Destinations
Most fishing sites are about the fish. This one's about the place — the towns, fly shops, diners, lighthouses, and side trips that make Steelhead Alley worth showing up for, even when the river's blown.
Westfield, New York: Chautauqua Creek and the Lake Erie Wine Trail
The quiet anchor of the New York side of Steelhead Alley. Chautauqua Creek runs through the village, the Lake Erie wine country starts here, the crowd is half w...
Cleveland, Ohio: Rocky River, Chagrin, and a Real City Wrapped Around Both
A real city pretending to be a fishing town two days a week. The Rocky River runs the western suburbs, the Chagrin runs the east, Lake Erie tucks under both. Th...
Rochester, New York: Genesee River Steelhead in a Real City
Lake Ontario's most accessible city for an angler. The Genesee cuts through downtown, dropping over a 96-foot waterfall before reaching the lake. Pulaski intens...
Erie, Pennsylvania: Steelhead Alley's Biggest Hub
Three world-class tributaries — Walnut, Elk, and Twenty Mile — meet within 25 miles of downtown Erie. The most fly shops, easiest lodging, and best when-the-riv...
Pulaski, New York: Salmon River Country
The Lake Ontario flagship. Different scale, different fish, different culture. Fall king-salmon migration that anglers fly in for, with steelhead through winter...
Ashtabula, Ohio: Harbor, River, and the Bridge Trail
The Ohio side of the Pennsylvania border — a working harbor town with 14 miles of fishable river, the most covered bridges of any county in the United States, a...
Conneaut, Ohio: A Steelhead Alley Town Worth a Weekend
The easternmost steelhead trib in Ohio, the quietest harbor on the Alley, and a creek that fishes well through plenty of conditions. A weekend in Conneaut for a...