Conneaut Creek Steelhead Fishing Report

Steelhead trout fishing area. Parking on South side of Conneaut Creek. A historic covered bridge where McKee Road crossed the creek burned in the late 1990’s and hasn’t been replaced. McKee Road so dead-ends at the creek from both directions. You may be able to park and access the creek at either end of McKee Road, if you come from the north off Old Albion Road, or from the south off Cherry Hill Road. (flyfishingreporter.com)

Conneaut Creek is well worth the visit if you’re in the neighborhood. It on occasion can harbor steelhead when other streams are void. There’s also good fishing when the season changes to summer for smallmouth and pike, with "muskie" and some other temperate water species. The pike and "muskie" may be caught with big deer hair flies in different colors. Chartreuse, yellow, black, and white are some favorites. Smallmouth bass may be caught using alike flies just smaller in size. Brown, black, white, olive and yellow are some favorite colors for "smallies. " Woolly buggers are a great pattern for smallmouth also. (flyfishingconnection.com)

The Pennsylvania stockings, meant to relieve pressure on creeks like Walnut and Elk, are now producing bona fide fall runs of fish, said Nagy, who wrote Steelhead Guide: Fly Fishing methods and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelead. But they have brought more anglers to the lower reaches of Conneaut, in Ohio, where steelhead tend to concentrate more. As a result, the postings that plague anglers on other Erie streams have spread to Conneaut’s Ohio waters, with landowners leasing to fishing clubs and guides, or blocking public access completely. (post-gazette.com)

Proceeding east, the next access point is on either side of McKee Road. Till recently there was a historic covered bridge where McKee Road crossed the creek. The bridge burned in the late 1990’s. It hasn’t been replaced so McKee Road dead-ends at the creek from both directions. You may be able to park and access the creek at either end of McKee Road, if you come from the north off Old Albion Road, or from the south off Cherry Hill Road. On occasion on the north side of the creek at the end of McKee you’ll find people camping near the creek – exactly why they’re there’s less than evident. (Find more info)

The steelhead in the creeks are a strain resulting from the steelhead of the Pacific Northwest. These fish are lake run rainbow trout. They’re a species of rainbow trout which lives in Lake Erie throughout the summer, and in the creeks throughout the winter. Steelhead in the creeks usually run from 3 to 8 pounds. Fingerlings, which are about one year old and roughly six inches inches in length are stocked in the creeks in the late winter and spring for imprinting. Steelhead usually return to spawn at three years old. Some will return the 1st fall after their release as fish of about 3 pounds or about 17 to 20 inches in length. (fisherie.com)

It is possible to catch a steelhead trout on a fly under any conditions, said Mike Durkalec, the aquatic biologist for the Cleveland Metroparks. When the rivers are low and clear, flies work best because the trout are sight feeding. When the rivers are high, trout feed more by scent and frequently take spawn bags filled with fish eggs and other live bait more usually. Durkalec has a good friend who swings flies under muddy conditions and may not catch lots, however typically catches some trout. (Click here to find out more)

All of the steelhead creeks are in reasonably good condition. The better fishing on the west side of Erie was at Elk Creek and bent Creek. Fishing in both is best as far upstream as you may be able to get. Catches have been about 50/50 silver fish and black fish. On Elk Creek, steelhead are upstream from McKean. This may be a fitting time to check upper Conneaut Creek. At the mouth of Trout Run, anglers have been fishing both on the ice and fishing open water. Steelhead are feeding on emerald shiners. A couple of 30-inch steelhead were stated on the west side. Both were spawned out and weren’t heavy. (goerie.com)

The largemouth bass bite remains productive at this well-liked chain of lake south of Akron. Ron Slater at Portage Lakes Bait and Tackle reports good largemouth catches are made on minnow imitations, shallow running cranks, and soft plastics. East Reservoir, Rex Lake, West Reservoir, and Long Lake have been the top producers. Anglers have also been finding success with mixed catches of crappie and yellow perch. They may be found schooled in three to seven feet of water. they will hit crappie minnows. East Reservoir, Mud Lake, and Turkeyfoot Lake are your best bets for crappie and perch. (newsnet5.com)

– Medium to small size river with great access at Grantsville and a 3 plus mile stretch of delayed harvest trout fishing starting at the Rt 68 bridge. Nestled in the heart of Amish country, the river winds it is way thru some beautiful country and gives the angler the chance to fish diverse stretches from riffles, pocket water, runs and pools. The bug life is bountiful and produces some great dry fly action. (defranksflies.com)

Ohio’s steelhead program is maintained by yearly stockings of Little Manistee strain steelhead yearlings reared at the division’s Castalia State Fish Hatchery. Yearly 400, 000 steelhead are stocked: 55, 000 in the Vermilion River, 90, 000 each in the Rocky, Chagrin, and great rivers, and 75, 000 in Conneaut Creek. These juvenile fish use up less than a month in the rivers before migrating out into Lake Erie, where they eat and grow. Fish will begin to return in the fall after a good summer’s growth spurt and some cooler rains. The average steelhead caught by an angler has spent two or three summers out in Lake Erie and averages 24-25 inches and 4-5 pounds. (fishing-about.com)