March is good month to seek tributary-bound steelhead trout

Steelhead, which are basically big rainbow trout, start coming into Lake Erie tributaries in later October or November, and they can be caught all winter whenever the rivers and streams are ice free.

But is there an absolute best month for these big and hard fighting trout? There is, and that month is March, for several reasons.

One is that the winter resident fish are hungry now, very hungry.

There’s little food in a winter stream, and trout that have been there for months might not have had a single decent meal, and two there are new pods of fish coming into the tributaries, some with spawning on their minds and they become aggressive then, apparently wanting to kill any small fish they can find that might eat their eggs.

It’s a golden chance to make a killing on fish that average 8-12 pounds and might reach over 20.

All you need to do is fool them on something with a hook. The basics are simple.

You’ll require a long, whippy rod that can absorb that first frenetic, sizzling run, and a reel with a drag smooth as silk, and loaded with 10-15 pound test monofilament.

You’ll also need fairly clean green or clear water, since fishing high, muddy water is almost pointless.

So, make a phone call before you go to someplace like the Mad River Outfitters at 1-888-451-0363 which keeps close watch on stream conditions and also has guide service. Or perhaps Snug Harbor Bait & Tackle at 1-440-593-3755, or other local bait shop.

Given decent water conditions, your options multiply for catching some.

You’ll be looking for long, smooth and fairly deep runs, pools below riffles, backwater eddies and other places where fish can hold without constantly fighting strong current.

Some anglers fish these places the easy way, by tightlining live bait with just enough sinker to hold bottom and a nightcrawler or minnow on a single hook.

With luck, sooner or later a nice trout will swim past and inhale your bait.

You’ll want to switch places from time to time until you hit a hot spot.

Some anglers like to wade and work section after section of a chosen stream for their catch, and many will do drift fishing with small nickel sized spawn sacks holding salmon, steelhead, or sucker eggs.

They might make their own or purchase

OUTDOORS some at local bait shops, but the little red, yellow, chartreuse, or orange sacs produce a great many fish each March.

Others prefer to fish very small jigs in various colors usually baited with a waxworm or several maggots, and fished below a bobber adjusted so the bait will drift a few inches above bottom.

Yet others favor hardware, usually small spoons like a Little Cleo or fast wobbling little crank baits, or small spinners like Roostertails or Mepps. These produce, too.

Don’t forget yarn flies, which look like fish eggs, and are a favorite for some since they’re easy to tie.

And yet others fly fish with flies like Wooly Boogers, Egg Sucking Leeches, Glo-bugs, Cluson Minnows, etc. which also draw customers.

Take the above to a favorite steam, whether it be the Grand River, Rocky River, Conneaut Creek (my favorite), the Chagrin, Vermillion, or smaller tributaries like Arcola, Mills, and Paint Creek which draw lots of strays.

They’re all the best game in town this month.

Hooks & Bullets — The new Ohio fishing regulations brochure is coming late this year. If you need one soon, call 1-800-WILDLIFE, and the Division will mail one to your home. Regulations that local fishermen may need to see this year include the fact that channel cats under 28 inches are under no length or numbers limits, but those over 28 inches have a one fish limit. Check walleye regulations for Lake Erie, but note that from March 1 - Feb. 28 their limit is sixfish of 15 inches or more. Yellow perch limits from March 1 - April 30 is 30 fish. From May 1 - Feb. 28, 2022 the limit will be announced.

— Spring is coming soon and when it does, you might see a baby animal in the wild. Most often that baby will be unattended by an adult. If so, keep your distance and leave it alone! Human interference is always an animals last resort for survival, neverits best hope. If you find a baby bird on the ground, a raccoon in distress, a fawn all alone, or whatever, call 1-800-WILDLIFE for guidance on what to do.

Dick Martin is a retired biology teacher who has been writing outdoor columns for over 30 years. You can reach him at richmart@neo.rr.com.