Vermilion River (Ohio)

Vermilion River
The Vermilion River at the community of Birmingham in Erie County
Location
CountryUnited States
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationBailey Lakes, Ohio
Mouth 
  location
Lake Erie at Vermilion, Ohio
Length66.9 miles (107.7 km)
Basin size268 sq mi (690 km2)

The Vermilion River is a river in northern Ohio in the United States. It is 66.9 miles (107.7 km) long and is a tributary of Lake Erie, draining an area of 268 square miles (690 km2). The name alludes to the reddish clay that is the predominant local soil along its route. The river is commonly muddy after rains.

The river receives returns of stocked steelhead trout from the ODNR each fall through spring. This is the westernmost river, in Ohio, that the ODNR stocks yearly with steelhead trout. During the end of spring the fish return to lake Erie for the summer and will return to the river in the fall. The river is also home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, channel catfish, bullhead, longnose gar, various suckers, bluegill, sunfish, carp, crappie, freshwater drum, various minnows and darters, crayfish, and a variety of aquatic insects.