It's spring in the Metroparks. The trees are beginning to bloom, animals awaken, birds return and fishermen line the banks trying to get the best angle on the newly stocked trout the park provides. Large amounts of trout are released into the Rocky River and the various lakes in the southwest area every April. Midpark High School junior and Middleburg Heights resident Matt Husak netted this fine catch during the first 20 minutes of his outing. Sun photo by Jim Votava.
Trout is big in the spring and fall.
They need to be stocked when it's cool out. The Metroparks buys its trout from hatcheries, such as the Rainbow Brook Farm in Castalia, and raises other fish like sunfish, bass and crappie in various park-owned ponds that are off limits to fishermen. Area residents can be found at their favorite spots along the water almost every morning, no matter what the weather report for the day looks like. Tom Chase of Cleveland is hunkered down near the water's edge at Wallace Lake in Berea. I'm catching and releasing today because I have a whole freezer full of trout from the fall.