I've fished steelhead here in Pennsylvania, never in Ohio. It's been a tough season so far because of the lack of rain. It changes yours tactics as the fish are mostly unable to get up into the streams and I'd guess they're still in the lake (but I've never tried fishing for steelhead in Lake Erie itself). We're getting some rain right now, so it may help the situation. I can tell you that I was totally frustrated until I realized that the fish are normally deep in the water- make sure you have some weight on whatever you fish. The guys I've gone with have a lot of experience and have always told me to "go small" - that is using anything from sparkly estaz eggs to nymphs, but always go with a small hook size (14 or 16). I never ceases to amaze me that a 6 or 7 pound fish will willingly take a tiny hook. A lot of the streams seem to be bery rocky, too, filled with slate and shale, so it pays to land the fish as quickly as you can. Many of the people I know who are good at this also recommend using an indicator.

I know this doesn't answer the bulk of your question, but hope it helps in some way. Good Luck!