“Stream steelhead fishing was gangbuster,” said Bader. “But on Lake Erie, very few people bothered to chase them last year.”

The annual harvest of steelhead varies from year to year, but usually is around 10,000 fish. Last year, that number was slightly lower.

The Lake Erie tributaries stocked with trout are the Chagrin, Grand, Rocky and Vermilion rivers, along with Conneaut Creek. May is a productive time to chase the fish on these waters and in almost any of the creeks and streams that enter the lake.

Fishing these rivers and small streams can be incredible when the water is clear. A wading angler can often spot steelhead stacked up in a stream with the water only thigh-deep and 7 or 8 feet wide. Dozens of leg-long silver torpedoes may be lying on a rocky shoal in 6 inches of water, sometimes with their backs above the water.

Lake Erie’s tributary steelhead range from 18 to 26 inches. Fish 30 inches long and weighing 10 pounds or more are caught regularly, and an angler willing to wade can often find even larger fish. The state-record steelhead caught in 1996 measured 36.5 inches and weighed 20.97 pounds.

On Lake Erie and all its tributaries, the daily bag limit for steelhead is two fish from September 1 through May 15. From May 16 through August 31, the daily bag limit is increased to five fish. A minimum-size limit of 12 inches for steelhead is in effect throughout the year.

For more information, contact the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Fairport Fish Research Unit at (440) 352-4199, or visit the ODOW’s Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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