Wildlife Wednesday – Steelhead Trout

Let’s get a little fishy for today’s Wildlife Wednesday from your Ohio Division of Wildlife as we spotlight steelhead.
Did you know that November through March is prime fishing season for steelhead trout in Northeast Ohio? Six Lake Erie tributaries are stocked with steelhead trout annually. In the spring of 2021, nearly 500,000 yearling trout were stocked: Ashtabula (56,686 steelhead stocked), Chagrin (92,221), Conneaut (81,966), Grand (102,114), Rocky (100,532), and Vermilion (65,453). These fish will soon grow to trophy sizes, and larger fish will be pursued by thousands of anglers during the fall, winter, and early spring.
In the fall, steelhead make their way from the deep waters of Lake Erie to spawning areas in upstream tributaries where they will stay until spring. Steelhead have limited reproduction in Ohio as they require clear, fast-moving rivers with a gravel base to be successful. Because of this, steelhead are stocked each year by Ohio’s state fish hatcheries to maintain the fishery.
For more info on tips for steelhead fishing, head to https://ohiodnr.gov/…/wild-ohio-harvest…/fishing-tips. #FishOhio
Information courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources