Reflections from the Rivers Edge

January 8, 2002
By Les Ober
OCBS Board of Directors

I have been reading Matt Supinski’s new book on Great Lakes steelheading entitled Steelhead Dreams. This is a beautifully illustrated and very informative book on Great Lakes Steelheading, written by one of the top guides in Michigan. He is also the owner of the Gray Drake Outfitters in Newaygo, Michigan. One of the first pages I turned to was the section on the Ohio tribs. I am always interested in how out of state steelheaders, especially experts view our fishery. Matt had heard the reports of multiple fish days in the double digits and he was skeptical. After fishing the Chagrin River with Brian Fleischig and Mike Bennett he states " With Over 70 hook-ups of mint 6 to 13-pound, broad shouldered Little Manistee torpedoes by 11:00 am, I was a believer in the Buckeye steelhead miracle. He calls Lake Erie an "The Unfolding New Steelhead Dynasty".

This got me to thinking about an Internet post, late last month, on the Steelhead Site. It was posted by some Steelheaders from New York and was entitled Merry Christmas and a Warning. They told a story of what has impacted steelhead fishing in Lake Ontario. They sited a decline in their Steelhead fishery, not only in numbers but quality of fishing experience. Numbers dropped because of shift in Lake Ontario’s forage base and the quality of fishing declined because of a huge increase in angler pressure and over crowding. The warning was that Ohio is setting its self up for some of the same problems. Particularly those caused by increased angler pressure. With only four stocked rivers, all with Interstate highway access and growing publicity, the problems of over crowding and pressure on our fishery will only get worse.

This led me to think about other posts on the same site at about the same time. The New Yorkers prophecy seems to becoming true. Every year, as the fall run starts to wind down anglers start venting their frustrations on the Internet. Their anger is directed at, novice steelheaders that have not yet learned the rules of stream etiquette and at, experienced steelheaders that should know better, but just do not care. This is truly a time when cooler heads and patience with our fellow anglers should prevail. The situation on Ohio rivers will become only as bad as we want to make it.

I fished Elk Creek over the holiday. I have never seen as much angler pressure, yet no one got bent out of shape and everyone caught a fish or two and went home feeling good. I also fished in Ohio where the phenomenon of over crowding is not as well accepted. I will go on record, stating that I too, prefer to fish in less crowded conditions. However, I have begun to accept the reality that what we see, is what we will have to live with as long as Steelhead run our streams. As a result I have elected to either fish the upper reaches of the river with less pressure or join the crowds and make the best of it. Sure I was not able to boast of double-digit fish days yet I hooked-up and landed several quality fish. The satisfaction came from hunting down and finding fish in areas that I had not caught fish in before and spending some time sharing experiences with fellow steelheaders.

There is an evolutionary process that most steelheaders go through before they truly begin to enjoy the sport. Do to the difficulty of finding, hooking and landing these magnificent fish it is only natural to want to brag a little about ones skill. Playing the numbers game is part of that evolutionary process. However, he who lands the most fish does not always win. If we continue viewing our fellow anglers as competition, our frustration and anger will continue. With more angler pressure on our rivers, we may all have to be satisfied with less and seek our rewards in other ways. Sure, there will be those spectacular double-digit days that we will long remember. However, a day with 2 or 3 fish will also have to be considered a success. Conditions on the river are not likely to change soon, if ever. Dealing with over crowding has become a way of life on Ohio Steelhead streams. The addition of more fish or more access will not change this. Clearly, how Ohio Steelheaders deal with these problems on an individual basis will determine whether their time spent on the river will be a quality experience.

Reflecting from the Rivers Edge

Les Ober