PA Lake Erie Stream & Lake Fishing Reports!

Aboard the Sea Wolf we mostly fish rod in hand using Nightcrawler harnesses drifting at or near the bottom. This makes it easy for the young ones to be involved in the fishing fun. Battling those large sheephead and the many perch caught keep them busy.

Many large walleye continue to fill the cooler all month long.

Aboard the "SeaWolf" we usually only fish one rod in hand. Occasionally the captain fishes with the customers. On this day the captain caught at 7 and a 1/2 pound walleye.

A couple hours later the captain got another big fish on. This was down deep at the bottom 75 feet. This fish was fighting."Is it a another big sheephead?" I think to myself. Straight down and halfway up off the bottom then back down it goes. This goes on for a couple more up and down fights. Oh! is it a big cat? No! As it revealed it self-WALLEYE! with that exciting view of that white tip on the tail.

Many people ask me do I go out and fish on my days off. Heck NO! I get all the fishing I want each and every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tight lines
Captain Ron

Aboard the Sea Wolf we mostly fish rod in hand using Nightcrawler harnesses drifting at or near the bottom. This makes it easy for the young ones to be involved in the fishing fun. Battling those large sheephead and the many perch caught keep them busy.

Many large walleye continue to fill the cooler all month long.

Aboard the "SeaWolf" we usually only fish one rod in hand. Occasionally the captain fishes with the customers. On this day the captain caught at 7 and a 1/2 pound walleye.

A couple hours later the captain got another big fish on. This was down deep at the bottom 75 feet. This fish was fighting."Is it a another big sheephead?" I think to myself. Straight down and halfway up off the bottom then back down it goes. This goes on for a couple more up and down fights. Oh! is it a big cat? No! As it revealed it self-WALLEYE! with that exciting view of that white tip on the tail.

Many people ask me do I go out and fish on my days off. Heck NO! I get all the fishing I want each and every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tight lines
Captain Ron

Aboard the Sea Wolf we mostly fish rod in hand using Nightcrawler harnesses drifting at or near the bottom. This makes it easy for the young ones to be involved in the fishing fun. Battling those large sheephead and the many perch caught keep them busy.

Many large walleye continue to fill the cooler all month long.

Aboard the "SeaWolf" we usually only fish one rod in hand. Occasionally the captain fishes with the customers. On this day the captain caught at 7 and a 1/2 pound walleye.

A couple hours later the captain got another big fish on. This was down deep at the bottom 75 feet. This fish was fighting."Is it a another big sheephead?" I think to myself. Straight down and halfway up off the bottom then back down it goes. This goes on for a couple more up and down fights. Oh! is it a big cat? No! As it revealed it self-WALLEYE! with that exciting view of that white tip on the tail.

Many people ask me do I go out and fish on my days off. Heck NO! I get all the fishing I want each and every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tight lines
Captain Ron

The end of July finds fish all along the south side of the trench to the middle and most likely beyond. Just have not needed to go any further north to get limits Start in 55 feet and head north. Very few spots are slow on the action. Fish are swimming 40 to 50 feet down and hungry.

Occasional doubles were caught. One thing about small mouth bass is they sure like to fight with some showing their aerobatic skills. Only small mouth were caught this day.

Most of the fish were caught at or near the top of the drop offs between West Pier and the Monument. Water temperature was cold at 51 degrees. It was a sunny day and the surface temp got to 53 degrees.

The bait of choice was large golden shinners purchased from Poor Richards Bait and Tackle near Fairview 814-474-5623. We did catch one over 20 inches but it was in bad shape with sores over most of its tail. All in all we had some great small mouth drift fishing action aboard the "SeaWolf" all day. The captain also had a great time catching the biggest smallie.

Tight lines Captain Ron

Steelhead fisherman have gathered along the wall and some have been fixing in the basin. A few steelhead are been caught. The lake can be seen calm today but the water is muddy from the recent storms. This time of the year the channel is usually getting pretty closed in from the cold front storms.The wave action from the big waves hitting the shore moves and deposits sand and gravel restricting the channel opening .Sand and debris can be seen all the way onto the dock holders parking lot.

Famous Manchester hole Anglers fish for those tackle busting steelies.

One of the big spectacles to see when visiting the area is the mouth of Trout Run on Avonia road in Fairview. The stream has a restriction to keep the steelie from movement up stream. Here many hundreds of steelhead can be found late October into winter. Trout run is a NO FISHING stream.

Today also finds the PA fish commission removing select fish for the hatchery.

Lately action has been good 52 to 58 feet water depth on the 20 to 17 line.

The captain also get into the hands on drifting fishing action catching his limit also at times.

Girls always seam to catch the big ones. Don’t be afraid to try 25 to 35 feet depth also, here near shore there are also many to sort thru for legal 15 inch plus fish. Big fish have been caught near shore also. All pictures in report came from less than 35 feet.

The trench also has some bigger fish but the eater size just seam to be everywhere, especially in that 53 foot water depth range with some bigger walleyes mixed in.

Happy sorting!

Tight lines Captain Ron

Bait used was large golden shiners purchased from Poor Richards Bait Shop.

Smallmouth pound for pound give quite a good fight. Jumping and diving is the norm for these bronze backs.

The SeaWolf V party also was enjoying the smallmouth action. Smallmouth were the only species caught Monday.

Tuesday action start was slower as the cold front had moved in. Wind was near 20 mile per hour out of the southwest making it hard to find a place to hide in the bay.
At 11 am the wind pickup to 25 gusting 30 and the fish turn on with every cast a smallie was on the line. Time to quite! To rough and the clock has wound down. Several large mouth and rock bass were among the many fish caught on Tuesday.

Smallies are a lot of fun to catch. The captain enjoys catching a few of these tackle busting smallies.
Water temp in the bay was 61 degrees. Quite a difference from the lake were the temp is 48 to 50 degrees.
All the fish were caught on large golden shiners.

Tight Lines
Captain Ron

The basin has now been dredged out with the docks to be installed over the next few days.

The office is now open 7 days a week.

The channel is still in process of being dredged and should be completed in the next few days.

At Walnut Creek fishing at the wall was slow. The channel is washed in on the west side from the winter and is yet to be dredged. The wall side looks deep for small boats to pass and that’s tight to the wall. Look before trying.

The Office is now open Thursday thru Sunday 7 to 5:30 PM. Normal summer hours seven days a week will begin May 11th.

Net permits can be obtained on line at the PFBC website. Purchased at the office net permits can be done with a credit card or check on line. No cash!

Still a good many trout still in Trout Run

Some steelies have been caught at the mouth of Trout Run. Ice can be seen in the far distance. The warm days of mid month will melt a good bit of the ice.

Trout fishermen have been catching steelies in the small opening in the ice at the lake.

The cold days and nights will keep the ice from melting well into the beginning of April.

Trolled in front of Walnut and Trout 3 days.
Pickup 16 trout, 4 were browns the rest all steelies. Missed about that many.

Used blakemores, reefrunners and jr thunderticks. red/black, red/yellow, black. 30ft back. most caught in 8ft. speed 1.4-2.0.

A lot of fish being caught on shore of trout. Sunday one fellow told me he landed 30 and more than that in misses. kept 3.

I apologize to the guy in kayak I got too close to. throttle cable broke on small engine and hydralics on large failed. Done for Season.

thanks to all the fishermen who shared info.

Be Safe on the water.

They are picking up trout at the mouth of the creeks when the weather has allowed them.

The boats and shore fishermen have been scarce since the waves and winds have been tough for a while now They have picked up fish in the creeks.

They are picking up fish in Walnut up to the falls above Manchester hole. They are picking up trout on Elk up to Rt 20.

