Steelhead, Trout Unlimited, Emerald Necklace Chapter

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) stocks four lake Erie tributaries with Steelhead (rainbow trout). The Manistee strain enters the river at 6"-9" in length and quickly heads for the lake. By the fall, these fish have grown to an average length of 18 inches and 2#-3#. If caught and released, these fish can return the second fall at 25" and 5#-6#. Those lucky enough to return for a third spawning season can grow to 30" and 10#. The benefits of prudent catch and release are rather obvious to this angler!

The ODNR currently stocks about 100,000 fish each year in the following northeastern Ohio rivers: Rocky River, Chagrin River, Grand River and Conneaut Creek. It's no surprise that these rivers receive the greatest angling pressure during the steelhead runs.

Please consult the following links for more information. The ODNR site has a nice discussion of issues related to the Lake Erie watershed. The USGS site has water flow data for the Grand River, Vermilion River, Cuyahoga River at Independence, Rocky River at Cedar Point Road and the Chagrin River. The Cleveland Metroparks is a good resource for local stream maps with good public access. And last but not least, Steelheadsite.com can provide some valuable information about the current stream conditions.

Photos courtesy of Brian Endlich and Quang-Viet Nguyen.

Emerald Necklace Chapter
Trout Unlimited
Cleveland, Ohio

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