Fri April 24-26 New York (Lake Erie) & New York (Lake Ontario) & Ohio Storm
Apr 24-26 alley-wide storm -- 0.9" in 30hrs, Sandy Creek (Adams) blew out, Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) fishable Wednesday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Friday, April 24, 2026 and lasting until Sunday, April 26, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 30 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.91" of rain across affected zones. Geographically, the weather system impacted the New York (Lake Erie), New York (Lake Ontario), Ohio regions, causing rapid water-level rises on multiple tributaries.
Gauges recorded significant river responses, particularly along Ashtabula River (peaking at 441 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 563 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 1,470 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 3,470 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 49 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 4,350 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 153 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 1,000 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 2,180 CFS), Black River (peaking at 2,590 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 152 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 514 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 350 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 2,660 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 1,620 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 953 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,410 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 12,500 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 394 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 762 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 677 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 6,890 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 317 CFS). Angling conditions deteriorated quickly during the peak flow periods, leading to temporary washouts. Gaging stations monitored the recovery times as flows began returning to their baselines, mapping out the best windows for fishermen to get back on the water.
From a weather prediction standpoint, the NWS forecasts for this event received an aggregate score card grade of 'B'. Gaging observations were matched against NWS precipitation models to assess the forecasting margins, highlighting the variance in local rainfall amounts across the lake shores.
Tributary Response & Recovery
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 152 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 441 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 17:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 07:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 28, 03:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 191 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 563 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 15:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 08:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 28, 04:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 175 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,470 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 28, 18:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3,470 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 20:30
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 49 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 16:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 917 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4,350 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 23:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 153 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 18:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 72 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,000 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 21:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 02:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 22:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 191 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,180 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 14:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 10:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,590 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 03:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 152 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 09:18
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 48 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 514 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 19:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 00:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 20:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 31 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 350 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 19:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 27, 20:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 16:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,660 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 00:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,620 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 02:30
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 953 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 24, 21:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 493 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,410 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 27, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 09:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7,264 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 12,500 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 27, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 27, 00:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 164 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 394 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 08:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 28, 04:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 179 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 762 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 03:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 28, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 28, 08:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,480 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 25, 15:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 25, 20:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 25, 16:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 122 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 677 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 26, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 29, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 29, 01:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 6,890 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 24, 21:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 317 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 24, 21:00
Fishing Guide & Tactics
Looking for advice on how to target steelhead on these rivers when they are recovering from a storm? Check out our master guides:
