Lake Erie steelhead fishing report and commentary: The short-term weather and wind forecast leaves little doubt, that Lake Erie steelhead fishing will be challenging for most anglers and catch-rates will remain low. East wind will not make catching better. Time to use single eggs and tiny fast retrieve jigs to tease steelhead into striking. Low-light times will see egg sacs work great each morning. Once we get full light, jigs dominate the catching. Small presentations are necessary because of low-water angling on all tributaries until rain/snow arrives. Elk Creek - 6 CFS, Walnut - 48 CFS. At those flow levels, steelhead have nowhere to hide so spot n' stalk anglers hold all the cards, and you know what that means. Plenty of holdover steelhead and a few fresh fish as well. Most anglers C&R, do the same if you want to catch steelhead all winter! The lakeshore locations are fishable and will remain so until the wind shifts; unfortunately, the weekend winds do not favor shore angling. Recent wind out of the south and lack of rain has pulled more water out of the tributaries. Lower Elk Creek is shallow. Crossing from the Elk Creek boat launch to the east side of the stream is only knee deep. The updated monthly weather calendar for December shows little rain/snow ahead. A lack of precipitation will keep all tributaries low and clear. Never leave for a trip without taking a look the gauges listed in the “plan a trip” tab. If you notice the updated weather map below, it changes each day. Daily check the weather and marine forecasts too. It is worth repeating that the steelhead are scattered so move until you locate a group of fish. Also keep in mind, the number of available steelhead decreases as the season progresses so you will experience a drop in catch-rates from now thru the spring. Adjust your expectations. Fish if you can, good luck!
Marine Forecast
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST SATURDAY...
.REST OF TONIGHT...East winds 15 to 20 knots. Mostly cloudy.
Waves 3 to 6 feet. Waves occasionally around 7 feet.
.SATURDAY...East winds 15 to 20 knots diminishing to 10 to
15 knots. Sunny in the morning, then becoming partly sunny. Waves
2 to 4 feet subsiding to 1 to 3 feet.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots becoming south
15 to 20 knots. A chance of rain showers overnight. Waves 2 feet or less.
.SUNDAY...South winds 10 to 15 knots becoming northwest. A chance
of rain showers. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 2 to 4 feet.
9-day Weather Forecast
December Weather Forecast
Bookmark this page and check back for updates that are posted daily when conditions change.
This blog/article offers a series of links to additional information that will jumpstart your planning process. The best place to begin is an estimate of the steelhead run potential based on the number of smolts stocked in 2020. You can then apply the survival rate and create your “guesstimate”. As you read you will discover the number of fish to expect in each tributary.
These articles focus on the how to succeed. Beginners need basic information. Experienced anglers need information to avoid early season pitfalls. Finally for good measure, we offer encouragement to try winter angling for steelhead.
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Good luck.
