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

Dfishinfool's fly shop click here

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

March 27, 28, and 29th  2009

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.

3-23-05  Gary with that steelhead smile and a nice fish..!!

3-23-04 Wednesday We fished Ohio skinny water today. We fly fished. Flow was strong but water color wasn't real bad. Rod and line icing was a problem. We had a tough day. If it wasn't raining it was snowing and spitting painful ice chunks that stung your face. Far from ideal conditions but we hit it hard never the less. We managed to land a couple of nice fish for our efforts.  We ended up finding a small run of fresh fish pushing upstream just before dark. Hopefully their buddies are behind them. Water temp was 36*.  

3-21-05 Adam shows off a nice Elk Creek Pennsylvania fish

3-23-05 Jeff was on the stream today also. They fished Ohio skinny water too. They used bait. He reports that they landed a few before the noon downpour chased them off the river. Said all were holdover fish and they didn't hit any Chromers.

3-23-05  Bob reflects on the moment

3-22-05 Tuesday We fished Elk Creek in Pennsylvania today. We brought both the spin and the fly gear. We started on a Ohio Trib but it was just too high. Crowds were very heavy today in Pennsylvania. We caught fish everywhere we went but the fish numbers have declined drastically this past week. Crowds have been heavy and lots of fish have left on stringers. Many of the hens are spawned out and are dropping back.  Fish are on gravel. Pastel egg patterns #14 were the ticket today.

3-20-05 Jim with a fat hen on the fly

3-21-05 Monday Jeff fished Elk Creek today. He reports that the water was still a little high but they caught fish. They fly fished and had their best success in the pocket water. He reports crowds were moderate even with the high water. They fly fished and he said they switched flies often but egg patterns seemed to produce best. He looked at the Ohio streams and said they were still too high.

I am happy to announce that three of our guides have met all of the requirements of the Lorain County Metro-Parks and have been issued a use permit to guide on their property. Myself, Jeff Novak, and Greg Senyo can now offer wade trips on some of the most productive sections of the Vermillion and Black Rivers in Ohio.  This will surely become a top Steelhead destination in the coming years. This year Ohio stocked Manistee strain fish are returning in excellent numbers.  The Vermillion river's beautiful setting along with its fine gravel and beautiful pocket water is sure to become a favorite of many on "Steelhead Alley"

Our Steelhead School for this Spring is now full. We will be having another one next Fall and Spring. Dates coming soon. We still have a few spring guide dates open click here to view our online calendar

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I will be trying to put The leading fish results from the Elk Creek Sports-Uncle Johns Campground Shriners beneficial Tournament on this report page whenever I can. I will also post the updates on my web site at http://www.steelheadschool.com/report.html I will try my best to get accurate info BUT I am in no way responsible for the accuracy of this info..!! I hope this will help tournament participants make the decision weather or not to creel a fish. I would hope all tournament participants carry a portable scale. Those with Cell phones can call Elk Creek Sports at 814-774-8755 for the current daily leader. A reminder to all tournament participants please stay off posted areas of the streams, obey all laws and be safe out there.

Good Luck

 For more info on the Tournament Click Here.

Week one winner 10 lbs 12 oz.

week two winner  12 lbs 4 oz

3/19 leader:      12 lbs 4 oz   (3/19 daily winner 9 lbs 13 oz)

3/21 leader:      12 lbs 4 oz   (3/21 daily winner 9 lbs 15 oz)

3/22 leader:      12 lbs 4 oz   (3/22 daily winner 10 lbs 4 oz)

3/24 leader:      12 lbs 4 oz   (3/24 daily winner 11 lbs 3 oz)

3/25 leader:      12 lbs 4 oz   (3/25 daily winner 10 lbs 8 oz)

 ____________________

3-19-05  Dad (Dan) helps out Chelsey with a feisty hen

3-20-05 Sunday Overnight rains combined with snowmelt have most of the streams running high and muddy. Jeff fished the mile tribs in Pa today. He said water conditions were fair and angling pressure was light but that there are not many fish around. They did catch a few on the fly rod but overall it was a slow day. He reports no fresh fish in trout run.

3-19-05  Another fisherman on the stream. This Bald Eagle kept a close eye on us as we passed by its nest.

3-19-05 Saturday  I had a float trip scheduled for this morning but they had to cancel on me. So I hooked up with a bunch of friends and we floated Conneaut Creek. I didn't have high expectations when I saw the creek in the morning. Flow was strong and the high water had came up even more overnight. Being mostly snow melt the water color was nice. 

Jeff was out on a father daughter trip today. They fished Conneaut Creek today and did a lot of moving around.  They did fair and she landed a few fish.  He reports a tough day with heavy crowds at the popular access points. They used the spinning rods and bait today.

My group used Center-Pins with bait, spin-rods with hardware, and fly- rods. So we had all the options covered.  It was a VERY slow day for us and I got skunked. The group did land a couple and we got a few Ohio bonefish (suckers).  In our defense we did spend more time sitting around on the banks B.S'ing than we did fishing.  At least the slightly elevated water levels made for a exciting ride.  Hopefully this high WARM (37*) water will bring a good run of fish up.  I'll keep you posted.

3-18-05 John with a nice steely on his first day of fly-fishing..!!

3-18-05   Friday   I fished Elk Creek this morning.  Today it was very crowded and the cold temps returned. It spit snow on and off all morning.  We had to hike to get away from the crowds.  It paid off and we found some un-pressured fish.  Hit a couple on the spin rod with bait but did better with the fly rod today. Most of the fish were in the deeper holes today.  

After lunch we headed over to Ohio to have a try at the Manistee's.  Started up high on Conneaut and didn't hit any. Water had come up about 8" from the day before.  So we headed down to the lower river. Runoff hadn't reached here yet and conditions were good.  Only had a short time to fish but we had a nice one on that took us into the trees.  We saw a real nice Chromer caught by another angler.  Lots of fish rolling in the pools.  Jeff was also out guiding Conneaut today with the fly-rods and they found a few fish low but it was a slow day.  Might be a little high on Conneaut Saturday morning and but I think it will still fish.

3-19-05 Guide Jason Gregory shows off a nice Conneaut Steely taken on the fly.

3-17-05 Thursday Hit Elk Creek Pa. today. Started low hoping for some fresh ones. We got a few but the wind was bad so we moved upstream. Stocking trucks were dumping in smelts today. PLEASE be careful with these little guys. If you start catching them LEAVE..!!  We managed to get in above the trucks and did good.  No fresh fish up high either but good numbers of holdovers.

3-17-05  Mike and Pam with a nice Pa fish on the fly.!!

We used both the fly and spin outfits today. We probably did a little better on bait than flies today. We landed one fish that had at least a half dozen green cadis crawling around in its mouth. A decent stonefly hatch was coming off too. More and more bugs is a good thing.

3-17-05  Pam on her first day Steelheading..!!

We caught fish today on a variety of #14 nymphs and Senyo's Chartreuse Green Kat-A-Killers.  Fish in the Pa streams are holdovers and have SEEN IT ALL. They are not push-over's. Light tippets and stealth presentations are a must.  Water temp was 35* today and the stream was a milky green color with very low flow.  It should be a great weekend but don't expect a lot of fresh fish until we get a good warm soaker. Good Fishin..!!  Don

3-17-05  Mike with a nice buck..!!

3-16-05   Wednesday   We started early this morning on a western Ohio Trib.  I figured we would have to wait for the slush to burn off.  I was surprised that the river was slush free.  The Ohio streams arte wide open with no side ice.  We got enough snow melt to turn them a nice green color.  Flows are a little low but the color is perfect.  Water temp was a balmy 34* today.  Crowds were very slim. The feeders were starting to run dirty as we quit but not much snow left in Western Ohio.  If it freezes up tonight as forecasted it will be another nice day tomorrow.  We didn't make double digits today but all of the fish were all 27-30 inch Manistee's that were full of fight. We did best swinging Senyo's Kat-A-Killers and white woolly buggers through the heads of the holes on 7 foot 7 IPS tungsten heads. Others on the stream were having good luck on blue tadpoles on the spinning rods.  Picked up a lot of litter today.  Please carry out what you carry in and be respectful of your neighbor and the landowners. Good Luck..!!  Don

3-17-05  Steelhead heaven ????

3-15-05 Tuesday I didn't fish today.  Greg called with a report and said the Pa streams were very slushy this morning.  He reports the Ohio tribs were a beautiful color this afternoon and slush free.  The water level is low in all streams now.

3-16-05  Vermillion River buck..!!

3-14-05   Monday   Fished with Greg today on the Pa tribs.  We started on Skinny water.  My first cast I landed a 11 lb 5 oz hen. Just a little short of the Tournament leader.  I was too lazy to carry it out for the daily prize, so she's still swimming. With a ear to ear smile on my face I made my second cast. Bingo a 9 lb 13 oz fish. The luck didn't continue unfortunately but we did catch enough to keep it interesting. With a low of 7* last night slush was real bad until about 10:00.  A nice sunny day burned it off and opened up more water even though it didn't go above freezing today. Elk and Walnut are very low and clear and there is side ice but there are many fishable sections.  Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of fish in the stream. We didn't get any fresh ones. The Ohio streams are in decent shape and there are small spurts of fresh fish in the streams. Conneaut is even getting a little clear and the Grand is at 720 CFM. Look for the slushy morning trend to continue through the weekend. LOTS of black stones hatching the last few days. Good Luck..!! Don

3-14-05 First Cast of the day..!!  11 lbs 5 oz Released

3-13-05 Sunday Jeff, Greg and Jason were out on the Eastern Ohio tribs today. Said it was a  little slushy till bout 10:00. Nice water after that.  More anglers out than the last few days. The bait guys did good the fly guys had a tough time but got a few. The big fish trend continues one 10 1/2 and one 9 1/2 today. A few spots on Elk opened up. Will be slush again in the morning. I'm going to look around Pa in the morning early. Then hit Ohio in the afternoon. I'll post a report tomorrow.

