CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Rocky River is a fishing hole that is famous for its steelhead trout, an urban stream that benefits from generous stockings of the feisty fish that run up the spawning rivers of Northeast Ohio from Lake Erie during the cold weather months.
The river is often crowded with anglers, and for the next few weeks it will be a busy fishing hole as the ice goes away and the muddy waters settle down and clear after the recent rain and snow.
“The introduction of hatchery-raised wild steelhead trout from eggs obtained from Lake Michigan starting in 1996 really kicked off Ohio’s great steelhead trout fishing,” said fly fishing expert Jerry Darkes of Strongsville. “The purchase of the Castalia State Fish Hatchery to raise those young steelhead trout until they were released in the rivers at a year old put Ohio on the map for fly anglers.
“As a result, these days we’re also seeing fishermen expand their fly fishing to include a lot of warm water species such as bass and bluegills, and even cast a fly on Lake Erie to catch walleye.”
Fly Fishing Film Tour stops in Cleveland: The popular fly fishing movie “A River Runs Through It,” an American drama film directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt, stoked a national interest in fly fishing in 1992. Fly fishing videos have since proliferated, and one of the most entertaining has been the annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T), which will make a stop at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on Saturday, March 5. The film features fly fishing adventures from around the country and the world.
The 2022 lineup features fly fishing locations that include Costa Rica, Hawaii, Maryland, Belize, Louisiana, Alabama, Australia, Colombia, and beyond. There will be a variety of local fishing exhibits to check out at the museum before and after the movie. For more information, including film trailers and descriptions, visit flyfilmtour.com.
Hosted by The Trout Club of the CMNH, the museum’s doors will open at 6 p.m., with the film at 7 p.m. There will also be local fly fishing exhibits and refreshments. Attendees must enter through the parking garage since the CMNH lobby is under construction, and provide proof of vaccination or have tested negative for COVID-19 within two days of the event.
Tickets are $20 online, or $18 at Chagrin River Outfitters in Chagrin Falls.
Ice slow to melt around Cleveland Harbor: Don’t expect to launch a boat in Cleveland Harbor for a while. The launch ramps at Edgewater, Wildwood and East 72nd Street are still iced in. Despite the ice starting to deteriorate, it hasn’t been happening quickly enough for anglers who are eager to cast from shore for yellow perch, walleye and steelhead trout.
When the launch ramps in Cleveland Harbor and on the Rocky River do open, boaters must remember to purchase a 2022 Cleveland Metroparks Boat Ramp Launch Annual Pass for $30 online at the Cleveland Metroparks.
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