Looks like the boats will be able to fish Friday through Monday according the
NOAA's animated weather page http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=e&ext=wv&type=F&hr=48

Kids have fun battling the large walleye as we slowly pass over at a very slow drift. The walleye do fight when the speed is slow. Large Sheephead, white bass, white perch, huge catfish and yellow perch add to the excitement.

24 Walleye with only four rods.

30 Walleye with 5 human in hand rod holders.

24 Walleye with four rods. Yes we mostly fish with only one in hand rod per person.
Night crawlers are the bait of choice aboard the SeaWolf. All walleye above were caught in 30 to 45 feet of water west of Walnut Creek.

A Golden shiners was used drifting to catch this large walleye in 55 feet of water.

The month of June, Bass trips found many Northern Pike on the line smashing those golden shiners from Poor Richards bait shop.
The sharp teeth provided escape for many as they cut the 8 or 10 pound test line. Large mouth bass came on the line in numbers as the month neared the middle. The bass fishing trips were full of fun and excitement and look forward to next years bronze back fishing. Walleye are now the target. A good number of large walleye can be found east and west of Walnut Creek in 55 to 70 feet of water.

Smile ling faces shows the day of catching smallmouth bass is going well. A few doubles also puts the smiles on the faces.

With the “SeaWolf III” boat in the background also caught in the action of landing smallies.

Tubes were tried but the large shiners from Poor Richards bait shop were crushing the bass.

The water temperature was 63 degrees. Competition was fierce as each competed to catch the most. Every body caught a good many bass. This day only smallmouth were caught which is in a way unusable. No large mouth or perch just tackle busting smallies and that was Awesome.

The Lake Erie water temperature is 49 off Toledo and 45 off Cleveland according to the nearshore marine forecast.

Anglers are encouraged to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while boating.

The fish below the water fall are also on the smaller side.

A look toward Walnut Creek shows a lot of ice on the lake. Walnut Creek Access Building is to open on the 5th.

The basin is open now to fishing but action has been slow. Very few fish have been caught since it was made open to fishing after the docks were removed.

The end of the channel, fishing in the lake was great mid week as 40 fish were caught. Best was where the creek enters into the lake.

Action at Trout Run on Saturday the 10th was real slow fishing the lake from shore. The creek is just full of trout.

Steelhead action has increased since the water has begun to cool. Limits have been caught, but keeping the first three on is not always easy with these tackle-busting fighters.

Nice steelie caught on a black reef runner.

BROWN TROUT

A few brown trout have also been caught. Pictured is a 9 pound 9 ounce colorful male fish. This one was caught off Trout Run in very muddy water.

UPDATE FOR WALNUT CREEK MEMORIAL WALL

The wall is filling up fast with many new engraved pavers---but, we still have lots to be purchased and engraved. These make wonderful and meaningful gifts for you to have engraved as birthday or anniversary gifts, a memorial to some one close to you who may have fished or boated in our area - we even have some for beloved boats and dogs!

The Administration Office is open and you may pick up a brochure in the lobby or get in touch with me. All the money from the sale of the pavers goes into an endowment fund at the Erie Community Foundation to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the garden into perpetuity.

Contact: Christie Ferrier - 814-474-2577 or cbfbeach@mac.com

Next we had a tackle busting steelie battle his way to freedom. Within a few minuets steelhead action again was jumping on the water and we had a singing reel. 10 minuets later the fish was in the boat.

Trolled towards Walnut and found a fresh steelie about half way. The water was beginning to show signs of turning green near noon but rain was getting close. All fish were caught on black with no red hits at all. 10 foot depth or less was fished. Good day for muddy water. Only four boats out this day for a Saturday thanks to the weather man.

Tight Lines
“SeaWolf” Captain Ron

The end of September was good for putting nice size walleye in the cooler.

Walleye are very fun to catch drifting worm harness on the bottom. Rod in hand and a little jigging and the fight is on.
Walleye do fight when going slow or drifting. The fight picks up when the fish rise to the 30 foot level. Head shake and up and down to the angler nets the fish.

Tight lines
Captain Ron

Nine year old Logan Andrews of Scottdale PA brought in a 7 pound 11 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 29 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¼ inches. They were out in 68 ft of water off Elk Creek and he caught it on a Renosky Fire Tiger lure.

Tom Raught of Eldred, PA brought in an 8 pound 8 ounce Walleye for Angler award. It was 28 inches long and had a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 60 ft. of water straight out of Walnut Creek on a “Golden Clown” Reef Runner.

Fishing has been great for good size fish this year. Lots of big smiles these fish do bring.

Kids have fun to as these boy helped put 36 eaters in the cooler all on night crawlers drifting in 30 feet of water. Rod in Hand as always.

Lately the big eyes have been in the cooler. 120 quart cooler is not big enough to hold these 30 walleye as the live well must also be used.

Sunday 8/11/2013 fishing was AWESOME! As 36 big eyes were caught on crawlers .With ROD in HAND slow movement is always the method aboard the SeaWolf..
The slow motion gives the angler the thrill of the bite and the walleye fight all the way to the net.

Just another look at the 14 pounds and 4 ounces walleye having a 20 inch girth looks like on shore.

POT BELLY WALLEYE! Caught on purple off to the taxidermist..

Great catch!

Ben Samick of St. Mary’s, PA was out on the Sea Wolf Charters and brought in this enormous Walleye for Angler Award. It was 14 pounds 4 ounces, 32 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 20 inches. It is the biggest Walleye I have weighed to date. They were out in 55 ft. of water west of Walnut Creek. He was caught using a crawler harness and the color was Purple.

It seems that so far this year every time the weather is nice and the fish start to bite, we get a cold front come through or a storm and it stirs everything up. Things just haven’t been going to well this year so far. I have had a few fishermen who are getting their limits but very few. A lot of them are getting 2, 3, maybe 5 per person but not many limits. That goes for the Perch too.

The weather this coming weekend is supposed to be nice with Friday- West winds, 1-2 ft waves, Saturday – West winds, 2 ft or less and Sunday- Northwest winds.1-3 ft waves. There is a 30% chance of showers on Friday. Saturday is calling for 30% Thunderstorms and Sunday is sunny.

Twelve year old Kenny Wagner of Slippery Rock, PA came in with a 10 pound 8 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 31 inches long and had a girth of 18 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 69 ft of water West of Walnut Creek. I was caught on Reef Runner and the color was Chartreuse/Blue.

Ten year old Logan Osborn of Harborcreek, PA came in with an Angler Award sized Walleye. It was 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 27 ½ inches long with a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 68 ft of water west of Walnut Creek using Reef Runners. His color was Green.

Fifteen year old brother Mitchell Osborn of Harborcreek came in with his Angler sized one too. It was 8 pounds ½ ounce, 28 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¼ inches. His was caught at the same depth of 68 ft and west of Walnut Creek. He was using a Reef Runner also. His color was Watermelon.

Nine year old Logan Jendrejewski of Sarver, Pa brought in a 6 pound 8 ounce Walleye. It was 26 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 15 inches. He caught it out in 55 ft of water a little west of Walnut Creek. He was using a Repella and his color was Purple.

The Perch (from what everyone is saying and coming in with) are out in 42 ft of water starting west of Trout and all the way east off the Condos. I haven’t gotten any pictures though but no one is bringing them in for Angler Award. I am told that they are all nice sized.

Eight year old Matthew Bond of Erie brought in a 7 pound 2 ounce Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 27 ½ inches long and had a girth of 15 inches. He caught it out in 52 ft of water off Elk Creek. He was using Gator Bait Reef Runner.

Eight year old Owen Callaghan of Erie came in with his 6 pound 4 ounce Walleye for Junior Award. It was 26 ½ inches long and had a girth of 14 ¼ inches. He was out in 53 ft of water off Elk Creek and caught it on Iridescent Reef Runner.

I was told the Walleye are in. All along the shoreline they are giving off good marks. Also out in the deep waters too.

PERCH:

Haven’t seen any to take pictures but I am told that they are getting them also in the shallows. People mostly fishing in 27-37 ft of water anywhere between here and Elk Creek. Also east of Walnut Creek in the 50 ft waters.

WEATHER:

The weather for the next week doesn’t look very good. The waves aren’t too bad though seeing they are calling for 2 ft or less all through Monday anyway. But the chances for showers are anywhere between 40% and 60% all the way through Wednesday of next week. Thunderstorms for Sunday thru Wednesday.

Here is six year old Sammy Ruhlman of Warren Pa. with her Angler Award sized Perch. It was 13 ounces, 12 ½ inches long and had a girth of 8 ¼ inches. She caught it out in 46 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek using Emerald Shiners.

From what I have been hearing the Perch are anywhere from 48 ft to 55 ft of water. Some boats are going just a little east as they exit the channel here at Walnut and some are going straight out.

WALLEYE:

Twelve year old Kody Shankle of Cowansville, PA came in with a 7 pound 6 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 27 ½ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 52 ft of water off the Condos. He was using a Rainbow Trout w/red head Plug.

Thirteen year old Jacob Kowchek of Burgettstown, PA brought in an 8 pound ½ ounce Walleye. It was 28 ½ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¾ inches. He caught his in 52 ft of water off the Condos too. He also was using the Rainbow Trout Plug.

The Walleye are being caught in the 30 ft to 55 ft of water range. The fishing is still very spotty though. Not many limits coming in at all for Walleye or Perch.

CHINOOK SALMON:

Barry Lichvar of Northeast PA came in with a 20 pound 8 ounce Chinook Salmon. It was 36 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 21 ½ inches. He caught it in 60 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek. He was using a “Dream Weaver” (Roy Boy) spoon.

WEATHER:

The weather hasn’t been very good so far this year. It seems that for every couple of nice days that comes up there are a few bad days to follow. The fish keep getting scattered and no one can find them. They finally find some and then the weather gets bad and scatters them again. Well, next Friday is the first day of summer so maybe things will change by then.

Walnut Creek was dredged in the beginning of the season and I have not been told by anyone that they are hitting in the channel so all looks good.

The lake level is 2 ft below normal so that may be a problem. Just keep your props trimmed up as much as you can when going out and coming in.

The water temperature keeps fluctuating too. Last Wednesday it was 64 degrees and then by Friday it went to 54 degrees. Right now it is at 59 degrees. That is still cold for this time of year.

Matthew David Grabill of Fargo N.D. was on leave from the United States Marine Corp. and came in with a 9 pound 6 ½ ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 29 ½ inches long and had a girth of 16 ½ inches. He was in 30 ft of water off of Elk Creek using a Green and Orange plug.

PERCH:

People going out for Perch are getting them in anywhere from 48 ft to 60 ft mostly straight out of Walnut and then going east a little. No big numbers yet but they are picking at them.

In case you haven’t heard the creel and size limits for Walleye and Perch remain the same as last year. Perch: 30 creel and no size limit, and Walleye: 6 creel and 15 inches.

WALNUT CREEK:

The water temperature is 60 degrees right now and it is sunny.

The channel and the traffic section of the marina has been dredged. The Lake is about 2 feet low so be very careful while coming and going. Keep your props up as much as possible.

PFBC LICENSES:

We are now selling three year and five year licenses. The savings for a Resident with Combo stamp for three years is $6.80. Savings for Resident with Combo stamp for five years is $13.60.

Also, if you are a Senior Lifetime License holder and don’t have your Senior Upgrade yet you might want to get it now before June 10th. As of June 10th they are going up to $11.70. Right now they are $6.70.

UPDATE OF WALNUT CREEK MARINA MEMORIAL WALL ------JUNE 2013

It's time to come down and take a fresh look at the Wall and the Garden at the Marina.

We are currently doing some work on the garden itself. Planting new flowers, new plants and the path has been moved, which was making mowing difficult.

Though we do not have any capstones left to engrave, we still have many pavers on the wall to be engraved as birthday, memorial or anniversary gifts. If you do not know what to give a friend or family.

Good size fish were hitting and dancing on the water. The battle of the smallmouth on the line is awesome.

Lots of doubles were boated this day. Captain also had a good many on the line adding to the fun. Water depth fished was 5 to 10 feet.

Doubles starting coming in as we drifted this area. Fishing was good for these bronze backs.

Continued catching smallmouth as the day continued. A good many yellow perch were also caught.

Here are a couple pictures of what Trout Run looks like.

Abundance of steelies are stacked up in Trout Run. PFBC has removed many to reduce the number in the past but they load up quickly do to the reduced pool size from the hurricane.

The fishing has been better this year than in the past four years. I have seen a load of fish being caught. Most of them are up in the creeks since we have had no rain for quite a while. Most are being caught at Manchester hole here at Walnut Creek. I have a lot being caught off the wall too.

The water in the creeks is very low and clear as of this writing. The best time for catching is before sunrise and after sunset.

Here is Robert Moore of East Springfield brought in a nice Steelhead. It didn’t quite make Angler Award but it was close. He caught it in Elk Creek using Red Fly Nymph.

Shannon Sitter of East Springfield showed off her fish too. She was fishing with Robert Moore in Elk Creek and she used the Red Fly Nymph too.

OFFICE CLOSING FOR SEASON:

I will be here Saturday, Sunday December 15 and 16 and then next Friday December 21 to close up. Then the office here at Walnut Creek will be closed for the season. It will reopen on April 6, 2013.

We are selling the Net Permits for next year if you are interested. The only place to get them is at Walnut Creek or at Regional Headquarters in Meadville. They are $10 and you are allowed to keep 200 minnows per day with the permit with the restrictions mentioned on permit.

We also have new this year the 3-year and 5-year license if you are interested. There is a savings of $6.80 for the 3-yr Resident with Combo and $13.60 savings for the 5-yr Resident with Combo.

Here are the fees:

3-yr Resident =$64.70
3-yr Non-Resident = $154.7
3-yr Senior Resident = $31.70
3-yr Lake Erie Permit = $25.70
3-yr Trout/Salmon Stamp = $25.70
3-yr Combo = $43.70

5-yr Resident = $106.70
5-yr Non-Resident = $256.70
5-yr Senior Resident = $51.70
5-yr Lake Erie Permit = $41.70
5-yr Trout/Salmon Stamp = $41.70
5-yr Combo = $71.70

There are NO 3-yr and 5-yr for the 1-day, 3-day and 7-day. The price remains the same as this year.

Also, I have had people ask me about the lifetime. It remains the same too. There is no reason in having a 3-yr or 5-yr for them since they are lifetime once you qualify for them.

Of course if you don't want the 3-yr or 5-yr you can still get the original 1-yr licenses too.

Sunday night a woman came in with her first fish. It was a Coho Salmon caught up at the Stop Sign hole on Walnut Creek. She brought it in and Law Enforcement issued her an Angler Award for it. It was 14 pounds 11 ounces, 37 inches long and had a girth of 20 ¾ inches. We didn’t get her name or where she is from but what a catch.

MARINA OPEN – FIRST FISH CAUGHT:

John Paulick of Charleroi, Pa brought in the first fish caught after the Basin opened. It was a Steelhead, 2 pounds 5 ounces, 20 ½ inches long, 9 ½ inch girth. He caught it on a Black Jig off the North side of the Basin.

STEELHEAD:

Bruce Roland of Erie, PA brought in a 13 pound 9 ½ ounce Steelhead. It was 30 ½ inches long and had a girth of 20 inches. He caught it while standing in the lake at the mouth of Walnut Creek. It was caught on a Black Jig.

WALNUT CREEK:

There are more fish out in the lake waiting to come in. On the channel wall, fishing into the creek, there were at least 40 fish caught in a couple hours. They are staging so all we need is some rain for them to come in again. Up in the creek they are picking at them but the stream is low and clear. We are supposed to get some rain the beginning of next week so if that happens Wednesday should be pretty good fishing.

MEMORIAL WALL:

The pavers are still available for Christmas presents. If you know someone who loves the lake or the sunsets you can have them immortalized by getting them a paver personalized just for them.

For more information please call: (814)474-2577 or email: CBFBeach@mac.com.

Fourteen year old Jimmy Groves of Feasterville, Pa brought in a 10 pound 4 ounce Steelhead. It was 29 ½ inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He caught it fishing into the lake from the beach at Walnut Creek. He was using Power bait. Color was Corn (Yellow).

WALNUT CREEK:

The creek as of this writing is high and a good color. All the rain we have had this week brought it up which we really needed. The fishermen and women are catching fish too. It has been a very slow week.

MARINA:

The Marina Basin will be open for fishing on Wednesday, November 7, at 1 PM.

THE STORM:

We didn’t have much of a problem with Hurricane Sandy. The governor wanted all State offices closed so Law enforcement closed the gates on Monday at 4 PM on the 29th of October. We were open again on Wednesday morning October 31. I checked the lake shore around the property here at Walnut Creek and there was no damage at all. We didn’t even have the debris that usually comes with big waves.

Thirteen your old Nick Cando of Pittsburgh PA brought in a 12 pound 15 ½ ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 31 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 20 inches. He caught it just west of Walnut Creek when they were picking up to come in the creek. He caught it on a Black Thunder stick.

Fifteen your old Phillip McCloskey of Derry, PA brought in his 9 pound 10 ½ ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 29 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 inches. He caught it on a Yellow Fly in Manchester Hole.

These three young men from Cranberry, PA brought in some nice fish for Awards too. They were from left to right:

Andrew Kearney with a 10 pound 2 ½ ounce, 28 inches long and 17 ¾ inch girth.

Jack Nickel with a 9 pound 10 ounce, 28 ¾ inches long and 16 ¾ inch girth.

Nick Kearney with an 8 pound 1 ounce, 28 ¼ inches long and 15 inch girth. They were all caught on Orange Stick bait.

COHO SALMON:

Jack Davis of Cowansville, PA brought in a Coho Salmon he caught out in Walnut Creek. It was 7 pounds 8 ounces, 28 ½ inches long and had a girth of 15 ½ inches. He caught it in Walnut Creek using a Phoebe Lure.

WALNUT CREEK:

Fishing on the 29th was excellent with 30 hookups. Several brown trout were also netted this day with the many steelies.

Some steelies have entered Trout Run sharing the pool with many smaller trout just stocked.
The lower parts of Walnut and Elk have fish but until some much needed rain comes to increase the creek levels fish will be slow to move up.

Twelve year old James Lindow Jr. of Bridgeville, PA brought in a 7 pound 11 ½ ounce Walleye while he was out Perching. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 16 ½ inches. He caught it on a minnow.

The Walleye fishing has really slowed down to almost a standstill. Every now and then you hear of someone getting one but not too often.

The Perch are getting finicky also. They seem to have their time to feed and it isn’t a lot. Some of the fishermen are getting their limits but they are out there for a few hours to get them. From what some people tell me they think there is so much bait fish out there they are filling up on it.

I have some guys picking up a Steelhead or two out in the trenches while fishing for Walleye. They seem to think it might be a good year this year for Steelhead fishing.

WEATHER:

This weekend the weather is going to get nasty. A regular fall weekend I guess. It is supposed to have Thunderstorms starting Friday night and continuing until Monday. The winds and waves on the lake for Friday are South at 2 ft or less and the winds and waves for Saturday and Sunday are Northwest at 2-4 ft.

WALNUT CREEK MARINA BUILDING:

The hours of operation for Walnut Creek Administration Building and restrooms:

Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 - 7:00 am until 5:30 pm only. We will resume our regular hours the next weekend. There are Porta-Jons for your convenience if needed.

Twelve year old Shamus Sullivan of Ruther Glen, VA brought in a 1 pound Perch for Junior Award. It was 12 ½ inches long and had a girth of 8 ½ inches. They were out with Sea Wolf Charters in 40 ft of water West of Walnut Creek. They were using worms.

Ten year old Cameron Ward of Townville, PA brought in a 1 pound 3 ½ ounce Perch for Junior Award. It was 13 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 10 inches. He caught it out in 60 ft of water West of Walnut Creek using Golden Shiners.

Perching has slowed a bit so you might want to be prepared to spend more than an hour if you want to catch your limit. Evidently there are lots of bait fish out there so you have to entice them some way.

WALLEYE:

Eleven year old Tanner Sliker of Edinboro, Pa brought in his Walleye for Junior Award. It was 8 pounds 10 ½ ounces, 29 ½ inches long and a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 67 ft of water West of Walnut Creek. It was caught on a Bleeding Hot Olive Rapela Deep Tail Dancer.

Thirteen year old Braxton Dameron of Home, PA brought in a big 9 pound 14 ½ ounce Walleye. It was 30 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He was out in 72 ft of water West of Walnut Creek and caught it on a Watermelon worm harness.

The Walleye seem to be on their way back west. Not too many people coming in with their limits. Only a few here and there are being caught.

Water temperature is now 75 degrees.

THIS WEEKEND WEATHER:

Friday: Southwest winds / 10-20 knots / Waves 3-5 feet. High of 87 degrees.

Saturday: Northeast Winds / 5-15 knots becoming East / 1-3 ft waves. High of 82 degrees.

Ardell Blair (Red Bird) and his Great Grandson Jase Paxton both of Greensville, Pa brought in Jases’ first Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 29 inches long with a 16 ¼ inch girth. They were out in 63 ft of water off Godfrey Run when it was caught. He was using Renosky plugs and the color was Yellow with Red head.

Twelve year old Matt Solbodnik of Herminie, PA brought in a 7 pound 15 ½ ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 28 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 50 ft of water NE of Walnut Creek on a Pink/White/Blue Lure off the Planer Boards.

Five year old Bridger Jamison of Orrstown, Pa brought in a 9 pound Walleye. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He was out in 60 ft of water on the north side of the First Trench when he caught it. He was using a Renosky and the color was Pink. His father is a good friend of WCO Brook Tolbert and they all went out fishing with Moxie Man.

Here is eleven year old Chase Jarzenski of Oil City, PA who brought in a 7 pound 10 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 28 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 52 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on a Black/Purple worm harness.

Thirteen year old Caitlin Robbins of Jamestown, PA brought in a 7 pound 4 ounce Walleye. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 16 inches. She caught it out in 72 ft of water a little West of Walnut Creek on a Yellow worm harness.

Thirteen year old Ryan Rogers of Knox, Pa brought in a 9 pound 5 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He was out in 52 ft of water a little East of Walnut Creek when he caught it. Watermelon worm harness was the bait.

The Walleye seem to be mostly out in the First Trench. I have had also some people catching some Steelhead out there too.

The Perch are not coming as we usually see them. It seems when they start schooling up we get a bad front come through and it scatters them. Some boats are limiting though out in the 55 ft of water area. Just not everyone like we are used to.

WEATHER

The weather this weekend is not supposed to be very nice. They are calling for:

Friday – 40 % chance of showers. NE / 15 -25K / 4-6 ft waves. High of 78 degrees.

Saturday – E / 10-20 k becoming S at 5-15k/ 3-5 ft waves subsiding to 1-3 ft later. High of 80 degrees.

