Cleveland steelhead still scarce in low, leafy rivers, but Edgewater shore walleye pick up

Cleveland Metroparks' weekly fishing report for Oct. 22 says the Rocky River got a moderate bump in flow last weekend but is back to low, clear water. Falling leaves piling up in the slower holes make it harder to fish. A handful of anglers caught steelhead this week. The Rocky River marina area has been the most consistent spot, and the lower Chagrin River and Euclid Creek also gave up a few fish.

Steelhead fishing along the Edgewater, East 55th and Wildwood breakwalls is slower than usual for this time of year. Aquatic biologist Mike Durkalec writes that some local anglers think steelhead numbers are below average again after two slow years. He says it is too early to judge because streams have been low, but he is concerned about the few reports of steelhead along the Lake Erie shoreline and of incidental steelhead caught by walleye boats.

One bright spot is walleye from shore at Edgewater Park. More fish were caught there this week, mostly after dark on minnow-profile lures like Perfect 10 and Bandit crankbaits. The rainbow trout and channel catfish stocked earlier this month at the Ohio & Erie Canal off East 49th Street are still biting. The report also reminds anglers that a two-line limit has been in effect since July 18 at listed Metroparks lakes and ponds.

Photo: Steelhead caught near the Rocky River marina. Credit: Daniel Breuler, via Cleveland Metroparks.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Cleveland Metroparks — fishing report, October 22, 2026 (posted Oct. 22, 2026).