Warm Water Fishing 4.27.2024

On 4.27.2024 I set out to fish the upper Cuyahoga River. I would be swinging flies and not leaving the house until like 1430 after getting my tires for my Soob.

I could have wet waded today but was not really feeling like it. So, getting dressed at home I then loaded the Soob and headed west.

I got to the river and parked at a local softball field. Then I noticed all these young men and woman getting their photos taken. Some kind of high school celebration Ws going on locally and they where along the river like a pageant. Then here comes my ruff-looking bearded self-down to the river on the opposite side.  They stared at me I waved and said in my best West Virginia tone “howdy you going to stare I’m going to say howdy”. Many of them laughed and I said I will move out of your field of view if you want. They were all appreciative of the wader wearing freak of a bearded old man moving out of there line of sight.

I grabbed my custom Rainshadow IF1086-4 – 10’8” 4pc (6wt) rated for 275-375 grain weight window.  I slapped on a 375-grain max short 20’8” head Skagit along with it a “don’t laugh” 10’ salmon steelhead sinking leader 2”/sec. This is the same exact setup I used in Montana.  I used 3 feet of 8-pound test floro for tippet (the three feet was added so I am less likely to blow my anchor).

With in three swings there was the same rainbow I hooked and landed last time. I am calling this one Bart because the name Bert is already taken.  I brought my net this time in preparation for better handling of any fish I may have the luck of landing.

I looked down stream and saw a mother and young son fishing.  They were walking up the bank as I was leaving. She asked if I had any luck and I said some. I look at the young man he was not having fun. I noticed they where fishing bobbers and worms by looking at the rigs they had. 

I asked them if they had caught anything? They said no and the mom looked sadder than her son. I said stay here I will hook you up to better the odds. I had in my car not far away some of my bobber’s steelhead gear for whatever reason.  I rigged them up with some lead and a lighter leader section with ha barrel swivel.  I also had some smaller hooks, size 10’s.

After I re did their rigs, I said I will be right back one more thing.  The park had some rocks around a planter in which I was praying had some red worms underneath them.

I rolled three over and found my quarry, I went back to them and said put these on the hooks. I gave them some instructions on how to read this pool. The rainbows were all held in the slick between the two currents about 30 feet from the bank.  I told them you want to dance the bobber right down the middle and hold onto the rod.

The mother was greatly appreciative and tried to give me money and I told her no please just enjoy the time with your son.

I was almost back at the Subaru, and I could hear happy screaming coming from the bank. Lol

I would look up at the sky and it was starting to get grey to that deep what I call it electric blue color.  Well, a storm is coming, and I need to fish one more short section.

I got to the riverbank after I walked around a swampy section of the river. I noticed that there were a lot of plants blooming and it looks so beautiful as mother nature intended it to be.

I would hook a small but feisty smally that was preggo!  Yea she may have been bedding because I hooked her off a sand and gravel bar.

Then the next fish well her/she broke my heart. I did a half-a$$ cast near a sunken tree.  I was swinging right in front of it hoping to lure anything lurking in its shadows.

The second cast was better, and I gave it a downstream mend to send the fly screaming across the current.  When I did this it sent a pike hauling after my fly. He would hook himself with the fly being a tube fly on the swing. I went to put side pressure on the large hammer handle in the current and when I did it my rod rotated through the reel seat.

At that moment I thought what the hell and then he rolled and snapped my leader buy cutting it.  I was more upset at the fly rod and the moment and less at the fish.

The skies started to pour rain and it was time to head home.