Serving  all of "Steelhead Alley" in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York     Turkey Creek Oh, Conneaut Creek Oh, Grand River Oh, Chagrin River Oh,  Rocky River Oh,  Vermillion River Oh,  Twenty mile Creek Pa,  16 mile Creek Pa,  12 Mile Creek Pa,  7 Miile Creek  Pa,  Walnut Creek Pa,  Elk Creek Pa,  Crooked Creek Pa,  Racoon Creek Pa,   Cattaraugus Creek NY,   Zoar Valley south branch,  Clear Creek NY,   Canadaway Creek NY,  Silver Creek NY,  Chataqua Creek NY,                      WE GO WHERE THE FISH ARE....................... 

Call 330-565-5457 

e-mail us at info@dfishinfool.com

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Honesty is our number one priority at Dfishinfool's Guide Service. 

We know most people are smart enough to spot a fake or a liar.  Before you book a trip with any Steelhead Alley Guide ask them how many years they have been fishing Ohio. If they are honest you might be surprised by the answer. Anybody can be a internet hero and since you don't need a license to guide Ohio.  Out of state guides are flocking to the area to make a quick buck. Our team of guides have been fishing Ohio and the rest of Steelhead alley our whole lives.  We want lifelong customers. We strive to exceed our guests expectations.  My guarantee is simple. If your not 100% satisfied with anything we do contact me.  If I can't make it right. I will give you a full refund. No questions asked.

Don Mathews

The original

"Steelhead School" 

 Since 2001

Often imitated but never duplicated.  We have over 150 satisfied Graduates thru the years. It is a three day adventure into the world of fishing Steelhead Alley.  Our team of local steelhead pro's teach you everything you need to know to be a successful steelhead angler. It also includes a nine hour tour of the hot spots on the streams. We will cover, When to fish where, knots, rigging terminal tackle, leader construction, fly selection, reading water, fighting fish,  spin, fly, spey and cenerpinn techniques plus thee hours of hands on fly tying.  All you will need are an Ohio fishing license and a pair of chest high waders. . The weekend is value priced at $350 per angler and included in the price is two nights lodging

 

No B.S. Ohio fishing reports and Pennsylvania fishing reports compliments of licensed professional Steelhead fishing guide, Don Mathews and the team of guides at Dfishinfool' Guide Service.

12-28-04 Tuesday I hope everybody had a nice Christmas and I hope Santa was good to you..!! Conditions are tough right now on "Steelhead Alley". There is still open water in places. The Grand and Catt are still blown out from the floods but are mostly ice free from the high water. The slower sections of the smaller streams are starting too ice over. The cold temps are making fishing conditions tough. Looks like it might warm up a bit the next couple of days so there should be a window of opportunity to get out. Be prepared to break some side ice but at least you will be fishing. Ohio muzzleloader deer season is in. Please wear some Orange and BE SURE the property you are fishing is open during the hunting season.!!!     GOOD FISHIN...!!! Don

12-22-04  Wednesday  The big question is?? HOW LONG BEFORE FREEZE UP!! Basically its anybodies guess.?? Surely the open water will last for a while at select locations but slush will be a ongoing problem. Here's what I know. Conneaut is still high and side ice is forming fast. Elk is open in a few areas but most of the holes are froze over. Ice busters are out in force. Grand is open today and though a bit high still fishin OK. Haven't seen it but have a report than most of the Rocky is still open. We are forecasted to get more snow today and tonight. Lows are only going to go slightly below freezing. Thru Thursday evening. I'll keep you posted!! Happy Holidays..!! Don

1-09-05 John with a winter hen he took on the fly rod

12-21-04 Tuesday Fished the Grand river with Al and Greg today. Started out a bit slushy but we managed to fish. Conditions were less than ideal with a 840CFM flow and 8 inch visibility but at least it was open. Water temp was 32* and the fish were lethargic. Al did OK on the fly rod and landed four on big pink blood dots. One was a nice nine lb male that gave us the slip before we could get a picture. Greg and I lost a few too many on the spinning rod and only managed to land one. All of the fish were dark and we didn't see any fresh ones caught.

1-08-05 Jeff with a nice buck

12-20-01 Monday It's noon and still single digits. This is bad news for the creeks. Most are shushed up real bad. There is a slight warm-up forecasted for Wednesday. I think a few places might fish but its really anybodies guess? This might be the last chance to get out for awhile.

12-19-04 A hard earned 9 lb. winter trophy!

12-19-01 Sunday Jeff started off in Ohio yesterday and struggled with slush. Everywhere he found open water it was too high to fish. So he headed over to Pa and found some open water. They managed a very productive day despite the wintery conditions.

12-19-04 Marty with a snow covered steely..!!

