Steelhead Alley
The colloquial name for the south-shore tributaries of Lake Erie that hold a stocked or self-sustaining steelhead trout fishery — primarily 22 rivers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The "Alley" runs from Vermilion, Ohio in the west to Buffalo, New York in the east. It became a major fishery starting in the 1980s and 1990s as Ohio and Pennsylvania ramped up steelhead stocking programs. Densest river concentrations are in northeastern Ohio (Conneaut, Ashtabula, Grand) and northwestern Pennsylvania (Walnut, Elk, Twenty Mile). The Alley is distinct from the Lake Ontario steelhead fishery in New York (Salmon River, Genesee, etc.) which is a separate program with different species mix and run timing.
