# New fish in the Hoga!



## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Took the day off yesterday to work on my deck. Did a little fishing first though. Went to my favorite smallmouth spot on the Hoga. Didn't catch a single smallie!!! Water flow was decent and it wasn't too cloudy from the rain the night before, so I don't understand it. Used all my favorite smallie lures and got nothing. Switched to using a half a nightcrawler on a jighead and kept getting bites from little bait stealing basturds! Had a hard time hooking them. Switched to gulp minnows and a smaller jighead and finally started catching the little basturds! Got gills, creek chubs, and white perch. 

The new fish I was catching though was walleye!!! Got 2 little 6" walleyes! In 20+ years of fishing this spot I had only caught 1 walleye there and it was just last fall and that one was 17". This spot is upstream of the Brecksville spillway that was just removed. I figure I will be catching sheephead there soon too.


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Whoa, that's good to hear! I'd like to think they came up from the lake, but there's the possibility that they washed out of LaDue too. Looking forward to see how things progress now that the dam is gone.


----------



## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

To far to be from ladue they are from erie. They did net survey 2 years ago and got eyes and darters in the independence area. And they got eye fry which obviously means there is walleye spawning up the hoga for the first time in god knows how long. Good to here should boost the resident fish pop in cle


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

set-the-drag said:


> there is walleye spawning up the hoga for the first time in god knows how long


Man, that is good to hear! It would be crazy if they started stocking sauger like they've been talking about.


----------



## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Doubtful. I was reading an dnr article about stocks and conservation focuses and they generally only stock sauger in non erie watershed and focus more on making spawn runs for walleye and steel better thus part of the reason the dams are coming down. Which in my mind good! Be sweet to go park by Brandywine and catch a hog eye or 2


----------



## brad crappie (Sep 29, 2015)

Well sauger are native to rivers and they said they would introduce them back in the Maumee not sure if they did!


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Awesome!!! 

I've only got 1 myself many years ago from the Akron area and my brother got 1 really big 1, about 5 lbs from the Akron area.


----------



## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Those were definitely overflow from laude dams prevented any from erie going that far


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

set-the-drag said:


> Those were definitely overflow from laude dams prevented any from erie going that far


 During this time frame there was still several Dams on the upper cuyahoga. One i caught would have had to have fallen down at least 3 dams and the 1 that my brother caught would have had to a fallen down at least 4 dams including the gorge dam because he caught his in the 1st pool below the dam were that natural waterfall is.

I'm not denying that these fish came from Ladue Because obviously they did not migrate up from Lake Erie But they must have been some real survivors to travel so many miles downstream and surviving over all those dams, especially the gorge dam which I would think would be a fish killer.

This being said it leads to me to believe there is possibly a tiny amount of reproduction in these sections.


----------



## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

If they came from la due and one dam , then they had to go through lake Rockwell and another dam, doubt it with that size he caught. Plus Rockwell is huge not likely to go over or under the dam.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## dperry2011 (Feb 22, 2019)

Last fall a friend caught a couple small walleye in Vermilion river at Wakeman dam. I believe that is over 20 miles from lake Erie.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

To add we do have a decent pike fishery in the Hoga and they were never historically present in the upper reaches away from Erie. They were introduced many years ago when the ODNR stocked many of the lakes with pike,including LaDue and that created the pike population in the hoga.


----------



## Macky (Mar 1, 2013)

bdawg said:


> Took the day off yesterday to work on my deck. Did a little fishing first though. Went to my favorite smallmouth spot on the Hoga. Didn't catch a single smallie!!! Water flow was decent and it wasn't too cloudy from the rain the night before, so I don't understand it. Used all my favorite smallie lures and got nothing. Switched to using a half a nightcrawler on a jighead and kept getting bites from little bait stealing basturds! Had a hard time hooking them. Switched to gulp minnows and a smaller jighead and finally started catching the little basturds! Got gills, creek chubs, and white perch.
> 
> The new fish I was catching though was walleye!!! Got 2 little 6" walleyes! In 20+ years of fishing this spot I had only caught 1 walleye there and it was just last fall and that one was 17". This spot is upstream of the Brecksville spillway that was just removed. I figure I will be catching sheephead there soon too.


 Iv'e heard of Walleyes being caught in the early spring(like March) at the Brecksville Dam which is no longer there or close to being removed.


----------



## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

It's only going to get cleaner with the dam removal and I look forward to seeing more sample sizes of these species being caught! Great news.


----------



## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Karl Wolf said:


> During this time frame there was still several Dams on the upper cuyahoga. One i caught would have had to have fallen down at least 3 dams and the 1 that my brother caught would have had to a fallen down at least 4 dams including the gorge dam because he caught his in the 1st pool below the dam were that natural waterfall is.
> 
> I'm not denying that these fish came from Ladue Because obviously they did not migrate up from Lake Erie But they must have been some real survivors to travel so many miles downstream and surviving over all those dams, especially the gorge dam which I would think would be a fish killer.
> 
> This being said it leads to me to believe there is possibly a tiny amount of reproduction in these sections.