12-18-04 Saturday Got the day off and am trying to catch up on my e-mail and get the web site updated. Jeff is on the stream guiding today and I'll get up a report when he gets in tonight.

12-17-04 Eric with a nice winter Ohio Steely Buck..!!

We have several seminars on "Steelhead Alley Tips and Tactics" coming up the next couple of months. I hope you can attend one of them. The first one is a presentation on steelhead fishing in conjunction with "Friends of Conneaut Creek club". I am a club member and this club is very actively involved with preserving the beauty of the Creek for future generations. The seminar is on Jan. 11, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Moose Lodge in Conneaut Harbor.  280 Park Ave. Conneaut, Ohio. Admission is free. We also have presentation this month at Gander Mt. in Toledo Ohio and another planned for the Sharon pa area. I'll post the dates and times as soon as I get them finalized..!! C YA!! Don

12-17-04 A hard earned winter Chromer..!!

12-19-04 Friday Winter has settled in on "Steelhead Alley". Most anglers can now be found in their lazy boys with a remote control in their hand. We have continued to fish despite the adverse conditions. This is when we separate the men from the boy's on the steelhead stream..!! We spent today fishing the same Ohio Trib we started on yesterday. Things started out slow, as they usually do when winter Steelheading. Jeff and I had a die hard group of five anglers from Columbus Oh out. Tom made the mistake of stepping on a section of ice that gave way. It's 27* at 8:15 Am, he is soaked from head to toe, standing in a foot of snow, on the bank, shirtless, and ringing out his wet clothing. That's Hardcore..!!!  I mentioned heading back to the trucks for a dry change of clothes. He wouldn't hear it. No sally's today..!!  LOL!!

12-17-04 Tom braved the cold for fish like this one..!!

They were rewarded for their efforts with Steelhead in solitude. My two guys were doubled up at times and Jeff guys had three on at once. One fish was a 31" male and a fat 11 1/2 pound Manistee was also brought to the net. Everybody caught plenty of fish and no one complained about the weather. A good time was had by all..!! Only had one digital so I'll try to get up the rest of the photos when developed.  Good Fishin..!!  Don

12-16-04 The rewards of winter Steelheading..!!

12-16-04 Thursday  Hit the stream today with a group of Canton Ohio area anglers. I suggested a late start to them because of the cold temps. We were going to fish a Ohio Trib. I was very disappointed when I got to the stream and it was slush covered with a water temp of 32*. Boy did I call that one wrong. The guys gave it 110% but the slush just made it all but impossible to fish. Every five minutes the ice had to be chipped from the rods, flies and line. We bounced around to a couple of different spots but it was futile. We had lunch and I called a friend in Pa. He tells me that Elk Creek has just melted off and was slush free. So we packed up and headed East. Water temp at Elk was 33.8*. We found a good pocket of fish and it saved the day. We even managed to get a couple of doubles and a couple of fairly fresh fish. Crowds were surprisingly thin. Good Luck..!! Don

Winter Holdover steelhead medicine it's more deadly than Viox or Celebrex!

Winter steelhead require small well tied flies. These holdover fish feed on what aquatic life is available to them. They don't expend much energy chasing the few baitfish available instead they lay up in the gut of a run and hibernate awaiting the warm spring waters and the spawn ahead. Nymphs are like candy and when one is bounced in front of their nose they often can't resist. In our streams this is going to be mostly miniature black stone nymphs size #20 or the slightly larger Golden Stone's. In some of the streams there is also a abundance of #18 green and cream colored caddis worms. Of course we can't use a #20 and expect to land a 14 lb Manistee but we do have to downsize our offerings to a sparsely tied #14. Think small for winter steelhead...!!! Good fishin..!!  Don

12-16-04 winter doubles on Elk creek Pa.

I felt compelled to comment on something that was brought to my attention from a friend. On a Local Ohio Club website another Ohio steelhead guide has put the following text in his advertisement. This ad is directly above my listing and the last line of his ad reads. Never be fooled, fish with the BEST!   I would hope that most of you are smart enough to see who's fooling who here..!! I would suggest before you book a guided trip you ask the prospective guide how many trips he has done this year? How many fish have his clients caught this year? How many days has he spent on the stream this year? What States and streams does he fish? Where did he fish yesterday? Does he have insurance and the proper licenses? Does he have private access? What is included in the trip price? Does he guarantee that you will catch fish?

