Matthew Acre, a USGS research fisheries biologist, will be the featured speaker at our November 19 meeting.
The Cuyahoga River was first officially stocked with steelhead trout on April 25, 2024, at Foundry Park in Cleveland. Over two hundred of the stocked steelhead were surgically implanted with radio transmitters so each fish could be followed for several years.
Matt will make a presentation detailing the movement of these steelhead trout. Where do stocked steelhead go after release? How long do they survive? What habitats do they use? Using acoustic telemetry, Matt examined their movement, dispersal and survival in Cleveland Harbor, Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. Matt’s presentation will highlight what his team learned about steelhead behavior following stocking and will discuss how these findings can help inform future stocking strategies and fish management.
This will be a great meeting with lots of new information on Ohio steelhead migration that you will not want to miss.
Location: Emerald Necklace Marina Cafe 1500 Scenic Park Dr Lakewood, OH 44107
Time: Doors open at 6:00 pm; Meeting starts at 7:30 pm
We will be holding our Annual Christmas party this year on Thursday December 10, 2026 at the Winking Lizard Party Center at 25200 Miles Road Bedford Hts., OH
We will celebrate with a delicious catered buffet dinner featuring a menu of:
Prime Rib
Chicken Piccata
Garden Salad
Roasted Red Skin Potatoes
Green Beans
Dinner rolls
Soft drinks and coffee included
There will be a cash bar featuring a good selection of craft beer, wine and mixed drinks
6:00 pm – Cocktail Hour
7:00 pm – Dinner
9:00 pm – Raffles
50/50 Raffle
Fishermen’s Raffle
Card Raffle
Card Raffle Prizes (2 of 5 will be raffled, winner’s Choice)
Gary Pugh Custom Fly Rod
G Loomis Center Pin Rod
Lamiglas Spinning Rod
Orvis Fly Reel
Imperial Center Pin Reel
We are charging OCBS members and guests only $30 for the dinner. This is a great value. Our cost of the dinner is about $48 per person which includes tax and gratuity.
We require everyone to pay in advance. No payments will be accepted at the door.
Reservations must be made by November 30, 2026.
You can pay with cash, credit card or check at our October or November meetings.
You can also pay with a credit card using the below QR code any time.
If paying online, it is a 2-step process:
Matt Hainzey with a beautiful 32 inch alpha male steelhead caught in the March 13, 2022 OCBS Tournament. Well done Matt!
This season’s OCBS Steelhead Tournament is dedicated to the memory of David K. Esner, a long-time Ohio Steelheader who passed away on May 6, 2018.
FISHING DATES:
November 8, 2026
November 22, 2026
December 13, 2026
February 28, 2027
March 14, 2027
Our annual OCBS Steelhead Fishing tournament, sponsored by Erie Outfitters, is for OCBS members only. If not a member, you are welcome to join OCBS in order to register for the tournament.
Members can register for this year’s tournament as follows:
All participants are required to fish with another OCBS member who is in the tournament and is responsible for verifying the length of each fish checked in.
Check in has been modified to permit members to call or text their catch to the Tournament Director.
Entry fee is $20.00 per participant.
Be certain to read the tournament rules.
The 11th annual Barbie Rod Tournament was held on Saturday March 28. The Rocky River was blown out on tournament day due to heavy spring rains, so the allowable fishing area was expanded to include Cleveland Metroparks lakes stocked with trout as well as the Cleveland Metroparks lakefront. A total of 184 anglers participated netting a whopping $15,050 to benefit local public fishing. This brings the cumulative event fundraising total since 2015 up to $93,900.
2026 Barbie Rod Tournament Winners
1st Place Trout – Connor Floyd 17.25″
2nd Place Trout- Josh Hall 14.75″
3rd Place Trout – Drew Rogers 14.25″
Biggest Sucker – Darren McNeil 19.0″
OCBS ran the fishing equipment and 50/50 raffles at the Barbie Rod Steelhead Derby on raising $5,035 for the Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund.
Special thanks to the following OCBS members who volunteered their Saturday to run the raffle: Joe Sokol, Bob Hajek, Scott Grossnickle, John Beedlow, Jr, Joe Moravec, John Beedlow III, Jim Berryman, John Brochue, Tom Blotzer and Ben Mott.
Ben Mott, OCBS Grant Director, also presented a $3,725 check to the Cleveland Metroparks as financial support for the two spring Kids Fishing Derbies which will be held at Wallace Lake on Saturday May 16 and at the Ohio and Lake Erie Canal on Sunday May 17. These funds are a combination of ODNR Division of Wildlife Grants and OCBS club funds.