I doubt reproduction is happening in the river but i would say some fry stocked at ladue are being washed downstream and cycle through it takes a couple years for them to get keeper size and we know they can cover some serious distance. Granted there might be some small repo in Rockwell and ladue that contribute but from what ive been told the natural repo in those lakes is less than 1% that's spawn survival rates. Maybe they getting flushed down the hoga


----------



## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Maybe next time someone should just ask the walleye where he came from


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

set-the-drag said:


> I doubt reproduction is happening in the river but i would say some fry stocked at ladue are being washed downstream and cycle through it takes a couple years for them to get keeper size and we know they can cover some serious distance. Granted there might be some small repo in Rockwell and ladue that contribute but from what ive been told the natural repo in those lakes is less than 1% that's spawn survival rates. Maybe they getting flushed down the hoga


Oh, I agree that if there is any reproduction in the hoga that far upstream, it would be minuscule but definitely possible. Most likely they came from Ladue.


----------



## Mikj8689 (May 13, 2018)

From what I’ve always understood or read. The “main” issues with walleye natural reproduction is habitat, more specifically lacking flow of water. Eggs become covered in silt and more or less ruins them. I know there is a lot more variables to be added but to my understanding that’s one of the main factors at inland lakes. It’s also one of the reasons walleye prefer a rocky area in steadily flowing water. They say large deep wind blown lakes have better than usual odds of natural reproduction but who knows. Anyways, I would think with removal of dams that the odds of natural reproduction is some areas would go up in river.


----------



## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

With the many miles of river that just opened up to the walleye, I'm sure they will find a few places with rocks or gravel that they could try and spawn in. Not sure how successful the spawns will be, but it should be better than it was.


----------



## dlancy (Feb 14, 2008)

Excited to hear all of this as the hoga is my main trib. If the water quality improves it would be great to see a resident population. I don’t keep many fish, but if I catch a keeper eye it is going to the cooler. I still wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping a hoga eye as I’ve seen the poor water conditions after big rains and just the poor management of water quality because of the dams. How does everyone else feel about that? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

dustinlancy said:


> Excited to hear all of this as the hoga is my main trib. If the water quality improves it would be great to see a resident population. I don’t keep many fish, but if I catch a keeper eye it is going to the cooler. I still wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping a hoga eye as I’ve seen the poor water conditions after big rains and just the poor management of water quality because of the dams. How does everyone else feel about that?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I ate my eye from the hoga,I'm alive. Releasing a 17" eye is hard for me as a lower class working man. It's like throwing a delicious $20 bill back in and watching it swim away. 

To add to that, I'd be more concerned with the quality of your store bought meats and vegetables than eating fish occasionally from polluted waters.


----------



## dperry2011 (Feb 22, 2019)

Brecksville dam is now removed. Steelhead coming your way 'tioga falls.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

dperry2011 said:


> Brecksville dam is now removed. Steelhead coming your way 'tioga falls.


They've been in the falls many years. 

I live a stone's throw from the furthest point they have ever been able to make it and it's pretty cool watching them jump that.
Up that far the water is real skinny and the spots are few and far in between.


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Spent a little time up that way scouting a few times. You are correct, lots of skinny water and not many spots. I'd guess if you could find a few deeper pools, you'd get a few. I've got them all the way up in Peninsula a few times.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

I had a few spots you could pull a fish out of on a good day way up there but you really had to work for them.
Many of those spots have filled in over the last several years and I didn't catch anything the last 2 times I tried

I always thought the 303 dam would have held them, fished it a few times and never caught one. 
Is that dam still there?


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

There's really just "remnants" of that dam, it's smaller than the Brecksville dam for sure.
First time we got some there, we were actually fishing big shiners for pike in the fall.
Was really surprised when the "pike" I hooked jumped 2 ft in the air, lol.
Got two more that day, but no pike.


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Karl Wolf said:


> To add we do have a decent pike fishery in the Hoga and they were never historically present in the upper reaches away from Erie. They were introduced many years ago when the ODNR stocked many of the lakes with pike,including LaDue and that created the pike population in the hoga.


Not to be negative, or Argumentative! But I've got a completely different(but very "viable") theory where the Pike in the Cuyahoga came from! I'm totally convinced they came from "Breakneck Creek" Via Congress Lake!
A little background: The Congress Lake Country Club has been at it's current location for(guessing well over 100+ years). Of course, "Congress Lake" itself is a private lake, sitting behind the CC and has been a "well managed" lake for that entire time to be a superb fishery for the membership with a variety of fish species-many Northern Pike stocked and are the top predator there! The CL discharge(with a couple small, very low head dams on the Club property) is the "headwaters" of Breakneck Creek. Breakneck(always known for nice pike fishing potential IF you can access it!) crosses under Congress Lake Rd, winds thru Quail Hollow Park as a small stream, snakes it's way and drains large areas to the north thru Suffield, Atwater, Rootstown and Ravenna townships, crosses under Rt 59 between Kent and Ravenna into Jackson Tsp. and dumps into the Cuyahoga just north of Kent. Any northerns that came from Breakneck then moved up and/or downstream in the Cuyahoga where they have reproduced.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

c. j. stone said:


