Plan Your Trip!
On this page we will try to give you all the information you need to plan a great trip to our area for steelhead or smallmouth! We will go over the gear and what is needed to get rolling, what flies to use and more.
Steelhead:
The steelhead run typically starts in mid to late October and can last until late spring. In the fall, cooling temperatures and fall rains bring the fish in for the much anticipated first run of the season, and the action takes off from there. The most popular rod in the Erie tribs is a 10 foot 7 weight rod, with a matched reel and at least 100 yards of backing (20
pound dacron is fine for the backing). Another good option is a six or seven weight switch rod from 10.5 - 11 feet long. This added length helps turn over our fishing rigs, which often have a bit of weight to them.
Common leaders are 3 and 4x, with matched tippet. Popular flies are nymphs in sizes 12 and 14, egg patterns in 12 and 14, and streamers in sizes 8-10. A lot of the fishing done here is done with indicator rigs, with the floatmaster indicators and thingamabobbers being the most popular. Don't forget to bring plenty of split shot, with size BB being the most common. A lot of people tend to use tandem rigs, with the egg high, nymph low. This can be deadly, but we discourage this when water becomes low and clear as it becomes too difficult to avoid snagging fish. We usually see ice on the creeks around January, and use this time to get our fly boxes filled back up! After ice out, it is on again, and we have fished as late as June, especially when we run over to hit the Ohio tributaries, which fish a bit later in the season than ours.
Here is a checklist we recommend for an Erie Steelhead Trip
-Headlamp (we start early for the most part!)
-2 pairs of gloves
-10 foot 7 weight rod, and matching reel.
-Tippet, one spool each of 2,3and 4x
-Leaders, 2,3 and 4x
-Flies:Bring plenty, since we loose several on the bottom throughout the day.
-Layering clothes
-Good raingear
-Boots WITH studs!!
-Good winter hat
-A landing hand ( a great way to hold the fish for your grip and grin )
-Waterpoof camera (you know, for the evidence shots)
Smallmouth:
The smallmouth season, or at least the part that us as fly guys love, goes from May to early July. This is the time when the smallies are in Presque Isle Bay. The bay features hard pack sand flats that can be easily waded. We cast to cruising fish and work the drop offs. The water is usually quite clear, and sight fishing opportunities are frequent. We use 9 foot 8 weight rods, with fast actions. For lines, we like to have a couple of options. A standard floating line, like the Rio Outbound is great for short loading the flies, but also has the reach to work the drops and blind cast. I also like to have a sinking tip line to get down when focusing on the drops and when fishing water deeper than 4 feet. For flies, clouser minnows, polar fiber minnnows, rabbit flies and pretty much any flies that dives quickly will work well. For colors, we like olive, brown and cream. The magic temperature on the flats seems to be 70 degrees. This is something not to be missed. See you on the water!
Near the shop :
We have several things near the shop that are of interest:
Shopping: Along the same street as us, we have
Relish Beach Glass , a cool shop featuring hand made jewelry featuring Lake Erie Beach Glass. Not cheezy trinket beach glass, but very nice, upscale pieces. We also have
Competitive Gear, our local Trek, Gary Fischer bike dealer. This is a great shop for any cycling enthusiast. We also have
Elements Board Shop, our local surfing/skateboard/paddleboard/wakeboard shop. A great place to pick up a pair of board shorts before you hit the bay for some smallies! Last but not least, if you are a runner, we have
Achilles Running Shop, located near 12th and Pittsburgh. This is a very nice running shop with an attentive staff.