A Good Couple of days on Steelhead Alley.

This week started with just about every one on the staff scouting rivers in Ohio and PA. The ice breakage has caused alot of the rivers structure and features to change when she broke free earlier this month. We took this brief advantage to sneak in a couple of trips before the weather turns for the worst later this week.

Lee Robinson up from Chicago fights a beast buck steelhead.

We started our day off early in the morning concentrating on lower Elk Creek. There were a good number of fresh fish migrating through the pools making for some exciting hook ups and producing some very good sized fish. We hit several miles of river and steelhead were spread out through the stream nicely. Just about every pool or deep river indentation was holding fresh fish. We did not hook very many old hold over fish the past couple of days(That story will be told below). Most were bright and the Big hens were fat, feisty, and still full of eggs.

Lee's big buck of the trip!

We used several different fly patterns, but small yellow, peach, white, and brown eggs produced well in the morning. During the afternoon fish became very active and just could not resist a minnow imitation. Blue/pink and Tan/Orange Ice Man Minnow tubes, Crystal buggers, and emerald shiner imitations were the ticket and hooked alot of fish drifted under an indicator through the runs and pools.

TJ with a nice buck of his own.

Our 2009 spring season has started Early this year and hopefully the weather comes in like a lamb instead of a lion. All of our schedules are filling nicely and if you are interested in fishing for steelhead this spring please don't hesitate to give us shout at 419-466-9382. Stay tuned for new listings of classes for fly tying, spey casting, and steelhead fly fishing here from the staff. Pat and I head to Colton Bay Outfitters tomorrow to tie steelhead flies and to talk steelhead and steelhead tactics.

Shop contact Information for this event can be found on the side bar of this blog.

TJ with another good looking fish!

Lee with one of many fat hens caught the past two day.

Here are a few more photos from this week on the alley. We were able to scout and put eyes on just about every major steelhead stream in the region. The weather looks like its getting pretty nasty cold and down right windy and chilling, but things are looking up and we expect to have a great season.

JP with a nice hen caught while fishing an Ohio tributary with steelhead guide John Clouser.

Another view..

SAO Guide Tim Hess With a nice PA buck while scouting the rivers this week.

SAO Guide John Clouser with an Ohio Scout Trip Chromer.

Below you will see a picture that I found quite disturbing! Elk Creek had formed nearly 11 inched of Ice on the stream during the cold spell, and when the ice broke and jammed the rivers, many of our hold over fish didn't survive. On one 25 yard section of river I seen over 100 fish killed by the moving ice fields. During the course of the day and 5 miles of stream I saw no less than 1000 fish dead. It really set it home how hard these fish work to survive during these brutal conditions.

Steelhead all over the river killed by Ice jams

Tight Lines!!

Greg Senyo

SAO