Winter is now upon us and Brett McCrae (SAO Guide) and I got a chance to get out and do some fishing yesterday. As you might guess we had it all to ourselves. I know most of you are thinking that we must be crazy, but it was productive. After fighting our way through blizzard conditions we arrived at Elk Creek where we encountered a lot of shelf ice, but very little slush. (Too cold for slush). We had to break out the shelf ice for about a half mile of river, but we found fish and yes we got into them. We actually had a great time in spite of the weather.
With reels and rod guides frozen solid it took a special technique to play these fish. Basically get ready to chase them. The other option is to have enough line out that you can play the fish by allowing the line to slip through your frozen fingers. Eventually, the fish is going to hit the reel and break off unless you are willing to give chase.
Be Safe. Ice covered rivers can present a major hazard if you are not familiar with the river and if you are not careful. As you know in our shale bottom rivers there are drop offs where you will get into trouble. Walking on an icy river is not a good idea and it is recommended that you hire a guide that is familiar with the river and cold weather fishing. A good guide can get you to the fish safely and provide you with opportunities to land your trophy.
So dress warm and be aware and use caution and get out and enjoy this beautiful time of the year.
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Contact Steelhead Alley Outfitters (419)466-9382 for a safe, productive winter trip.
Feel free to give me a call to chat or to get a forecast on stream conditions.
Happy Holidays everyone,
Scott McClintock
Owner / Operator RSM Flyfishing
Lake Run Browns
I was asked to post some of the large browns that we had taken this year, so I picked these three for your viewing. We seem to be getting more browns this year than we did last year. Not sure where these bruisers came from, but the clients had almost as much fun catching them as I did netting them. The fish below, was caught by Chip Hutchings. I had to have my picture taken with it. Thanks to Chip Hutchings for the hookup.
The conditions are high and muddy for the Ohio Steelhead streams. They were getting fishable, but with the rain we've had, deer hunting is a better option. Depending on this blast of rain and snow we are getting, Ohio may be blown out for awhile. The good news is that we are all hoping for some fish to run into our Ohio tributaries.
Elk Creek was tricky on the 28th. The water conditions were near perfect in flow and color, but the water temp was cold. We managed a few fish, but they are mostly in the runs and pockets. Pools were not productive. The 29th was a stellar day as you can see on the steelhead blog. With all the recent rains, give Elk a few days to settle down, but keep your eye on the weather and the gages.
TIP: After the rain settles down and the streams begin to drop, hit the streams with big streamers while they are still off color. See our Steelhead Stream reports blog for detailed fishing reports. Just use the nav bar above. More pics and stories to be posted soon.
Contact: Greg Senyo at Steelhead Alley Outfitters (419)466-9382 to book a trip or give me a call Scott McClintock at (330) 732-7057
Big Fish to you,
Scott McClintock
RSM Fly Fishing
Iceman Minnow
Some Interesting Artifacts
Icey Conditions, but Still Beautiful 
