Okay, okay, okay. Lake-run rainbow trout. There. I said it. Now, on to the article:
When I lived in the Mid-Atlantic, fall meant trips up to the shores of Lake Erie. After my first time up, it became one of my favorite annual pilgrimages. The fish are great. But there is so much more to it. I won’t quite call it a “phenomenon,” but it is a pretty cool situation.
Today I have three posts from the Casting Across archives, all focused on steelhead:
- A thumbnail sketch of fishing Lake Erie tributaries.
- A story about a death in the family, a new vehicle, and a big fish.
- A retelling of my first trip fishing for steelhead.
Check out all three articles, along with a few more related links, below.
The fish are there. Unless the first pool that you walk up to is chalky green and dotted with fish silhouettes, returning to the tribs after a year’s absence requires retraining the eye. The water can appear devoid of fish, or all life for that matter. After a few hours on the stream, the fish appear. In pools, behind rocks and bridge supports, and in the places where you take steps and spook them. You see them when you spook them, because they’re nearly three feet long and as big around as a rolled up yoga mat.
Seeing them takes patience, but when you do it becomes easy. Catching them takes patience as well, but when you catch one there is no guarantee that a second will follow anytime soon… [read more]
One Steelhead, Right in the Middle
I flew to Chicago in the morning with one large duffel and a small backpack. The duffel contained a fly rod, waders, miscellaneous fishing gear, cold weather clothing, and a sleeping bag. The small backpack held a change of clothes and some toiletries. By that afternoon I had seen some family, picked up the van, and headed east.
Erie was quiet and dark at 9:00pm. I was vaguely familiar with the area. I had fished the tributaries numerous times. Not only was I aware of good runs, but I felt like I knew parking lots that might make for good car camping spots. Yet there is apparently a difference between the darkness of an early morning putting on waders and the darkness of a prospective night in the quasi-rural woods. That led me to the parking lot…. [read more]
Thanksgiving meant I got to leave South Carolina for a week, and I wanted to spend at least a few days fishing. Jeff hadn’t been out much since I had gone to school. Neither of us had fished for steelhead. We bought gear, made plans, and got sufficiently psyched up. After the holiday, we headed up to the lake.
We drove for five straight hours, got off the highway, and went right to Elk Creek. My friend Ellen, a local, met us there. Looking back on it, her help was invaluable. I didn’t know where to find steelhead. I didn’t know how to fish for steelhead. I think I just assumed that 30-inch-plus fish in small creeks would be a piece of cake to locate and catch. Ellen spent a few minutes pointing out what we should use and where we should use it.
Within a few minutes I caught and landed my first Great Lakes steelhead… [read more]
Want more steelhead content?
Here is a podcast I put together on the subject called Steelhead Primer.
Also, be sure to check out next week’s post on Trout & Feather. I talk lake-run rainbows and how I like to approach fishing for them.