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.

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.

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 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

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.