered by this girl.

Another beauty from the Chagrin.

And one more.

Yes its happening on steelhead alley....fish are moving in and up our tributaries in springtime numbers. Right now the waters are dropping from Mondays Rains and thunderstorms, the further East you go the less rain they got. The Chagrin, Conneaut, and that smaller trib next to the Conneaut are all shaping up nicely. Little bit of rain in the forecast for Thursday night so keep an eye on that as well. Otherwise its business as usual, cover water and you will find fish.

Added some Winston and Beulah's to our switch rod lineup, 7wt beulah platinum is very smooth.

Kilby says its steelhead time.

For you fly guys springtime means emerald shiner time....combinations of white/blue and white/olive are old standbys on springtime steelhead.

Case in point....white/olive accounted for this hookup.

Nicely done....next time don't pick my pocket and i will not tell everyone what color you have been catching all those fish on.

It was time for a new switch rod so i gave the 7wt Beulah platinum a test run on Monday and have to say it was impressive. Took a little getting used to since my past rods were so fast but once i slowed down a bit things got dialed in. Smooth, smooth, smooth.

Switch/Spey casting class on Saturday was a great time. All students passed and were given their permits to put a fly on while casting but for safety reasons have to stay at least 50 feet from anyone while casting until they get their actual license which takes about a month.

Like all casting classes i think a few new casts were invented but i don't think i would recommend them to anyone as the difficulty factor outweighed the usefulness of the cast.

And for those of you swinging let the fun begin.....have fun on steelhead alley and don't forget your sunscreen.

Flt tying with April Vokey Tuesday March 13th 7pm. Personal instruction with April on tying intruders. Class is $55.00 and includes all materials.

The spring season is kicking off here on steelhead alley and anglers are getting that old familiar feeling. The last rain has brought in another good run of fish and fisherman are doing well on the Chagrin, Grand Tribs and Conneaut as well. If you are looking to gear up stop on in as we are packed to the gills here at the shop with new rods, reels, fly patterns and more. We are now booking trips for the spring steelhead season and if you would like to go on a trip with one of our great guides give us a call. Also don't forget the film tour will be in town in a few weeks at Cedar Lee, if you are free please make sure to come out and support this great event. Tickets are $15 at the door or $12 here at the shop.

Make sure to attend the film tour on March 20th if you have the time, its a great event and always a fun time.

For trout anglers looking to improve their success on the stream George Daniels new book hit the shelves and is full of great tips, tricks and ideas for catching more trout.

We have been tying up some great swinging patterns for the spring.

The new headwaters wading jacket from simms, a gore-tex wading jacket at the non gore-tex price of $199.00 is a great buy.

New shop hats are here and look pretty good.

Fly tying materials are going fast as anglers are busy tying but we are keeping it stocked up as best we can for you. Stop on in and check out some of the great new products.

Reel case is loaded with the best fly reels around for taming a great lakes chromer.

For the best selection of single hand fly rods and switch rods stop in the shop.

A beautiful hen from the Chagrin this week.

Wild Bill is in Mexico scouting out some fishing but so far hasn't made it past the cantinas.

One of the new patterns tied up here at the shop did its work yesterday on the Chagrin.

Pictured below are some fish taken today on the Grand, all swinging flies like the double decker pictured below and can be found on the fly tying blog as well. As i have said before its not the most productive way to fish if its numbers you are after but it may be the most exciting. If you would like to learn more come to the seminar this Saturday the 25th with Will Turek and Greg Senyo. Wills presentation begins at 10am and cover rods, reels, casting and techniques. Greg will begin tying some new swinging patterns around noon time an go until 3pm for those interested. Until then enjoy a few pics.

There seems to be plenty of these in our tribs and the run hasn't even really started yet, gonna be a good spring.

The Double Decker is an articulated marabou pattern that has been very good the past week. Purple has been the hot color but tied in white, black, orange and olive you can't go wrong either. Tying directions can be found in the fly tying blog.

Wild Bill is all smiles on the Grand Today.

When you are fishing dark or stained water on a dark overcast day purple or black combinations work very well.

If you are still waiting to get out and start your spring season wait no more. Its not crazy good but there are plenty of nice fish being caught and we need some help. There wearing us out.