Freestone · Shale · Ohio

Vermilion River

Vermilion River venue image

The Vermilion is one of the leading Ohio Steelhead Alley rivers on the western side.

Marginal · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River steady at a fishable height. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
55% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.65 mLast reading 9h ago
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Egg pattern
Egg pattern12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.65 m
Last reading 9h ago
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindSW 9 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Steelhead Oct–Apr, best on the drop after rain or thaw
Where
The Vermilion is one of the leading Ohio Steelhead Alley rivers on the western side.
Why this works
Poor — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2
Eastern March BrownHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
Local fly shops: Chagrin River Outfitters·East End Angler·Elk Creek Sports Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Ohio licence; verify ODNR reach rules
  • Introduced, stocked sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 4
Ashtabula River
139 km
73
Steelhead
Rocky River
40 km
Steelhead
Chagrin River
84 km
Steelhead
Grand River
100 km
Steelhead
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Vermilion is one of the leading Ohio Steelhead Alley rivers on the western side. It is one of Ohio's primary stocked steelhead streams: shale-bottomed, quick to colour, quick to fall, and close enough to Cleveland/Toledo anglers to matter. It ranks alongside Rocky, Chagrin, Grand, Ashtabula and Conneaut among Ohio's first-class steelhead tributaries.

  • Shale
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs) — fish for sport, not the table.

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Town of Vermilion-Vermilion River' (OH041000120204), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment, Nutrients, Oxygen Depletion, Hydrologic Alteration, Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OH041000120204

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature1328% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6712% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts