Enjoying a spring (fish) run

As St. begins Patrick and Mother Nature’s green launch, runners of all types will take to the sidewalks, hit organized races, park trails and the rivers and creeks to help usher in the rebirth of spring.

Rivers, you say? Can’t it be called swimming and not running? Yes, I did — and it ended up being the same! The most important spring run is centuries old and occurs in many of Ohio’s streams and rivers. These are the spawning runs of several different species of fish as they leave their winter waters and proceed to historically important spawning grounds.

In the mid-1800s, there was a real fear that Ohio would lose all of its native wild fish in its streams and rivers. There is no EPA or Clean Water Act to protect these waterways; it is left to common sense and the ever-developing ecological sciences.

Throw in some big money savings and a lack of laws, many industries — including domestic sewage — have found that the most efficient way to dispose of their wastewater is in canals, streams and rivers. Add to that hundreds of small dams built to run grist and sawmills, and other businesses that benefited from harnessing water power and fish were left stranded without the ability to move to cleaner waters or important spawning grounds. .

Warnings from 19th century scientists and budding ecologists warned that before long, stream and river fish could be removed from every family’s menu because they would become extinct. That set the Ohio General Assembly in motion. In 1873, they created the Ohio Fish Commission which would later become the Division of Wildlife we ​​know today.

Fortunately, that meager beginning, along with the social awakening of conservation concepts and an emerging understanding of industrial, agricultural and personal impact on the environment, has reversed most of the earlier issue.

Fish in the Ohio river. So, what fish are best known for running Ohio’s rivers? Probably the most popular is the spring migration of walleyes, especially in the Maumee and Sandusky rivers in northwest Ohio. The epic angling opportunities those runs provide attract anglers like honeybees to daffodils.

Beginning in mid-March and lasting until the first week of April, anglers drive from every neighboring state to spend time wading rivers or bouncing over the reefs of Lake Erie in hopes of catching the Ohio state fish. Most go home with a heavy cooler, though less cautious individuals may end up in the courthouse for not following the special regulations enforced on these runs. Some may say “live and learn,” but experience tells me that there are always some rascals who need repeated lessons.

Besides the famous walleye, what other fish in Ohio travel to spawning grounds in the spring? Let’s review just a few that might give you a little extra ambition to buy your fishing license:

Steelhead. These lake running rainbows have grown into some tough fighters that are especially fun on fly and spin tackle. They are found in late winter and early spring in Ohio’s Steelhead Alley: Rocky River, Grand River, Chagrin River, Vermilion River and Conneaut Creek. Studies show that nearly 80% of all Ohio steelhead are caught in these streams. They can be finnicky, cautious and shy, but when one connects, it’s a story that will last for years — whether you get to it or not.

White bass. These fish can be expected to begin their Maumee and Sandusky spawning runs in early April, the tail end of the walleye run. Easy to catch, most experienced anglers immediately put keepers on the ice. My time fishing Sandusky with a Mepps spinner really put my ultra-light rod to the test. They will also run in some smaller rivers, and the reservoir white bass will move within easy casting distance. My old favorite combination was a Browning Silaflex rod and Quick reel, and I still have it.

Sucks. Say what you want, but these fish are just plain fun. They will move out of lakes and rivers to head into smaller streams during the spring spawn. They are quite catchable, and in my youth, I spent a lot of time along Columbiana County’s Beaver Creek with a Daiwa 7-weight fly rod (my first) and weighted redworm imitations. Sometimes, the odd horn, spring-running hornyhead “bull” chubs and creek chubs will take the bait. I didn’t care, I took them all out. Every once in a while, the bonus of an angry little mouth bursting into angry, airborne shenanigans to try and shake free will bring a real smile. Now, even the memory is enough!

Largemouth Bass. Although not considered a “migratory” fish, they move into shallow water during spring spawning. Once their nest is built, they are quite hostile towards bluegills and other egg scavengers who try to rob their nest. This makes them susceptible to hooking, but it is best to return them to the water. Unprotected bass eggs rarely get a chance to produce. Ditto for smallmouth bass.

Crappies. Fish tend to move into shallow water during the early spring spawning season. They love to scare small minnows and a voracious appetite can lead to an ice chest of fillets. On one memorable night, my father, brother and I caught over 100 keeper-sized fish. We use a small white fly with a silver propeller on its nose behind a clear casting bobber cast with our spinning gear. We only managed 25, but just because we got what we needed didn’t mean we had to stop having fun.

Carp. Stocked in the late 1800s as a food source, these bruisers were referred to as “rough fish.” I do not agree with that term unless it refers to the muscle-head when it is bent, and then it is both rough and stiff. When you see them sifting through the bottom of the mud, grunting around rocks and plants gives you a clue that they don’t eat mud like your grandkids told you. Like suckers, they use their vacuum snozzle to search for insects and worms in the water. Using doughball concoctions and bug imitations will introduce you to one of the most resilient fish you will encounter in Ohio streams. Bowfishing is also popular.

The truth is that most fish in Ohio change their “habits” to suit the spring spawns. Some migrate to shallow water and some from rivers and lakes to travel in streams. While many anglers buy their fishing license to take advantage of putting some fillets in the freezer, there are those who simply enjoy catching fish and then releasing them for another day. There is definite merit in both, and I probably count myself mostly in the latter.

The important thing is to make each trip its own adventure. Pay attention to the birds, what’s swimming, the way the stream murmurs over rocks and trees. You might come home with more to remember than fish stories — and realize that the water is whispering to you, too.

“Adopt the speed of nature. His secret is patience.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson