Ohio Steel On The Fly!

Today we had two tremendous guys on the river!!! Dave Thatcher a long time client and good friend has fished with us for as long as I can remember, and has become a nut for steelhead in the Great Lakes Region. Gary Petti from my understanding was casting a fly rod for the very first time, you sure couldn't tell and we are all beginning to doubt you were new to the fly game after the performance you delivered today. Congrats guys on such a great day on the fly!!!

The conditions are holding for now, but the rivers are getting alittle on the low side. We have seen a good mix of fresh and old fish in the rivers, and we are hoping for more fresh fish here pretty quick. We are back at it through the weekend and will keep you posted. We still have a few great days available if you are interested in fly fishing for Steelhead on Lake Erie Tributaries. Don't hesitate to call me on the river at 419-466-9382 or email at info@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com.

Don't forget we are at the Future of Steelhead Fishing Expo in NY on Saturday and Sunday( info can be found on the side bar of this blog). We hope to see you there!! Jason Gregory and Graham Stokes will be on hand to get you excited to fish for steelhead on our Lake Erie Tributaries.

Here are some of the Trip pictures today from guides John Miller and John Clouser. We hope you enjoy!!!

Gary with his first ever fly rod steelhead!!!!!

A face only a steelheader could love.

Gary with a nice colored up Ohio Buck!

I said new to the fly rod right? Here's another good fish!!!

Dave with a piece of Ohio Steel.

Dave with a decent Ohio Trib buck.

Tight Lines!!!

Greg Senyo
Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Tres Amigos Strike Again!

Today was a good day on the Alley. The three amigos (Pat, John, and Will) were at it again, and quite successfully I might add. Even though we haven't been seeing the #'s of fish we would like, we didn't allow that to stop us from making the most of great clients on a beautiful section of Ohio water.


Today I had a client by the name of Nathan. He was a great guy! As I understood it, he hadn't had a fly rod in his hand since he was a kid. I will be the first to say, that no one could have convinced me that was further from the truth after a short time on the water with him.


In fact, within a short time of our arrival on the water, Nathan hooked up and lost fish number one. He wasn't to happy about that, but I reassured him that another chance would come.  In a matter of moments, he was hooked up again and this time, Nathan capitalized on the opportunity at hand.  He put his saltwater fish fighting abilities to play and moments later landed his first piece of steel!

NATHAN WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD

NATHAN RELEASES HIS FIRST FISH

Not long after that first fish, Nathan was back in the swing of things.  Fish number two was a very hot fish!  I'm sorry to say that ultimately this fish bested his foe with a vicious burst of speed that took Nathan's flies deep into a downed tree.

Needless to say, there was a lesson learned in that moment on why you want to turn your fish and remain in control of the fight.

NATHAN FIGHTS A NICE STEELHEAD

After catching onto the game early, Nathan kept at it and landed this nice buck. Check out the photos below. He definitely had a beautiful kype going on.

A BEAUTIFUL BUCK THAT COULDN'T SAY NO..

WHAT A BEAUTIFULLY KYPED BUCK

The following photos are a compilation from our guides on the water today. Check them out and see the action we had today.

NATHAN'S LAST FISH OF THE DAY.

A BEAUTIFUL CHROME HEN

ANOTHER NICE BUCK COMES TO HAND

LOOK AT THE SMILE....STEELHEAD DO THAT TO YOU!

AND YET ANOTHER GORGEOUS FISH!

HAPPY CLIENTS MAKE FOR GREAT DAYS ON THE WATER!

We have guides back out tomorrow, so come and see us soon. It could be you in some of these photos.  Our days are filling fast, but we still have some select days available.  Let us know if you want to hit the water this spring.

We will report back tomorrow evening with all the highlights of the day. 

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson
Head Guide
Steelhead Alley Outfitters

A good day to be on the river!

Released to fight another day!

