Angler Alert: It’s time to visit ‘Steelhead Alley’ and catch a Lake Erie steelhead

It’s one of those unique Upstate New York fishing opportunities that gets anglers excited and keeps them happy during the fall and winter months.

It’s the spawning runs of steelhead from Lake Erie up more than a half dozen tributaries on New York’s western side, the most notable being Cattaraugus Creek.

Tourism officials and others refer to the stretch as part of “Steelhead Alley,” which includes Lake Erie tribs in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The steelhead run from the lake normally kicks in each fall and the fish often remain in the waterways through early spring.

“It’s a lot of fun and addictive,” said Adam McInerney, a veteran steelhead angler from Cattauraugus who has fished Steelhead Alley streams for around 40 years.

“Once hooked, they jump, tail walk, flip, do all sorts of stuff. It’s a battle,” he said.

Julie Szur, of Ellicottville, a fly fishing instructor and fishing guide, added that if one is not careful and doesn’t know what to do, this fish can “beat you up.”

“When you get ahold of a steelhead, they’re like a freight train in the water. The line just takes off,” she said.

Interviews with Jim Markham, an aquatic biologist from DEC’s Lake Erie Unit and several fishing guides and anglers revealed the following about fishing Steelhead Alley.

When does the run start, how long does it last? What’s the story this year? Markham said the fall runs usually start in September and peak in late October and November. Fish continue coming up the streams during the winter and action stays good in February and into March. This year’s runs have been delayed due the drought and low, warm water situations on most of the waterways.

Are steelhead native to Lake Erie? Records show that steelhead were initially stocked sporadically in the Lake Erie as far back as the 1880s. They began getting stocked in earnest in the mid-1970s, Markham said. Currently, four states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan) and Canada stock the lake with some 1.8 million yearlings annually – more than any other Great Lake.

New York’s fish and those from the other states (with the exception of Pennsylvania) are all stocked with pure Pacific strain steelhead. New York’s batch comes right from the Salmon River hatchery in Altmar. The same fish that are stocked in Ontario also go into Lake Erie. Pennsylvania stocks a hybrid steelhead raised from eggs taken from spawning steelhead in Lake Erie.

The fish are initially stocked in the streams (not the lake) so that they imprint on those waterways, returning year after year to spawn. Pennsylvania’s hybrids are earlier spawners (during the fall), while the pure Pacific strain spawns in late winter or early spring.

Much has been written about steelhead fishing on waterways such as the Salmon River and Lower Niagara River. How does fishing for steelhead in the Lake Erie tributaries differ from Lake Ontario tributaries?

As already mentioned, Lake Erie is stocked with more steelhead than any other Great Lake. Angler surveys are conducted by the DEC on the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario tributaries every three years. The last surveys were done in 2017-18, Markham said. He said the creel surveys revealed the catch rate for anglers of steelhead on the Lake Erie tributaries averaged 0.56 fish per hour, while the rate was typically around .1 fish per hour for the steelhead anglers on Lake Ontario tribs.

“Essentially, you’re five to seven times more likely to land a steelhead on the Lake Erie tribs compared to the Ontario tribs,” Markham said. However, the steelhead are bigger on Lake Ontario and its tributaries, he added.

Angler Colton Nash, of Ashville in Chautauqua County, said the spawning steelhead (specifically the three-year-olds) average between 21 to 24 inches. His biggest to date measured 29 inches.

Why are the steelhead that are caught by anglers bigger on the Lake Ontario tributaries? It comes down to the forage base. On Lake Erie, the steelhead feed primarily on emerald shiners, smelt and round gobies, Markham said. On Lake Ontario, the forage base also includes alewives, which grow bigger and result in more food for steelhead. Biologically, Markham said, the Lake Erie steelies mature quicker – resulting in smaller-sized fish.

What streams are the best to fish on Steelhead Alley? The most popular is Cattaraugus Creek. From the the lake to the dam in Springville, the steelhead run some 34 miles up the waterway to spawn each year. The first 17 miles of creek course through land owned by the Seneca Indian Nation. Anglers who fish that stretch must possess a special $60 license that’s good for year. Three other popular waterways for steelhead are Eightteenmile Creek, Canadaway Creek and Chautauqua Creek. “You have some pretty decent public access on all four of these streams,” Markham said.

Nash, a long-time steelhead fisherman, said, “When I’m chasing these chrome bullets, if I’m not careful they can put a hurt on me. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve fallen in the water.”

He added there are a host of underwater steep rocky ledges near plunge pools that are “kinda like fishing corral. If you’re not careful, your tippet or leader can get sheared off in a second.”

What kind of tackle do anglers use? Typically half of the anglers use spinning rods, 30 percent use fly rods (Both Nash and Szur said it’s possible to get by with a 6-weight fly rod) – the rest use noodle or drift rods, Markham said.

What’s good to use for bait, lures, artificial flies: Markham said many anglers drift egg sacs underneath a float. Others use fly and egg patterns, wooly bugger streamers (start off with white, switch to purple if they don’t work). “Emerald shiner pattern (streamers), particularly in the springtime) are good,” he said.

What’s the daily catch, size limit? DEC fishing regulations for Lake Erie tributaries allow anglers to keep three fish, 12 inches or longer. However, nearly 90 percent of the anglers practice catch-and-release, Markham said.

What kind of fishing pressure do these streams get this time of year?

There are times, particularly weekends in November, when streams like “The Cat” see a lot of pressure. However, it’s nothing like the “combat fishing conditions” during the peak of the Salmon Run on Lake Ontario waterways such as The Salmon, Oswego and Genesee rivers.

Nash said a drift boat is required to fish some stretches of Cattaraugus Creek. He prefers the smaller streams he said, which offer a wide diversity of challenging shallow and deep stretches, plunge pools and riffles.

He added that often – particularly during the weekdays in the winter months – “I’m the only one out there.”