Gene and his grandson Gene III came up for a day and we spent most of our time on a larger trib. We focused on getting Gene III into his first Steelhead and had him swinging Flatfish lures in front of fish against banks and in current. He was able to land a few nice fish after some good fights and long runs and he did it like a pro. We drifted skein, fly patterns, single eggs, and nymphs with a few hookups here and there.

The water is getting very low and the ice has blown away from the Erie shorelines but there is not much sign of fresh run fish in any of the streams. With no rain in site and very warm temps in the forecast it may be just about time to hang it up until the fall. It seemed promising after the late melt-off and colder temps but now that the conditions for a run have come and gone it’s starting to wind down for the season. Just a few chromers are being caught but mostly all older fish and they are into full spawning mode, making it tough to get their attention. It’s also not the most sporting type of fishing to target fish that are spawning. I personally wouldn’t want to be harrassed in the middle of that either!

Fish will probably remain in the streams in small numbers for a few weeks but the only real runs of fish to be had are in the Ohio streams where their Manistee strain fish run primarily in the Spring. We may see a few strays trickle in our waters the next few weeks but probably not many.

It was a pleasure spending the day with Gene and his grandson and I hope to see them on the water again. Here’s a few pics of Gene III’s fish.