By Tom Koritansky, Director of Park Operations

Visitors from all over northeastern Ohio come to Lake Metroparks for fishing opportunities. The streams and rivers flowing through the parks are some of the most picturesque places to visit in the county and a real draw for anglers near and far. Not only can anglers enjoy fishing in the beautiful streams, they can also enjoy the serenity of fishing from as many as 13 different waterbodies found throughout the parks. For many years, Lake Metroparks has maintained a robust fish stocking program for these lakes and ponds. 

One of the most popular places to fish in Lake Metroparks is the 33-acre pond at Veterans Park. Visitors to this park can enjoy fishing from the shore, their choice of three piers, or even wade into the shallow water. Each spring, the pond is stocked with catchable rainbow trout thanks to a longstanding partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Around 1,700 catchable rainbow trout are stocked annually at Veterans Park as part of this spring event. Once the waters of the pond cool after a long summer, another opportunity to stock trout arises. During the fall, Lake Metroparks generally stocks the pond with around 1,000 pounds of catchable rainbow trout. Last year, Veterans Park saw impressive numbers of anglers, so Lake Metroparks provided an additional 500 pounds of trout in the late fall to help extend the fall season and provide a quality fishery at Veterans Park.

Visitation to the parks dramatically increased throughout 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Lake Metroparks stocked the nine-acre lake at Hidden Lake with 800 pounds of rainbow trout for the first time in the spring of 2020. The lake was stocked with 1,000 pounds again in the fall of 2020. As Hidden Lake remains a popular destination for anglers in Lake County, Lake Metroparks stocked the lake again in the spring and fall of 2021.