12-16-04 Jerry with a winter fly caught Pennsylvania steelhead

Unfortunately there are many out there who look at the client as easy money. Do not be surprised to find Guides who take their clients to snag infested water then charge some high fee for each fly you loose. Our philosophy is simple. We treat each guest as we would expect to be treated on a guided trip. There are no hidden costs on our trips. "You catch fish or you fish free" Everything except your license is included in the price. I will provide a exhaustive list of past guest references to anyone interested. Again I ask..?? Who's fooling who here..!! Pictures don't lie..!! GOOD FISHIN..!!  Don

12-02-04 Dick with a trophy Ohio Steelhead

12-13-04 Our first real winter blast is upon us here on Steelhead Alley. The streams are still fairly warm so I don't see them icing out real quick. We have received  six inches plus of snow today with more on the way tonight. The temperature is going to stay below freezing tomorrow. Conditions will be tough the next couple of days with slush being a problem. The forecast calls for the temperature to warm a bit Thursday and Friday. GOOD FISHIN...!!!  Don.

12-09-04 Mike shows off a nice Ohio Chromer

12-11-04 We got out this morning and hit some of the Mile tribs in Pa. We caught a few in the high muddy water but there appeared to be no big fresh run of fish. The opposite is true in Ohio but nothing was fishable in the buckeye today. We got out last Thursday before the rain hit and found a big run of fresh Chromers. The Manistee strain fish are surely charging upstream in the high water. So when it becomes fishable there should be plenty of fish for those brave enough to face the cold conditions. Good Luck!  Don

12-11-04 Jeff with a Lake front steely

We are starting to fill up fast on our spring dates. Please check our online calendar for our available dates. In addition to our wade trips. We will be offering drift boat float trips on the Grand River all winter and spring weather permitting. Our new 17' Hyde Pro Guide Aluminum boat is the Cadillac of drift boats. We have forged a agreement with the Ashtabula County Metro parks granting us access to the boat ramp. This means we can float the entire length of the Grand River now. The Grand is designated a Wild and Scenic River and offers a nice break from the crowds "Steelhead Alley" is famous for. The fish are big mean Manistee strain and the fights in the big water are unmatched.

12-05-04 Don on a Conneaut Creek float trip

We are now accepting reservations for our Spring Steelhead School. The spring session will focus on the West side of "Steelhead Alley". We will cover the streams from Erie Pa to Cleveland Ohio.

Joel with a nice Elk Creek Buck

I know the web site reports page wasn't updated often this past fall. I'm sorry for this but my continued focus is on fishing and providing the best possible trip possible to my guests. Our business has had a very successful fall season and we have logged just short of 70 trips thus far since Oct 1st. This past fall that involved fishin Cattaraugus Creek in Western New York much of the time, due to the low water we were plagued with on "steelhead Alley".  The 2 hr each way drive didn't leave much time to keep the web site updated. Now that the Manistee has showed up in our Ohio streams and my drive time is shorter. I should have more time to keep this page current. C YA on the stream..!!  Don

Bill with a fresh Pa steely..!!

12-08-04 Joe with a Ohio fly Rod steelhead

12-09-04 Bill with his first Steelhead..!! Now he's hooked..!!

12-11-04 Greg Senyo with a fat mile Trib hen..!!

Sheldon with a couple for the smoker..!!

Save Time and buy your fishing license online.  Please check with your guide on what state you will be fishing.

\OHIO LICENSE

\PA ONLINE LICENSE

\NY FISH LICENSE

Welcome to our Steelhead Fishing Reports page.  Here you will find, Ohio fishing reports and Pennsylvania fishing reports, compliments of Ohio Steelhead fishing guide, Don Mathews and the team of guides at Dfishinfool's Guide Service.

Webmaster - Guide Don Mathews

330-565-5457

All guides listed below are self employed.  but We have joined forces.  We believe that by networking together on the stream our group of local guides can give the best steelheading experience possible.  We guarantee it.. Feel free to call any of them at anytime to check on availability or to just talk fishin.  They are your true local steelhead pro's

Guide  Jeff Novak

330-984-7406

Guide  Dick Keagy

330-646-8150

Guide Travis McAllister

330-399-2746

Guide Mark DeFrank

724-317-8582

TTo book a trip please call Don Mathews at 330-565-5457 .  He handles the website and our central booking calendar.  You may also call your guide of choice at anytime with questions or to check on availability.

"Steelhead Alley"

Steelhead Facts

All of our streams in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York hold fish during the winter months December- March 

MOST YEARS ALL OF OUR STREAMS FREEZE OVER IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

New York Steelhead fishing is best in October thru December but most years the Cattaraugus Creek s the first stream to get a run of fish

Pennsylvania Steelhead fishing peaks in November and December but gets runs as early as September.  They are the most heavily stocked streams on "Steelhead Alley" and hold the most fish per square mile.

Ohio Steelhead fishing starts in October and lasts until early May.  Ohio streams are usually fish the best in the spring.