Sunday – SW / 5-15k / 1-3 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less. High of 84 degrees.

The water temperature is 79 degrees.

MEMORIAL/RECOGNITION WALL

4"x8" and 8"x8" granite pavers are still available for purchase. For more information about the wall and pavers, the flyers are available in the lobby of the Walnut Creek Administration building.

Think about getting one for a Birthday or an Anniversary gift for your loved ones. Also, a great memorial and a way to give tribute for someone who has passed away and loved Walnut Creek fishing.

Thirteen year old Connor Pritts of Latrobe, PA came in with 6 pound 13 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 27 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 15 inches. He caught it out in 60 ft of water straight off the Clay Banks or Trout Run. He was using a Copper/Watermelon harness.

Sixteen year old Steven Pritts brought in his 9 pound 5 ½ ounce Walleye. It was 29 ½ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¾ inches. He was in the 60 ft of water off Trout Run also when he caught his. His was on a Green Emily harness.

Thirteen year old Cameron Martin of Kittanning, PA caught a 10 pound 6 ½ ounce fish. It was 32 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He was in 70 ft of water off Elk Creek when he caught his using a Plug, White with Black spots.

Fourteen year old Cole Gorgacz and fourteen year old Logan Schuller both of New Castle, PA brought in their Angler Award fish. Cole’s was 7 pounds 12 ½ ounces, 28 ½ inches long with a girth of 15 ¾ inches.

Logan’s was 8 pounds 2 ounces, 29 ¼ inches long with a girth of 16 inches. They both were out in 52 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek. Both were caught on Green/Orange Renowski’s.

Eleven year old Cody Ahlbrandt of Girard, PA brought in an 11 pound 2 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 32 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught it out in 57 ft of water off Elk Creek using a Copper worm harness.

Nine year old Deeanna McAtee-Hall brought in 7 pound 1 ounce Walleye for Award. It was 27 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. She was fishing in 75 ft of water Northeast of Walnut Creek. She caught the fish on a Fire Tiger Ronowski.

Eleven year old Dakota Parrett of Girard, PA brought in a 9 pound 10 ounce Walleye for Angler Award, It was 29 ½ inches long and had a girth of 17 ¾ inches. He was out in 53 ft of water East of Walnut Creek. He was using a Watermelon worm harness and a dipsy.

The Walleye seem to be coming along pretty good now. A lot of people are going straight out of Walnut and going either East a little or West a little in 55 - 65 ft of water. Also straight out to the South side of the First Trench. You don't have to go all the way to the Ohio line now.

WEATHER:

The weather has been a usual hit and miss for the lake with the storms. It seems that this time of year there are always storms on the lake but they either dissipate or go another direction (most times). We do have the radar in the office building and that helps except when the internet goes down. So bear with us if any of these things happen.

The weather this weekend is calling for:

Friday: - Southwest winds -10 knots or less - 2 ft or less on the waves.

Saturday: - Northwest Winds 10 knot becoming North at 5-15 knots – waves 1-3 ft.

Sunday: - Northeast winds – 5-15 knots – waves 1-3 ft.

Twelve year old Giovanni Latona of Erie, PA brought in a 1 pound 4 ½ ounce Perch. It was 10 inches long and had a girth of 9 ¾ inches. He caught it off Walnut Creek in 44 ft of water. He was using Minnows.

Eight year old Brendan Hanlon of Silver Springs, MD brought in his Angler Award sized Perch. It was 1 pound, 4 ounces and was 13 ½ inches long and had a girth of 10 inches. He was straight out of Walnut in 43 ft of water and he was using Minnows also.

Nine year old Anna Rabickow came in with a 1 pound Perch. It was 12 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 9 inches. She was straight out of Walnut Creek in 40 ft of water. They were using Minnows but she caught hers on a Night Crawler which they occasionally put on.

Most boats seem to be going straight out of Walnut Creek and heading a little east in about 45-50 ft of water. I also was told that if you find the pack go about 1 mile East or West of it. It seems to be better fishing. They were also getting some nice ones in 37 – 45 ft off Trout Run.

WALLEYE:

Five year old Dominick Shumake of Albion, PA brought in his 7 pound, 2 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 27 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. He was in 62 ft of water between Walnut and Trout Run. He was using Silver worm harness on a big Dipsy.

Finally they started. It took a while but I believe they are finally here. I have had a few boats going out in the past two days and coming in with some nice catches. Some are going in shallow in around 37 – 40 ft of water West of Walnut Creek and then some are going straight out to the South side of the First Trench.

WEATHER:

This weekend is supposed to be really nice. We are supposed to be having 2 ft or less for waves all the way up through at least Tuesday. The temperature will be in the mid to hi 80’s and mostly Westerly winds.

WALNUT CREEK ACCESS CHANNEL:

For Immediate Release Date: 6.26.12

For more information contact: Keith Edwards, kedwards@pa.gov, 814-336-2426

PA Fish & Boat Commission issues boating safety advisory to Walnut Creek boaters and anglers

Meadville, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announces that geotechnical drilling operations will be taking place in the Walnut Creek channel area starting Monday, July 9, 2012. Operations are expected to be completed by Tuesday, July 10, 2012.

Eleven yr old Dylan Fedei of Fairview came in with a 1 pound Perch. It was 13 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 8 ½ inches. He was out in 40 ft of water off Trout Run using Emerald shiners.

Eleven your old Timothy Smith of Cowen, WV brought in a 14 ½ ounce Perch for Angler Award. It was 12 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 8 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 29 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek using a Mighty Minnow. The color was Tiger.

SMALL MOUTH BASS:

Daniel Mast of Milton, Pa brought in a 5 pound Smallmouth Bass. It was 20 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 20 ft of water a couple miles West of Walnut Creek. He was using Emerald shiners.

WALLEYE:

Here are three kids from Rural Valley, Pa. who went out and came in with a nice bunch of Perch.

Fourteen year old Tori Smith brought in a 1 pound 1 ounce Perch. It was 13 ½ inches long and had a girth of 9 inches.

Twelve year old Nathan Fulton was next with a 15 ½ ounce fish that was 12 inches long and had a 9 inch girth.

Twelve year old Dakota Smith brought his 13 ½ ounce fish in also, It was 12 inches and had a girth of 8 ½ inches.

They were out in 35 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek. They were using Emerald Shiners.

Perch are mostly being caught out in 35 to 45 ft of water either off Trout Run or straight out of Walnut Creek. Still a little slow though.

WALLEYE:

The Walleye are doing well from what I am told at night time. Day time isn’t any good just yet. The water temperature at this time (Thursday, May 24, 2012) is 56 degrees. Usually the water has to be around 65 degrees before the boats start bringing them in. I haven’t had many reports of any being caught during the day.

WALNUT CREEK CHANNEL:

When leaving the Marina and entering Walnut Creek there is a sand bar directly in the center of the creek. It is 2 ½ ft deep so you will have to stay to the North of the entrance till you get into the Creek. Hopefully it will be taken care of before this weekend.

MEMORIAL DAY:

Don’t forget Memorial Day is "Fish For Free" day. The rules and regulations still remain except for the fact you don’t need a license.

MEMO FROM CHRISTIE FERRIER:

UPDATE OF WALNUT CREEK MARINA MEMORIAL WALL ------MAY 2012

It's time to come down and take a fresh look at the Wall and the Garden at the Marina.

We are currently doing some work on the garden itself. Planting new flowers, new plants and removing the path which was making mowing difficult is in the works. So, you will see a bit of an updated and new look.

Though we do not have any capstones left to engrave, we still have many pavers on the wall to be engraved as birthday, memorial or anniversary gifts. If you do not know what to give a friend or family member who has everything, think about a paver as a long lasting gift he or she will enjoy for years to come.

The Administration Office is now open, and you may pick up a brochure there in the lobby or get in touch with me. The money from the sale of the pavers goes into an endowment fund at the Erie Community Foundation to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the wall and the garden into perpetuity.

Contact: Christie Ferrier - 814-474-2577 or email: cbfbeach@mac.com

The Perch seem to be doing pretty good out this way off and on. They can be found in 37’ to 45’ of water off of Trout Run and straight out of Walnut Creek.

WALLEYE:

The Walleye are getting caught at night time still. Not too many being caught in the daytime. Most boats are trolling from Walnut Creek west to Godfrey and back.

Not too much in the fishing report this week but I am sure it will change after Memorial Day. We need more boats to go out to find the fish. The weather this weekend looks great.

SMALL MOUTH BASS:

The Presque Isle Bay seems to be the hot spot for Small mouth. Some in the 5-7 pound range is not unheard of.

WEATHER:

The water temperature right now is 53 degrees.
This weekend:

Friday: Mostly Sunny, Hi of 68 degrees - East winds – 10K – 2 ft or less

Saturday: Sunny, Hi of 78 degrees – Southeast winds – 10k – 1 foot or less.

Sunday: Sunny, Hi of 79 degrees. South winds – 10k – 1 ft or less.

FISH FOR FREE DAYS:

This year the Fish For Free Days are on Holiday Mondays. Memorial Day (May 28) and Labor Day (September 3). You can fish without a license but all other rules and regulations still apply.

WALNUT CREEK SEASONAL SLIPS:

Walnut Creek Access has seasonal slips available for docking. The fee is $725 and the boats are to be 23’ (length over all) and 8’ beam MAX.

TRANSIENT SLIPS:

We also have 4 transient docks for people who only want a slip for a night or so. They are $15 per night with a Deposit of $10 for key for gate. Deposit will be returned upon return of the key. Boats must still be 23' x 8' though. No more than that.

Presque Isle bay is the choice of finding smallmouth, Here the water warms much sooner than the lake. Action is fast as these small children fight to keep the smallies on the line.

It is really fun watching the little tots fight the larger smallies but they all got away. Brother does get his share of the action.

Mon shows this family how to catch and hold on to the larger smallies. Action was good along the drop off areas near Perry’s Monument and surrounding area. With a good many caught on the flats near by. Bait of the day was fat head minnows, mostly because that is all that could be found of any size in the area at this time in early April.
Method: Drifting of course with live bait!!!

The office building is open on Thursdays thru Sundays 7:00 am to 5:30 pm until May 6. Then our regular hours of:

Mon - Thurs.: 8:00 am - 6:30 pm.
Friday & Saturdays: 6:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sundays: 6:00 am - 8:00 pm

The Launch ramps are in and the docks are to be put in sometime next week.

PERCH:

Perching has never stopped thanks to our non existant winter his year.

The only bad thing, because of no ice on the lake, was no ice fishing.

As of this writing the water temperature is 50 degrees. The lake is calm and the Perch are biting.

The boats are going out up to 35 ft of water and coming in with some Perch. Sometimes not limiting but still getting them.

CREEL & SIZE LIMIT:

The creel limit and size limit has not changed for the Perch and Walleye. It is still (30)thirty Perch with no size limit and beginning May 1, (6) six Walleye at 15 inches.

Welcome back and hope to see everyone have a good and safe year.

Area temperatures have dropped considerably from the unusually warm weather we have enjoyed and are more in line of the norm for this time of year. Area tributaries have been very low and clear and steelhead season has nearly come to a close . On the plus side crappie and perch fishing on Presque Isle Bay continues to improve with many weekend boat anglers taking to the water. The big story of course is the opening of the regular trout season this weekend. Forecasts are calling for cool to cold conditions with a good chance of rain.

Local Regulations Regarding The Big Opener:

Anglers should be aware of local regulations regarding the upcoming regular season Trout opener April 18th for our area.

The Upper Gravel Pit Pond, Lake Pleasant, and the East and West Basin Ponds at Presque Isle State Park have been open and part of the Early Season Trout Stocked Waters Program. These waters will be closed to fishing from April 1st until 8:00 AM, April 14th, the opening of regular trout season.

It is unlawful to fish or possess trout or salmon in or along any Lake Erie tributary stream or the East and West Basin Ponds (Waterworks Ponds, Presque Isle State Park) from 12:01 AM on April 13th until 8:00 AM on April 14th, a period of 32 hours

All anglers fishing Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay, and their tributaries are required to possess a valid Lake Erie permit.

The main tributaries where a permit is required are Cascade Creek, Crooked Creek, Eight mile Creek, Elk Creek, Four mile Creek, Mill Creek, Raccoon Creek, Seven mile Creek, Six mile Creek, Sixteen mile Creek, Twelve mile Creek, Twenty mile Creek, and Walnut Creek.

Conneaut Creek, although partially in the Commonwealth, does actually enter into Lake Erie within the border of the state of Ohio. Therefore, anglers are not required to possess a Lake Erie Permit.

Anglers fishing the East and West Basin ponds (Waterworks Ponds, Presque Isle State Park) are not required to possess a Lake Erie Permit.

Anglers fishing inland ponds, lakes and reservoirs in Erie County are not required to possess a Lake Erie Permit.

In many cases an angler may need both a trout/salmon permit and a Lake Erie permit to fish in waters in the Erie area. Rather than purchasing these individually, a Combination Trout-Salmon/Lake Erie permit may be purchased.

A Few Words Well Worth Repeating About This Weekend:

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton

Conditions:

It appears unlikely that anglers will see any ice fishing on Presque Isle Bay this year, however the open water we have had all winter has left plenty of other opportunities for both shore and boat fishing as fish begin to move into the bay to spawn. Steelhead are beginning to thin out but there are still plenty of good opportunities with a little looking. The tribs have remained very good in color and nice flow with just enough precipitation over the last few weeks to keep conditions good. Forecasts next week are calling for temps in the upper 50s which should get the sucker rolling in.

Boat Registration Reminder:

Suckers Are Moving In:

Suckers have started to move into the tribs. Although the numbers aren't big yet, they are normally a sign that Spring is just around the corner. Although often considered a nuisance fish when steelhead fishing, suckers can be great fun to catch and provide easy action for the impatient young anglers. Suckers can be caught on just about any tackle. The most effective method is light or ultralight spinning tackle. Four to six pound test monofilament should be used, along with small, sharp hooks. Worms, live aquatic nymphs, maggots and waxworms are the best baits for suckers. Fish directly on the bottom, either with a stationary rig with a sliding sinker, or with a drifting rig that moves along the bottom with the current. In short, you can fish them the same way that you would fish for steelhead using pretty much the same gear and if the steelhead or trout aren't hitting, a pool full of Suckers can save the day with some fun filled action. Suckers have been known to hit leadhead jigs and in line spinners, but this technique is not very effective most of the time.

Suckers are also easy to catch on fly tackle. They hammer flies like the Pheasant Tail, Scud Patterns, and the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear. Fly fishing for suckers is great sport. The best fly fishing rig for white sucker fishing is the deadly shot-and-indicator nymphing rig. Set your indicator at the right depth to get your fly right on the bottom, and drift it naturally with the current. The strike of a sucker is very subtle and easily mistaken for a steelhead in the Spring. The indicator will either pause or dip for a fraction of a second before the fish spits out the fly. You must set the hook quickly, but softly, to avoid breaking your tippet. Always have a forceps or needle nose pliers on hand while sucker fishing, since their rubbery lips are tough and it's hard to get a deeply imbedded hook out without harming the fish.

Although the Erie tribs produce consistently large suckers, the State record sucker was caught on the Allegheny river in Forest County in 2003. The fish weighed in at a hefty 12 lbs. 14.4 oz. Although, not the most popular eating fish the meat is delicate with a slightly sweet taste and is often cooked, flaked and made into "fish cakes" or pan fried if you don't mind picking through the bones.

Conditions:

The winter storm this past weekend was actually a bit out of the ordinary
from the unseasonably mild winter Erie has enjoyed. Mother Nature was kind
with only 6 to 8" of snow although the winds and drifting were heavy at
times. By Monday, temps started to climb melting away most of the white
stuff adding some flow and much needed color to the low and clear conditions
we have had. Forecasts are calling for day time temps above the freezing
mark and end very well could put us back to spring like conditions.
Although some ice was starting to form around the area including the Bay, it
is likely to be short lived. The mild conditions have affected the usual
fishing patterns around the area. Crappie fishing has been fair to good in
and around the "stink hole" and along the Bay front at Presque Isle. Very
unusual for this time of year is seeing suckers starting to invade the
tribs, not in big numbers, but enough to demonstrate the effect of weather
on fish migration. Anglers have been picking up perch along the south side
of the Bay as well as off the North and South piers. If there is to be and
ice season on the Bay, it may be short lived if at all. For those waiting
the ice, be optimistic, Erie's weather can change rapidly.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:

The unusually mild winter continues for the area as it has in many areas. Little to no ice has left anglers with a wealth of other opportunities from steelheading the tribs to shore fishing the Lake, Bay and inland waters. Steelhad fishing has remained good with fish having a long winter to scatter throught all areas of the tribs. Although many steelhead are darkened and weather worn, they are not in nearly as bad of shape as they can be after a significant battering of an ice melt down. The open water has from time to time brought additional fresh fish in and with conditions they are easily able to move well upstream to the far reaches of the tribs.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton

Conditions:

As has much of the country, Erie has enjoyed an unusually mild winter so far. Temps over the few weeks had been cold enough at times to cover Presque Isle Bay and most of the tribs with a thin layer of ice giving some encouragement to eagerly waiting hard water anglers. With temps hitting the 50 degree mark this week, the ice and snow disappeared quickly bringing any immediate hopes of ice fishing to a close for now. The good news is that steelhead season has been dramatically extended with very little angling pressure. Although many fish have been in the tribs for a while, there have been many reports of fresh steelhead being caught. The key is finding them. With the mild winter, the steelhead have really spread out. Live shiners and the micro jigs are good winter choices when the waters have some stain and flow. Enjoy the weather and the extended season. In Erie, it could all change in a day or two. The weather is also allowing for good perch and burbot fishing along the Bayfront and along the North and South piers entering Lake Erie.

West Erie County

DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: Weekend fishing was fair to good with a mix of fresh and blackened fish throughout the tribs. Area weather has been very mild for this time of year with only a few inches of snot so far. Fishing has been good at the Elk Creek access this past week end with very little angling pressure. . Temperatures at dawn kept the water just at the freezing point but not cold enough to make ice an issue....yet. Single eggs, sucker spawn patterns, shiners will keep you busy if you are on them. Winter is a terrific time to fish the tribs if you prepare for the cold weather and the ice water.

There are still large numbers of fish holding in the nursery waters at Trout Run. Many of the fish are blackened and starting to weaken however, close observation revealed a surprising number of fresh fish mixed in the pack especially since we really haven't had any severe weather yet. Fishing the shoreline at Trout Run has been good with many days still seeing little or no wave action. Shoreline fishing should remain good until the we get into freezing temperatures and heavy winter wave conditions.

Walnut Creek is still holding fish in the Project waters although they are scattered and well spooked. Anglers are still doing fair to good along the wall leading to the Lake and if patient, in the basin. . The Manchester Hole is still loaded with fish and will continue to draw a good number of anglers until ice over.

Don't Forget:
2012 Fishing licenses are to be displayed on an outer garment when fishing effective January 1st, 2012

Walnut Creek Office: The Walnut Creek Access office will be open Friday from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm and beginning December 24th, will be closed for the winter. Port A Johns and dumpsters will remain in the area for your convenience.

Ed Mitchell of Freeport PA brought in a nice looking 13 pound 1 ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 33 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He caught it while fishing in the lake at the end of the Walnut Creek channel. He was using White Power Bait.

The lake is kind of muddy but look how nice it is for a December day. We had about 2-3 ft waves all day today and very sunny. The Lake temperature is 46 degrees right now. I left my date stamp on so you can see that this is a day in December.

The Marina is jumping with fish. I watched a man catch two fish on the North side of the Marina within an hour. There are lots of minnows in it too.

Danien Engle and Jeramey Kehler both of Berks County, Pa brought in a couple nice looking female fish. Danien’s (left) was 7 pounds 9 ½ ounces, 27 inches long with a girth of 15 inches. He caught his on Crystal Meth, Sucker Spawn. Color was Pink.

Jeramey’s (right) fish was 7 pounds 3 ½ ounces, 28 ¾ inches long with a girth of 15 inches. He caught his on a Woolly Bugger, Black/Green was his color. They both caught them at the Chutes on Walnut Creek.

Saturday fishing between the bridge and Stop Sign hole. There were quite a few people here today.

Fishing at the famous Stop Sign hole.

Ten year old Aiden Hulings of Kane, PA brought in an 11 pound 6 ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 29 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He caught it at the mouth of Crooked Creek using a single egg.

Philip Diehl of Hollidaysburg PA brought in an 11 pound 1 ½ ounce female Steelhead. It was 29 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He caught her in between the Stop Sign hole and Manchester Hole on Walnut Creek. He was using a “Stimulator” fly. Colors were Gray/Yellow/Orange.

Not much happening right now. We had about 15 minutes of snow but no accumulation. This weekend is supposed to be very windy with gusts of 30 knots. Waves on the lake are to be 5-7 ft up till Sunday night.

There are a few fish in the Manchester and Stop Sign holes and even in between (see above). There's water in the creek and the color is good.

Eleven year old Alex McCracken of Wallaceton, PA brought in his Angler Award sized fish. It was 10 pounds 13 ounces, 29 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 18 ½ inches. He caught it on Thursday but didn’t bring it in until Friday to get weighed. He caught it at the Stop Sign hole on Walnut Creek. He was using a White Imp.

Shawn Bissett of Mather, PA brought in this nice male. It was 12 pounds 10 ½ ounces, 31 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 18 ¾ inches. He caught it at the Stop Sign Hole on Walnut Creek using a Green Woolly Bugger.

Bill Oshinski (Billy O) came in with a nice 12 pound 11 ounce Steelhead. It was 31 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He caught it out on the boat in 17 ft of water off Trout Run. He was using Lil Cleo’s. Color was Blue/Silver.

Thirteen year old Matthew Deyarmin of Cherry Tree, PA brought in an 8 pound 2 ounce Steelhead for Junior Award. It was 28 inches long and had a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it on 12 mile Creek using Skein.

Ten year old Michael Thomas Secosky of Greensburg, PA caught his Junior Award fish in Manchester Hole. It was 8 pounds 15 ½ ounces, 29 ½ inches long and a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it using Fathead Minnows.

Twenty three year old Casey Gallagher of Kittanning PA caught her Angler Award sized fish between Manchester Hole and the Stop Sign Hole. It was 10 pounds 4 ½ ounces, 27 ½ inches long and had a girth of 17 ¾ inches. She was using egg sacks.

MARINA OPENING:

We opened the Marina today at 2 PM for fishing. Here is the North Wall lined up with fishermen waiting to cast their lines.