I hate to be short with the blog tonight, but we are pretty much in full swing and back at it again tomorrow for another wonderful day guiding on our Lake Erie Tributaries. Patrick, Will, and I all had separate trips with some really great gentlemen today on the Eastern Ohio Tributaries. The weather was great with temps in the high 50's and lots of good water to cover. We all decided to spread out and fish the upper, middle, and lower river today giving us all the best opportunities for successful outings.

The morning started out on the slow side, but when the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds it was fish on!!! Black Stone flies were the ticket for me today, but Ice Man Minnows, Chartreuse Egg Patterns, and Caddis imitations all hit fish.. It looks like we are going to get a little rain tonight, which is a welcome home sign for fresh fish wanting to migrate into the rivers. Pat, Will, and John Miller are out tomorrow so we will have an update for you shortly. We still have some good dates available if you would like to spend a day fly fishing with us, Please don't hesitate to contact me on the River at 419-466-9382 . Here are a few of today's steelhead.

Gary with his first piece of Ohio Steel!

A close up of one of Rob's hen steelhead from today.

Rob with a nice buck!!!

Rob with his baptism Steelhead!!! I didn't tell the story bud!!! LOL!!!

Bill with a nice buck of his own..

Todd swinging streamers on the lower river.

Putting the hammer down with constant side pressure on this fish!

Todd with a good looking buck!

Todd with a good looking hen steelhead.

Tight Lines!!!

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator SAO

Of Suckers and Steelhead...

The day began early on the western most end of Steelhead Alley.  A friend of mine who is a protege of sorts has been wanting his shot at the Steelhead game, and today was that day.

After looking at the flow gauges we decided to give the mighty "V" a shot.  As luck would have it, we shouldn't have.  With flows approaching 100 today, people came to the "V" from all over the region (numerous state plates were seen) certain that the conditions would be stellar!

What was extremely disheartening was the fact that the water clarity was a poor, I mean poor 8" of visibility.  Throughout the morning, we picked up some sure signs that the spring run should be under way.  White Suckers are a staple in many of Ohio's rivers in March and April.  Their spawn coincides with the Steelhead's.  However, despite this sure sign, no Steelhead were found.  I spoke personally with a dozen or so bait fisherman (Pinners and Spin) and nearly all (except one) had caught exactly nothing....with bait!!!!

Needless to say, the river I cut my teeth on years ago has been a huge disappointment the last few years.  It is sad to see a watersheds water quality going down as the "V's" is.  Hopefully someone with influence will take notice of the siltation that is ever increasing and do something about it.

A FRESH SIGN OF THE SEASON

WHITE SUCKERS  KEEP IT FUN 

So after a tough morning and no Steelhead caught, seen, or heard from, we decided to leave the river that is so near and dear to my heart!

After a drive east, we arrived at the next target location.  With water conditions on the opposite end of the spectrum, we went to targeting some fish that weren't so obvious to the throngs of people who were fishing when we got there.

As every first time Steelheader, Keith got his waders handed to him after a critical mistake following his first hook-up.  Yes, Keith felt that tug and subsequent burst of speed as the fish charged up river and his reaction.....well, let's just say that his first reaction (against my coaching I might add) was a double fisted rod and line grab complete with one foot forward for good measure.  I think in the matter of a second, I watched the rod begin to bow.....lower.....lower.....lower.....( in slow motion I said "hands off the line" but I was too late)....lower.....lower.....SNAP!!!

The good that stemmed from the situation was the immense laughs it provided, not to mention the lesson that Keith learned in an instant.

It didn't take long, as Keith is a persistent guy, for that moment of hook-up to happen again.  Only this time Keith was ready for the piece of steel on the other end of his line.  After a picture perfect hook set and transference of the fish from hand to the reel (like a lifer), the fish was charging up and down the stream.  In a matter of moments I had the opportunity to share that magical moment of a first Steelhead moment.

KEITH WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD

Today was all about suckers, steelhead, and teaching others the awesomeness of this sport we know as fly fishing.  Steelhead Alley is a great place to live.

We are back on the water first thing in the morning.....check back often for updates.

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters