Snow melt and lots of rain have the rivers on the rise, but that's a good thing. Next weeks forecast looks very promising with temps in the mid 30's to low 40's from Wed. on. which means very good fishing conditions in the very near future.

There are fresh fish in the rivers from the last rains and this period of high water will allow more to come into the rivers while giving the others time to spread out and move further up their respective rivers. I am still very optimistic about having many good days of fishable water this spring which should begin for us in earnest next week.

The Grand was fishing well before the recent rains and the Chagrin had very good numbers of fish also. The Conneaut is an excellent spring river and will continue to get better and better as spring approaches. The West side tribs fished pretty well before the rain including the Vermilion on Wed. and the Rocky is consistent as ever.

This weekend some of the smaller stuff will fish Sunday Perhaps but surely by Monday reels will be singing with things picking up from there.
We have alot of great events takin place at the shop this month including switch rod, two handed rod, swinging streamers, talk tomorrow at noon with Will Turek. Greg Senyo will be here tying tube flies and sculpin patterns this Wed March 4th from 6-9. We also have fly tying classes starting on the 10th so stop by one of these events or sign up for a tying class.

SEE YOU SOON!!!

We are going to be on the rivers tomorrow for some fishing and picture taking (hopefully some fish in those pictures). Reports have been good and the next couple of days should be productive until the next blowout (late Thursday and Friday). Over the weekend we will see what happens but i expect the smaller tribs to fish Sun.-Mon. with the larger tribs coming back into shape by mid to late next week. The extended forecast is very favorable for Ohio Steelheaders and i am anticipating one of the best spring seasons we have had in a long time, meaning there will be many more fishable days than we have gotten the past few years.

If you are looking to get out the next couple of days the Grand and Connie have been solid while the Chagrin has been OK with some fresh fish in the mix. West side streams are fishing well also according to our sources. Remember that this time of year to watch the night time low temps and when they start hitting the low 20's and teens it is going to be a slush fest first thing in the morning so shoot for later in the day.

Black stone flies (among others??) will be coming into their own and you should have a good supply. If you don't stop by the shop and we can suggest some proven winners.

Don't forget that Will Turek will be here at the shop this Saturday giving a talk on Great lakes switch rods. He will cover the basics including rod length and weight, line choices, what to look for in a reel, and other aspects of two handed rods that many of us have questions about. The talk starts at noon and will last for about 45 minutes, following the talk questions will be fielded so make sure you come prepared with questions and really put him on the spot. If you are interested in this exciting technique for steelhead stop by as i know it will be packed with great information.

But this is where I was. Took Bruce, Bob, and Lars to Elk Creek, on a private section the shop has access to (if you are interested, call the shop for available slots. There are still a few open). When we arrived around 11, the water temps were hovering just above freezing. The fishing was slow, and there were few fish in the faster water. As the morning waxed into the afternoon, the wind died and the temps rose to a balmy 35 degrees. And then we started to see the mid-winter stoneflies. Up until this point, we had hooked 2 fish in 2 1/2 hours.

Notice the way he is applying side pressure. Where did he learn that?

Not chrome, but still very pretty.

The net is happy.

Got out Wed. morning on the Chagrin before the rain and snow returned to northern Ohio only to find the visability around 8 inches, when i was expecting a minimum of 16. Was a little disappointed as i underestimated the affect the light rain had on the river and this really made fishing conditions much tougher than i had anticipated. With that in mind we rigged up and fished away reminding ourselves that is was 4o degrees in February and 6 inches of stained water was much better than 6 inches of hard water.
We managed one beautiful hen that had just made her way into the river and gave a good account of herself before being returned to the river.

All things considered we had a nice window to fish that was pretty productive. Some of the smaller stuff should fish this weekend if you are looking to get out and there are plenty of fish to be caught. Until then keep tying flies, i know we are and stop by the shop to see some of the great new gear we have in stock.