Home Biologist Rainbow trout are bigger this year, but a record drop? Northeast Ohio Fishing Report

Rainbow trout are bigger this year, but a record drop? Northeast Ohio Fishing Report

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Rainbow trout fishing experts have reported that this fishing season has been the best for big rainbow trout, leading them to wonder if the next record-breaking fish state is not far away.

Tallmadge’s Jason “JW” Brooks set the current mark of 21.3 pounds, 38 inches by dragging Stinger Spoons about 17 miles from Lake Avon in June 2010 with his Parma pal Joe Boewe.

“In recent years 21-23 inch rainbow trout have become very common, but this year the bigger 25-26 inch was the average,” said Avon Lake guide Jeff. Liskay. “I would estimate this year that my clients and I caught 100 trout over 28 inches and quite a few 32 inch trout, which are monsters.”

Crowds of rainbow trout fishermen tossing into the rivers have helped boost that total, Liskay says.

“It is unlikely that a record for trout will be caught in the rivers, as the main trout fishing holes are fished every day on the popular Rocky River and on Conneaut Creek,” he said. “From Monday to Sunday, the fishing pressure is enormous. “

Lake Erie anglers focus on rainbow trout by fishing the deeper waters of the central basin of Lake Erie throughout the summer and early fall. As Lake Erie cools in late summer, rainbow trout begin to congregate around the mouths of the northeastern Ohio harbor and can be caught by fishing at trolling in deep water and launching from shore.

Anglers can wade through in search of large spawning rainbow trout in late fall, winter and spring, drawing crowds in hopes of causing a stir. Angling gear and fly fishing give anglers entertainment options on the rivers, and the amount of public waters that can be fished on foot sometimes surprises those coming from out of state. , where trout waters are often displayed.

Cleveland Metroparks’ aquatic biologist Mike Durkalec said the old Ohio record was a 20.97 pound, 36 1/2 inch trout caught in Conneaut Harbor by Mike Shane, New Middletown, Ohio, on 2 October 1996.

“A record trout, however, is more likely to be caught in the deeper waters of Lake Erie in the summer and early fall, or around the ports of the rivers and streams of northeastern Ohio, se actively feeding before moving up the spawning streams, “said Durkalec.” This is mainly because trout stop feeding and focus on spawning as they move up rivers and start to lose weight. “

Unlike silver salmon and chinook salmon, which Ohio stocked long ago, rainbow trout do not die after spawning and return to Lake Erie to age, grow wiser, and bigger.

The Ohio Rainbow Trout is a hatchery fish that is released at age one in the spring and produces the vast majority of adult trout for anglers. But lake trout, pink salmon, and rainbow trout can also stray into Lake Erie from the Great Lakes and be caught in Ohio waters.

The fin clippings are a good way for fisheries biologists to document the salmon and trout stocked in Pennsylvania that have roamed Ohio waters. This included the old record of rainbow trout captured by Shane at Conneaut Harbor.

Slow-fishing spoons are a popular way to hook and land high jump rainbow trout, while the “buck,” or large male trout, also seem to have a sweet tooth for high jumpers. diving.

Rivers of sleet delay the morning bite: Frigid overnight temperatures cause rainbow trout anglers to face harsh conditions and morning slush on rivers and streams. This weekend, the slush should clear by late morning and trout fishing should improve, especially on Sunday.

If nighttime temperatures are 20 and below, expect a day of slush. If nighttime temperatures are above 20 degrees and daytime temperatures are in the range of 40, the slush should burn off soon enough.

Launch from the shore of Lake Erie to slow down: Conditions are right to see riparian ice very soon along the Lake Erie shoreline, ending the daytime rainbow trout fishery in eastern Ohio and nighttime walleye fishing. all along the Ohio shore.

Big catches are the best bet for walleye. Rainbow trout are caught on throwing spoons and line spinners.

Ponds and small lakes perilous at the moment: Many smaller water bodies around the area now have thin ice and it is not thick enough to safely support ice fishermen. To catch a few recently stocked trout in the lakes and ponds of the Cleveland Metroparks, fish from platforms or areas where the shore drops quickly, like Lake Wallace in Berea.

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