# Catching staging steelhead



## kayak1979

I know it might be a bit early, but I was wondering what is the earliest everyone here has ever caught staging steelhead in the harbor and mouth areas?


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## nooffseason

Try in September. Go east


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## Ttrout

There's been years when I broke 20 fish in august and then sometimes not much til late September always some somewhere by labor day


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## kayak1979

Ttrout said:


> There's been years when I broke 20 fish in august and then sometimes not much til late September always some somewhere by labor day


Those are the stories I like to hear. Do you feel as if that the Manistee strain is the reason? I've heard this spring the river was in amazing conditions and hardly anyone could be found fishing. Perhaps spring is the better of the seasons?


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## creekcrawler

Manistees seem to be more spring run, but they can be had in the fall.
Labor Day is usually a good start time for them to stage a bit.
Chances improve the further east you go, as mentioned.


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## Ttrout

I like September and October best because fish are fresh and feisty this spring was amazing also bog push didn't show til mid May this past spring which was late and there was not many fishermen


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## ChromeBone

Ive caught them off the beaches as early as right now haha


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## oshp1457

I tried the mouth of Arcola Creek yesterday. No hits and I tried everything in the box. Did lose my cell phone somewhere from the mouth of Arcola Creek and Driftwood. Good luck all, cool nights should be bringing them to the mouth shortly!


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## BigFishAddict

oshp1457 said:


> I tried the mouth of Arcola Creek yesterday. No hits and I tried everything in the box. Did lose my cell phone somewhere from the mouth of Arcola Creek and Driftwood. Good luck all, cool nights should be bringing them to the mouth shortly!


I was at arcola Sunday and I ventured upstream to where the bridge is out. I fished but was kicked out very rudely by an older gentleman. Then I came home and did some research about the creek to find that a fisherman was shot for trespassing in that same area a few years ago. So be careful around those parts.


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## ChromeBone

Arcola is one of your better bets to cast off the beach around now, last year though most of the fish where staying just out of reach of my casts. I also catch some pike in the actual creek if you ever throw a jerk bait around in there.


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## Nohaha

I had to look it up. I thought the water was public but apparently it's not. 

"In Ohio, you can only gain access to streams flowing on public property. If you are on private property, including land that streams flow over, you must have landowner permission. Private landowners have the right to restrict stream access on their property"

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/Portals... & Streams Maps/arcolawheelercowlescreeks.pdf


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## kayak1979

Nohaha said:


> I had to look it up. I thought the water was public but apparently it's not.
> 
> "In Ohio, you can only gain access to streams flowing on public property. If you are on private property, including land that streams flow over, you must have landowner permission. Private landowners have the right to restrict stream access on their property"
> 
> http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/Portals... & Streams Maps/arcolawheelercowlescreeks.pdf


There are novel length threads regarding this topic in the kayak and canoe forum!


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## TheShoreman

No steelhead yet should be only a good cold rain away. It just depends how early our summer ends. I've ripped them up in the harbor as early as the first week of September. I'll post when I get one I'm out often.


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## TheShoreman

BigFishAddict said:


> I was at arcola Sunday and I ventured upstream to where the bridge is out. I fished but was kicked out very rudely by an older gentleman. Then I came home and did some research about the creek to find that a fisherman was shot for trespassing in that same area a few years ago. So be careful around those parts.


Yea growing up in Madison there are some ignorant sob property owners down there. To be honest Arcola seems to be drying up. I question if it's even worth trying there. I too have had a run in with that same guy he lives to yell at people


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## KTkiff

Arcola is a shell of what it used to be. Not worth the drive over 15 minutes in my opinion.


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## kayak1979

KTkiff said:


> Arcola is a shell of what it used to be. Not worth the drive over 15 minutes in my opinion.


I heard the Ashtabula river produced a lot of fish last year. I talked to the lady at the Ashtabula harbor bait store a couple weeks ago and she said that the river is really overlooked for steelhead fishing. I'm going to give it a try this season. It may be possible the cleanup of the Ashtabula river coincides with less fish in Arcola.


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## TheShoreman

kayak1979 said:


> I heard the Ashtabula river produced a lot of fish last year. I talked to the lady at the Ashtabula harbor bait store a couple weeks ago and she said that the river is really overlooked for steelhead fishing. I'm going to give it a try this season. It may be possible the cleanup of the Ashtabula river coincides with less fish in Arcola.


I don't know Arcola is a combo of upstream devlopment and an build up of sand at its mouth. Ashtabula was on fire last year. FYI every time I write Arcola it is autocorrected to Areola.


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## SteelEyes

September, some years October or November. So many factors that go into it. Go east, specifically Conneaut. Conneaut creek is stocked by both OH and PA, so gets 2 different strains. Public access on foot at the breakwall in the harbor, or up the creek a bit at Woodworth Rd boat ramp. With Kayak you could launch at woodworth ramp, fish downstream, into the ship channel, around the inner harbour, and outside the breakwall (if weather is right). That is what we do with our 16' power boat. Kayak should also let you get upstream from woodworth ramp as well.
You can call Snug Harbor Bait for update. Sounds like they are getting a few out around the harbor, but only a couple so far in the river. Looks like rain this weekend there, so could possibly draw some more in close or up the river for next week.


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## MadMax1

Went casting little Cleos off the mouth of a small west side trib last night. No steel, but within a 2 hr span I landed 10-15 walleye - all undersized, ranging 6-12" range. They were going crazy over the orange and silver spoon! I saw a few of them skimming on the surface swimming around with shiners in their mouth! It was really something to see. Makes me feel good about the future of the walleye fishery. I had heard multiple reports of many undersized walleye being caught within the past few weeks too.


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## kayak1979

I'll be in the river really early tomorrow morning trolling from my kayak. Good luck everyone


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## c. j. stone

Nohaha said:


> I had to look it up. I thought the water was public but apparently it's not.
> 
> "In Ohio, you can only gain access to streams flowing on public property. If you are on private property, including land that streams flow over, you must have landowner permission. Private landowners have the right to restrict stream access to private property.[/URL]


Think the key here is "ON private property"(I. E.-your feet on the ground "under the water". If in some kind of boat "floating on the water", I understand you can fish anywhere!(correct me if this is not true!) 
I've seen video of guides taking customers over miles of river(in various kinds of boats) without ever touching ground(wet or dry) and they had to have been on "private property" at some point!


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## MadMax1

You may pass through 'navigable' waterways that flow through private land, cannot make contact with the bank or stream bed. So drift boat / yak yes, wading no


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## KTkiff

You technically cannot anchor on private land too.


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