Good Luck..!!  Don

3-12-05  11 Yr old Bethany and Jeff with her first steelhead 9lbs 6 oz!  Good job Bethany!!

3-12-05 Saturday Most people stayed indoors today. Temp only made it to 33*.Even most veteran Steelheaders didn't venture out. Jeff reports the slush burned off about 11:30. Shortly after 11 Yr old Bethany got her first steely.  He said it was a tough day and the bite was a little slow but they still managed to put a half dozen in the net with a few more long line released.  Jeff said Bethany was a good student and needed very little help casting and landing the fish.  He said one that got off was much much bigger. Isn't it amazing how the big ones always get away.  Guess that's why they are big ones!

3-12-05  Dad (Dan) with a Ohio winter steelhead.

They used the spinning rods and bait. Jeff said the water has come down to a nice fishable level on Conneaut. He said water temp was still 33* and there seem to be small pushes of fresh fish entering the river. Said crowds were light. He saw Elk and reports it is locked up bad with only moving water open. Its gonna be real slushy in the morning. Might as well sleep in. Looks like a warm-up later this week.  Get ready here they come! Good Fishin..!!  Don

3-11-05  Had to put the chase on this 1o lb 4 oz Ohio fish.

3-11-05 Friday Almost didn't go out today. Jeff and me both cancelled our trips today.Figured it would be too slushy. Had guys who were traveling too far. Dam winter weather will not let go. It was slushy until about 10:00 then it burned off. River was Perfect after that. Perfect green color and nice flow. No side ice and a good number of fish. we did very good and landed three over 10 lbs. Easy double digits.  

3-11-05  Lots of Fat Manistee's today. Like this 10 lb 11 oz hen. Saw no other anglers. Perfect Conditions after the slush burned off about 10:00.

Black stone flies were hatching. Lots more were getting ready. They are now migrating from the deep stream gravel to the rocks near the edges of the stream. They will wait along the edge of the stream for the first sunny day to crawl out of their shuck and spread their wings to dry. The winter holdover fish are gorging on them now.  The stones seem to be running very big this winter. I have saw some as big as #12. With most about #16. I cleaned a hen from last Sunday that had no less than twenty stones in her belly.  She got wrapped in the line and was bleeding from the gills so we kept her for the smoker.

3-11-05  #12 Black Stonefly in Ohio

We had our best luck today on flies. Greg's Kat-A- Killer in #8 Green Chartreuse was hot. We had to go to light tippets. Water clarity was 2'+ and water temp was 33*. We also hit a few on a egg nymph tandem rig.

3-11-05  Jeff with a 28" Ohio buck..!!

3-10-05 Thursday Jeff made it out today to scout around. I slept all day !! LOL!! We both cancelled our trips due to poor weather. Hard to take someone on a fishing trip when the stream is slush covered most of the day. This weather pattern has been with us a while now. It has been fun for me. Fishing almost every afternoon, But it isn't paying the bills.  I am hoping for a warm-up soon.  Jeff actually reports doing very good today. The fish are there and we know where. Its just a matter of getting to them.  Slush was bad all morning and it burned off at 11:30. Jeff saw one other angler today.  He landed a big hen that went 11 lbs 5 oz on the digital scale but had no one to snap a pic! Likely story! Grinning! He thinks it will fish good tomorrow but expects slush early. Good Luck..!!  Don

3-05-05  8 Yr old Nathan shows off his first steelhead. A Ohio buck just shy of 10lbs. He carefully released it to fight another day..!! GOOD JOB NATHAN..!!

3-09-05 Wednesday Cancelled out for today and tomorrow. Streams are very slushy.  the Pa streams have considerable side ice already.  Snow in the forecast means even more slush.  The short term isn't looking good. Maybe the weekend.  C 'YA!!  Don

3-06-05 This Centerpinner was tying up the hole in true fish hog fashion. This is the fish I was supposed to catch!  Grinning!  10 lbs even

3-08-05 Tuesday It's 9:30 am and 12* outside..!! The creeks are all blown out from yesterdays rain. It was 49* yesterday at 9:30. What a change.Some streams may fish tomorrow but it looks like slush is going to be a big problem. Probably not worth the trip tomorrow either. They are calling for a slight warm up Thursday afternoon and this may be the first real fishing opportunity. Old man winter just will not let go. I'll keep you posted.  Don

3-06-05 Fishin fanatics score a Ohio hog.

3-05-05 Saturday I had the day off but Jeff called me tonight with a report. They fished the Eastern Ohio tribs today with spinning gear and bait and they did good. He said that it was real slushy early.  Reported that it burned off about 11:00.  He had a eight yr old boy and his father out on his first steelhead adventure.  First fish of the day was just shy of 10lbs !!  I'll get the pics up as soon as I get them. Jeff reports side ice is thick on the Ohio tribs but the streams are still fishable. None of the other guys called in tonight but I would think everything will fish tomorrow (Sun) Most of the streams are running low and clear. With a low of 26* there will probably be slush early but a if it gets into the predicted 40's. It should be a great day. Good Fishin..!!  Don

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

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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.