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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
Rocky River was named one of the “150 Best Places to fish in America” in the June 2007 issue of Field and Stream magazine
The Rocky River is temporarily exhibiting good fishing conditions, with a green stain and moderate flow, but expect that to change given all the rain in the forecast. Anglers can monitor the trend in river flow and temperature at the following link:
Anglers this week have been catching some steelhead mixed in with a good run of lake-run smallmouth bass in the Rocky River. Anglers fishing a minnow or tube jig under a float, a baitfish streamer on the flyrod, or a spinner or minnow plug have about an equal chance of hooking into a bass or steelie. To add to the river fishing opportunties, carp are biting well on corn and catfish are biting on worms, shrimp, and chicken livers. If the river muddies due to rain this can often spark a better catfish bite.
Trout are biting in Shadow Lake, which was stocked with 750 pounds of rainbow trout a week ago Monday. Today and tomorrow we will also be stocking Wallace Lake and the Ohio & Erie Canal (OEC) fishing area with trout and catfish for our spring children's fishing derbies, although these areas are clearly posted as closed to general fishing until after the events at 4:00pm on Saturday (Wallace) and Sunday (OEC). Wallace Lake south of the swimming area will remain open to fishing prior to the event, though. The Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW) recently stocked Hinckley Lake (2,500 trout) and Shadow Lake (500 trout), and Cleveland Metroparks stocked Ledge Lake with trout recently and has heavily stocked Wallace Lake on six occasions from winter through spring. Trout have been biting well this week on Power Bait in brighter colors, small jigs tipped with grubs (maggots or waxworms) under a small float, and small spinners.
Largemouth bass, sunfish, and crappie have been biting at Hinckley and Wallace lakes, as well as a number of smaller venues around the Park District. Fishing a worm or minnow under a small bobber will catch any of these species, although most bass anglers use artificial lures such as white and silver spinnerbaits, shad style crankbaits, and purple rubber worms.
Thank you to Jason Dillinger at Pulse Jigs. Thank you to Jason Dillinger for not only providing a pile of prizes for the children's spring fishing derbies this weekend (retail value of $250), but also for donating 10% of all of Pulse Jigs April sales to the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund and will be volunteering his time to assist with the event this weekend, as well. Thank you Jason, you are a true friend of our fishing programs! You can check out his website at the following link:
Thank you Dad. Thank you for taking me outside regularly as a child. I don't remember playing at home as vividly as playing with my G.I. Joe toys in the tall grass near a picnic area at Hinckley Reservation (one of our families’ favorite places during my childhood). Those experiences shaped who I became, especially my values when it comes to nature and the environment.
Thank you for making a better life for your family. My grandparents came to the U.S. after WWII with my father as a young boy and carved out the American dream. Although born in the Ukraine, my father was 100% American at heart and proudly served in the U.S. Army. Although he dropped out of high school to begin work at Ohio Bell (which later became Ameritech), the same company he retired from so many years later, he encouraged my brothers and I to better ourselves and our opportunities through education.
And thank you for introducing my brothers and I to fishing as kids. Some of my fondest memories are of fishing with my father at Hinckley Lake in a rented rowboat at the age of five. My father was keenly aware that three young boys could be a handful in the best of cases, so he would take each of us out individually while the other two waited impatiently on shore having a picnic cookout with mom. I still remember the excitement of hooking those bluegill, and the bend they put in the rod…they seemed so big and strong to a young boy! I can’t imagine where I would be right now in life without fishing. It shaped everything from the conservation principles that are instilled so deep in me to the career path I followed, and enriched my life in ways hard to put into words.
So thank you Dad, these things mean more to me than I ever told you. Roman Durkalec passed away on Monday May 9, 2011. If you are a person thinking about taking a kid fishing, please do it. It’s not an exaggeration to say the experience can form memories that will last a lifetime and may help shape the child’s life in a very meaningful way. And, at the very least, it is a fun and healthy way to spend some time outdoors. Our free this weekend are the perfect place to do that. I’m dedicating my service there this weekend to the memory of Dad. Also, any friends interested in making a donation to our Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund in memory of Roman Durkalec can contact Karen Kannenberg, Manager of Gift and Donor Development, whose contact info follows the photos in this report. Thank you.
If you have a photo that you would like to contribute to the fishing report, or if you have any further questions regarding fishing in the Cleveland Metroparks, you may contact Aquatic Biologist Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com .
Good fishing,
Mike
Joshua, Nathan, and Bethany had a great day fishing Hinckley Lake with their father recently, as depicted in the photo above (photo courtesy of Dorel Stefan).
Pat had a good day fishing the Rocky River near Scenic Park for a mixed bag of lake-run smallmouth bass and sheepshead (photos courtesy of Pat Cramer).
Joseph caught this late season steelhead on the northern river this week (photo courtesy of Joseph Herbert).
J.C. Moore has been enjoying some great trout fishing at Shadow Lake on Monday.
Jaysin was also successful at Shadow Lake this week (photo courtesy of Jaysin Slawinski).
Mike caught this Wallace Lake largemouth bass this week (photo courtesy of Mike Kovalski).
Justin has been taking full advantage of the dynamic fishery the river offers in spring, including lake-run smallmouth bass, steelhead, and channel catfish (photos courtesy of Justin Marconi).
A few nice Wallace Lake trout from April submitted by a blog reader (photos courtesy of unidentified angler).
This couple had a successful outing at Shadow Lake on Monday.
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Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund helps provide a rewarding fishing experience to Northeast Ohio anglers through the stocking of rainbow trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and other sport fish. The Fund also supports children's fishing derbies and creation and restoration of essential habitat in the ponds, lakes, and rivers within Cleveland Metroparks. For more information or to make a gift to Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund, please contact: Karen J. Kannenberg, CFREManager of Gift and Donor DevelopmentCleveland Metroparks4101 Fulton ParkwayCleveland, Ohio 44144216.635.3217kjk@clevelandmetroparks.com
This Fishing Report was submitted on 5/12/2011 5:09:02 PM by Seamus and last updated on 5/12/2011 5:09:02 PM.
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