> Not to be negative, or Argumentative! But I've got a completely different(but very "viable") theory where the Pike in the Cuyahoga came from! I'm totally convinced they came from "Breakneck Creek" Via Congress Lake!
> A little background: The Congress Lake Country Club has been at it's current location for(guessing well over 100+ years). Of course, "Congress Lake" itself is a private lake, sitting behind the CC and has been a "well managed" lake for that entire time to be a superb fishery for the membership with a variety of fish species-many Northern Pike stocked and are the top predator there! The CL discharge(with a couple small, very low head dams on the Club property) is the "headwaters" of Breakneck Creek. Breakneck(always known for nice pike fishing potential IF you can access it!) crosses under Congress Lake Rd, winds thru Quail Hollow Park as a small stream, snakes it's way and drains large areas to the north thru Suffield, Atwater, Rootstown and Ravenna townships, crosses under Rt 59 between Kent and Ravenna into Jackson Tsp. and dumps into the Cuyahoga just north of Kent. Any northerns that came from Breakneck then moved up and/or downstream in the Cuyahoga where they have reproduced.


Well I'd imagine they came from both places and possibly more.
There's no negativity or arguments in stating a valid theory or point to add to the conversation.


----------



## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

creekcrawler said:


> There's really just "remnants" of that dam, it's smaller than the Brecksville dam for sure.
> First time we got some there, we were actually fishing big shiners for pike in the fall.
> Was really surprised when the "pike" I hooked jumped 2 ft in the air, lol.
> Got two more that day, but no pike.


The first pike I ever hooked in the Hoga jumped 2' in the air right after I hooked it! I didn't even know there were pike in there! I was fishing with a minnow under a bobber for smallies. I quickly changed to using wire leaders and then 50lb braid and creek chubs. 

The 1st 3 or so steelhead I hooked in the Hoga, I never got to the surface before they broke me off. I remember seeing one that I had hooked, a couple feet below the surface that was bullet shaped and I didn't know what it was, only that it was big! It took me about 3 years to figure out what it was!


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

bdawg said:


> The first pike I ever hooked in the Hoga jumped 2' in the air right after I hooked it! I didn't even know there were pike in there! I was fishing with a minnow under a bobber for smallies. I quickly changed to using wire leaders and then 50lb braid and creek chubs.
> 
> The 1st 3 or so steelhead I hooked in the Hoga, I never got to the surface before they broke me off. I remember seeing one that I had hooked, a couple feet below the surface that was bullet shaped and I didn't know what it was, only that it was big! It took me about 3 years to figure out what it was!


Yeah those holes in the upper stretches are hard to land them. They wrap up in the log jams or if they hit the rapids..... gone......


----------



## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

November 21, 2002 Akron city limits 1/8 ounce rooster tail 4'6" uglystick ultralight four lb. stren mono. One of several I caught that day.


----------



## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

That's are real nice steelhead! I've hooked up with 3 in one day once on the Hoga. Only landed one. I have caught them as early as September 29th.


----------



## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

Yeah they’re definitely in there all the way up to Akron


----------



## RipitHard (Sep 28, 2014)

Does anybody know, if you can access the area where the Brecksville dam was removed? I know it was blockaded during the removal project. Also, did the water levels change much, above and below the dam area? I was planning on scouting out the area next week. Thanks for any info.


----------



## dugworm (May 23, 2008)

I'm down there a few days per week. 

Access? No. There are still blockades and signs all over saying to stay out. However...if you were to walk north a bit on the tracks or towpath then drop into the river and walk back to the old dam you would be OK. Splitting hairs I know. What's right what's wrong?

Water level? Low! Look's like a river through the whole stretch north and south.


----------



## dperry2011 (Feb 22, 2019)

swone said:


> Yeah they’re definitely in there all the way up to Akron


Do the steelhead get stopped at the gorge dam?


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

dperry2011 said:


> Do the steelhead get stopped at the gorge dam?


Not exactly but extremely close.


----------



## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

Big gas tanker truck accident near the gorge on rte 8 today. Arial shots of the river in that area do not look good. Lots of product appeared to have leaked into the 'Hoga - some still burning. Hopefully looks worse than the actual impact. "Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department confirmed that fire had spread to the Cuyahoga River"...


----------



## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Looks like whatever did spill in the river was at the Edison Pool at the Gorge. A lot of it burned up right away, so it won't be much of an impact. It was probably burning from the tanker all the way down to the outlet about 2000' away! Also, that pool already has low level pollutants in the sediment, so it won't be much different than it is now. The EPA/Hazmat teams reacted fast so I'm sure it didn't spread far.


----------



## Jo-Jo (Jun 29, 2016)

Gorge Dam info....

https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/06/15/60-foot-dam-to-be-removed-from-cuyahoga-river


----------

