Wed July 29 New York (Lake Erie) & New York (Lake Ontario) & Ohio Storm
Jul 29 alley-wide storm -- 0.5" in 7hrs, Johnson Creek blew out, Salmon River fishable Thursday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 and lasting until Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 7 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.53" 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 Salmon River (peaking at 281 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 1 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 12 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 35 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 39 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 13 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 115 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 33 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 975 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 30 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 38 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 399 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 505 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,610 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 232 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 234 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 157 CFS), Black River (peaking at 24 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 70 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 72 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 60 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,280 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 71 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 'A'. 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
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 259 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 281 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 30, 00:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 12 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 35 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:15
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 39 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 115 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 33 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 975 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 20:30
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 30 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 22:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 38 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 20:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 399 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 505 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 30, 05:49
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 31, 05:48
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,610 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:15
- Recovers By
- Jul 30, 02:33
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 232 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 21:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 234 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 30, 05:49
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 157 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 22:45
- Recovers By
- Jul 29, 23:18
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 24 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 70 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 18:45
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 72 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 60 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 16:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,280 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 17:15
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 71 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 29, 22:45
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:
