Stream Conditions as of 11/16/10

We started early walking into Elk at dark. It wasn't long before we hit a nice chrome Steelhead at the head of a small pool. Ken (pictured below) played the fish well to the net. In spite of the conditions we had a number of hookups, but patience was required. Being able to change and adapt to differing conditions was crucial and we eventually enjoyed some success.

Ken showed me a new technique that we called the "One Hop" catch. Ken was fishing a run that was fairly close to the bank when he set the hook. The fish jumped about four feet out of the water and landed on the bank. Shortest steelhead fight I ever saw. Must be a record.
We quickly got him from the ground into the net and back into the water. Great technique and certainly eliminates the chances of break offs.

Ken got into a nice brown that made some very hard runs that definitely gave him a chance to practice his line management. The fish decided to go straight upstream through the shallow riffs and just rip line off his reel. Then as if by magic, gone. Another lesson on fly fishing that will make Ken just a little better.




Stream Conditions

Elk is low and very clear and the fish are tight lipped. Be prepare to cover the water to find fish. There are large pods of fish in the deeper pools, but they are nervous and difficult to coax to the fly. Cover the water and fish the runs and small slots and you will hit a few cooperative fish. At the end of the day, I noticed fish starting to move up stream. This could be a good thing.

Ohio Tribs had a bit of color and flows have been ok. The fish are spread out and there doesn't seem to be many fish in the system right now. The guides have been out scouting and guiding everyday and have found them, but you need to move and cover the water (run and gun).

I recommend no inicator in the pools and fish the head and tail of each pool. In the good runs and pockets, if you're not comfortable with "High Sticking" use an indicator.

We have taken a number of fish on small streamer patterns. Dead drift them into a swing and you should hit a few fish.

We need some rain to add a little color to elk and increase the flows a bit, and Ohio needs another push of fish. We have some rain in the forecast and that should help.

Remember hit the pockets and slots. Go light on the weight.


See our fishing reports for steelhead. By clicking the nav button Steelhead above or
http://rsmflyfishingsteelhead.blogspot.com/


Tight lines everyone
Scott McClintock

Tough Conditions Still Produce Fish

Above are some of the wonders of Steelhead Alley. If you Select SAO you can be sure to have the best guides around. They know the water and real pros.

We have had some tough conditions the last few days. All of the guides have been working real hard to find the fish in Ohio and we are finding them, but we are covering a lot of water. You can't beat being out on nice crisp autum day searching for those large fish that bring so many smiles. We are hoping for more rain to bring a fresh batch of fish in and it looks like it's coming.

The fish above was taken by Victor under very difficult conditions. The water was low and clear and we covered a lot of miles to locate fish. We had numerous hookups thanks to the skills displayed by Vic. By the way Victor's venison sausage is superb.

This colored up buck was an early morning strike by Dave who played it beautifully. For never fishing for Steelhead before Dave certainly played this big guy well.

More pics and stories coming so stay tuned.

Rain is coming everyone so get ready for the fishing to turn up a notch. Give us a call.

See you on the water,

Scott McClintock

Mixed Conditions with a Surprise Ending.

The day started out dark with the threat of rain or snow coming. The river was already on the rise, but still had good color with about 18" of visibility. I wanted to get some fish quick because with the river rising this quickly I just wasn't sure what it would be like later in the day.

I was fishing with Brooks and his daughter Ashley who had fished with us in the past. Both very good fishing partners. I was particularly impressed with Ashley's natural ability with the fly rod. She listened well and followed instructions. Just a great student of fly fishing.

Ashley was the first to strike. She played this fish with very little instruction from me. The

fish definitely put her to the test. It did not want to be in my net, but Ashley played this fish through numerous hard runs and eventually to my net.

Ashley with a Very Fine First Fish with Proud Father



Plenty of smiles to go around

We went through a dry spell with the river still rising and getting muddier by the minute. We had numerous hookups but nothing to the net when we decided to head up stream to explore a bit. Then Ashley struck again with a nice shiney steelhead. Brooks had many hookups throughout the day, but nothing to the net yet. He was intent on catching a good fish.

I heard about a few browns that were lurking around a particular hole so we headed in that direction. We rigged up for the run and hole we were going to fish with the "Iceman". Brooks went to work hooking a nice fresh steelhead. Then an hour later at days end with a lot of persistence and drive Brooks made "one more cast" about 10 times when he snagged up.......... He wacked at that snag 4 or 5 times to no avail. I took the rod to get it free when it felt a little odd. I lifted gently and felt weight moving. I handed the rod back to Brooks and said get ready for that snag to explode. Seconds later into the backing. It was a large brown. With Ashley and I shouting instructions on deaf ears, Brooks eventually brought that fish to the net just like a pro. You can tell by the smiles we were all excited.

It was nice to fish with a family that truly enjoyed each other's company. They wanted nothing more than for the other to be successful and they were in more ways than one.

Tight lines eveyone,

Scott McClintock

RSM Fly Fishing

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Orvis Endorsed

Fly Fishing Specialist

Difficult fish and Good Fishermen

The day started early at 6:15. It was dark with a chill in the air as we walked to the stream. We were going to fish Elk with high expectations due to the recent rain. I had two experienced fly fishermen with me. Bob, never fished for steelhead before, but was very handy with a fly rod, and Meridith who fished with Steelhead Alley Outfitters numerous times over the years.

Pictured below was our target, and one of Meridith's first fish. The First Fish at about 7:30am

Meridth was first to strike with a nice pair

Bob soon followed fishing in a nice run up above. Since this was Bob's first steelhead, we wanted this fish in the net real bad and as you can see (pictured below) it was a good one. It gave all three of us a work out. This fish headed upstream, then downstream, with many jumps and the guide chasing him all over the river. Add to that Meridith running up to get pictures and getting stuck in the mud and rolling around, we had a memory and a good laugh as we rested ourselves on the bank. The fish was in much better shape than we were after that battle and I'm not sure who won.

The Master Strikes Again and Again

Two more for Bob and another good one to boot. I'm not sure who is hooked here.

Meridith Showing Off Another

There are Big Fish in Our Rivers

Looking back at the day, I wish I had a video camera with me. There were so many moments that we will only be able to store in our memories. A good time was had by all and I know that I enjoyed myself.

We are getting some nice fish and it will get even better. Give us a call if you're interested in getting out on Steelhead Alley. We're sure you'll have a laugh, and a good time.

Golden Brown and Shiney Steel

It was a cool morning with a little rain and we had good flows on Elk Creek. We were on the water early waiting for some day light getting our gear ready and already telling big stories of the fish we were going to catch. Little did we know that we were in for a major surprise.

I had the pleasure of fishing with Chip last year and I knew we were in for some fun. Chip managed a good number of fish during our last outing and we had high hopes again for this seemingly excellent day for Steelhead. Tim was on the hunt for his first fish to the net. He is a skilled trout angler and was excited for the chance at one these silver bullets.

Below is a picture of Tim with his first fish to the net. He had numerous hookups with fish charging right at him and then up the river, back down the river, slashing through the air trying to take Tim to school. With each hookup Tim gained experience and then success. He then went on to skillfully play numerous others. As you can see from the smiles, we were happy.A Well Deserved Steelhead for Tim

Pictured below is Chip with his second or third fish. You can see how nice and fresh this fish is. Judging from the smile Chip was happy to get this one to the net. This one was on fire.

Chip with a Fresh Fish

A Nice Hen for Chip

Tim with a Hard Charging Steelhead

We hooked and netted a number of nice fresh steelhead this morning and all was well. Suddenly it went from good to GREAT when Chip raised his rod tip and then fly line turned into backing. My heart began to pound as I suspected something other than Steel. As Chip skillfully played the fish back into the ball park, I saw a roll and jump and it was Golden Brown. Now my heart pounding and nerves going to pot due to the size of this fish we put ourselves to the test. After what seemed like a life time we got this fish to the net. The fished was around 27 to 29 inches in length and more than 18" girth.

We have been getting a number of browns on the Steelhead Alley. If you are interested in having a chance at one of these give us a call. Of course we can also get you into first class steelhead fishing as well.

Contact us at

info@rsmflyfishing.com or Gregsenyo@yahoo.com

Big Fish to all of you,

Scott McClintock

The Beauty of the Fall Steelhead Season

Thanks to all of you that have made it possible for me to do this for a living. I am truly living the dream. The only problem I have at the end of day is my face hurts from smiling so much. I really enjoy being out on days like this with good people and making new friends.

Today I was able to get out and do a little fishing on my own. I ran into Pat Robinson and his clients just before daylight with their flashlights on. It wasn't long after they got started when they were able to net a few fish. I was on hand so I snapped a few pics. Then I headed upstream for a little fishing.

The flows were good and there was some color. I know that pictures do not do this justice, but take a look and enjoy.

Just a little piece of Heaven

This is a nice quiet evening of relaxation. Pictured is Patrick Robinson SAO's Head Guide and Media expert. Pat spent the day guiding and took some time off to do a little fishing. With all the color surrounding him you can see why.




I hate to say it, but I guess I need to hit the tying bench to replenish my boxes.

Pat Robinson and his client with the first steelhead of the morning.

This guy almost made 32", but we'll call him 31. He's a nice fresh fish that gave me a heart pounding 15 minutes. After he was rested he was off to fight another day.

Can You Say Chrome?

A nice end to the day

Flows dropped Fast - Another Front Coming

Well we had some color to the water and a little flow, but not as much as I expected and it didn't last long. The water really came down and cleared quickly.We have fish in Ohio and Pennsylvania tribs, but they are bunched up in their favorite deep shady pools. If you don't find them in your favorite spot, start walking. As clear as the water is they are easy to find, but they are spooky. Long leaders are required and stay back away from the pool. I suggest removing your indicator. The indicator hitting the clear skinny water will spook these fish.
Elk has most of the fish, but we are seeing more and more fish in the Grand, Chagrin, and Conneaut.
We have more needed rain and cooler temps coming which should get us back into better flows and bring another push of fish from the lake. Remember in higher flows get out your favorite streamers and change up your presentation techniques until find something that works. The name of the game is change. As the water comes down go to nymphing techniques. My favorite nymphs are small black stone imatations in size #14, and #16 with a slight bit of flash. Another great pattern is a size #14 and #16 bead head olive caddis pupa with a tiny bit of flash. Make them buggy! Pastel colored egg and spawn are good choices in the low water conditions.

Feel free to give me a call for current stream conditions. Our guides are out everyday. Check this page as we update at least once a week.
Good luck everyone,
Scott McClintock
RSM Fly Fishing Services