Walnut Creek Basin:
Weather permitting, the docks and launch ramps are scheduled to be removed and the Walnut Creek Marina basin is to be open to fishing on November 3rd at 2:00 pm. The Walnut Creek Basin can provide great fishing, especially when trib conditions are low. The basin is handicap accessible and is a great place for the kids to fight that first steelhead. Restroom facilities are close by along with a a place to warm up, phone service, ice, information, and fishing licenses. For more information on the Walnut Creek Marina you can call 814-833-2464.

Eleven year old Breanna Hauser of Erie, Pa came in with a couple nice Perch. They both were over 1 pound each but this one was 1 pound 1 ½ ounces, 12 ½ inches long with a girth of 9 ½ inches. She caught it out in 67 ft of water off Trout Run using Golden Shiners.

STEELHEAD:

The water in Walnut Creek is a pretty good color right now. It has been low and clear but with the rains we had it brought in some fish and stirred up the creek a little.

So far the weather this week has been good for fishing. With all the rain we had this past weekend it brought in a few fish. Most of them are being caught at the Manchester Hole on Walnut Creek. I know Elk Creek has a few in too. The lake has been real rough so there hasn’t been any lake shore fishing to speak of.

I will try to get some stream pictures for next week.

MARINA OPEN DATE:

If the weather holds we are aiming for THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD AT 2 PM to open the marina for fishing.

WEATHER:

This weekend should be pretty good for fishing in the creek but the lake is supposed to be 8-11 ft waves tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday 4-6 ft waves. Sunday they are supposed to be 2-3 ft but as you all know it changes every 6 hours. Cleveland does an update at: 4 AM and 10 AM / 4 PM and 10 PM. so, it may not be the same tomorrow as it is today.

It is to rain tonight and tomorrow but Saturday and Sunday partly sunny.

Misguided Hooks: With elbow to elbow fishing conditions, the occasional misguided hook can be fairly common. Removing a hook is not as difficult or as painful as many think if done properly. If the hook has pierced the skin and the point and barb are exposed it is simply a matter of cutting the barbed end and eye off with a pair of nippers or needle nosed pliers and pulling it out. The situation is a little tougher when the barb is buried. The proper way is as follows, assuming that the hook is not in a delicate area such as the ear lobe or near the eyes. Those situations would dictate seeking professional attention:

1) Press firmly on the eye of the hook

2) At the same time use a cloth, string, or some type of wrap that can be wrapped around
the curved portion of the hook

3) While pressing on the eye, pull with one quick motion on the attached cloth. This is
virtually painless (or so I'm told). Irrigate the wound and bandage. Of course this procedure is for small hooks.

Report: Yesterday we went up but got no steelies. Didn't see any boaters getting any either and saw only one shore fisherman get one. We got 3 tickets of perch within 2 1/2 hours. A lot of nice size ones.

Thirteen year old Joe Efaw of Mannington, West Virginia came in with a 1 pound 7 ounce Perch. It was 13 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 10 inches. They were fishing in 56 ft of water a little West of Walnut Creek. They were using Fat head Shiners.

The Perch seem to be scattered all over. Some days they are in 60 ft and others in 50 ft then back to 56 ft. I was told there is a lot of bait out in the water and sometimes it is hard to entice them to take your bait. They are slowing down some though so not a lot of limits coming in.

STEELHEAD:

Nine year old Brayden Powell of Lewistown PA came for his first educational trip for Steelhead. He brought in a couple he was proud of catching. The first one was 7 pound 7 ounces, 25 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 15 ¾ inches. The second one was 6 pounds 12 ounces, 25 ¾ inches long and its girth was 14 ½ inches. He caught them both using Sucker Spawn and flies. They didn't quite make Angler Award but he didn't care. They still were nice fish and he was very happy.

Bartley Malie of Pittsburgh, PA brought in this nice female. She was 13 pounds 1 ounce, 32 ½ inches long and had a girth of 19 ½ inches. He caught her in the channel of Walnut Creek using a Spoon. The color was Blue/Silver.

Chris Kagey of Barkhamsted, CT came in with a nice sized male Steelhead. This is his first Steelhead trip and first trip to PA staying for just six days. Altogether he caught five fish and he is going to get this one mounted. It was 8 pounds 8 ounces, 27 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 inches. It didn’t make Angler Award but it was the biggest fish he caught. He caught it at Elk Creek using Brass head Fly’s.

As of this writing there are a few fish in the creek. I spotted approximately 100 fish from the bridge down to the small launch ramp in Walnut Creek. They are some pods of 20-30 fish and them some stragglers by themselves swimming around. The water is low and clear and the next couple days I don’t see anything changing. We are to have nice weather in the 70’s and the lake is only to be 1-2 ft waves. Nice for lakeshore fishing.

Please don’t forget: The boaters have right-of-way in the channel. You MUST pull your lines ALL the way out of the water when boats are exiting and entering the channel. The boats also have to hug the East wall because of the sandbar in the center of the channel.

September 28th, 2011

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: September and early October often present a variety of of opportunities for area anglers and this year is no exception. Earlier this week temperatures soared into the eighties slowing the steelhead migration but at the same time allowing boaters to continue to take to the Lake for perch and the remaining walleye. The Walnut Creek Access was busy over the weekend with an overlap of steelhead anglers and boaters getting in some late season perch and walleye fishing

Steelhead continue to stage at the tributary mouths with only a few steelhead observed in the Trout Run Nursery waters. Boaters have had some luck trolling the shoreline as have the shore anglers. The "chorus line" continues to build along the shore at Trout Run with catches at daybreak are common. A number of anglers were casting spoons along the shoreline at Walnut Creek this past Sunday just east of the channel with surprising success. Water levels remain very low in the tribs however, a strong cold front is predicted to move through the area late this week and through the weekend bring cool and even cold night time temperatures along with some precipitation The coming weekend may be good if predictions hold up. Current Lake temperature is still a warm 69 degrees. Late night and early daybreak anglers are having luck on the wall at Walnut Creek and to some degree up to the access at Elk Creek. Spoons, tipped minifoo jigs, paste baits, single eggs, shiners, and crawlers have all been productive baits. As is typical, September continues to be a banner month for perch. 55-62' due north of Walnut Creek and north of the point at Presque Isle at the '886 and '490 location are the productive areas.
Boaters are limiting out in as little as a few hours catching doubles and triples of 12-inch-plus perch. If Emerald Shiners are not available, Fathead Minnows will work in a pinch.

Twelve year old Luke Ostermeyer of Portersville, PA brought in an 8 pound 10 ounce Walleye for Junior Award. It was 29 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 75 ft of water off the Light House. It was caught on a Stinger Spoon and the color was Orange/Silver.

PERCH:

Townville, PA resident, nine year old Cameron Ward brought in a 1 pound 1 ounce Perch for Junior Award. It was 12 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 10 inches. He caught it straight out of Walnut Creek in 55 ft of water on Emerald shiner.

Here is Cameron Ward again on another day bringing in his 13 ½ ounce Perch. It was 12 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 8 ¾ inches long. He was out in 57 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek. They were using Emerald shiners.

A few steelhead have been caught at daybreak along the wall at the Walnut Creek Access but the definitive word is few. A very small pod of fish has been observed off and on in the Walnut channel and there are actually a few fish that have made it upstream to the project waters . Be advised, his is not the starting gun of the season, but it is an indication that conditions are starting to change and a few fish are starting the day break exploratory runs. The tribs are exceptionally low and clear. The Walnut project waters diversion is continues to do its job well directing water into the holes holes and keeping and keeping them clear. The timbers that were put in place for these diversions have held up well.

A good number of steelhead have been brought in from the deeper waters of the lake when conditions permit.

Perch fishing should remain good for a while wind and waves permitting with walleye catches beginning to taper as the lake temperatures drop.

Current Lake Erie water temperatures as of this writing is a bit warmer than normal at 75 degrees off Erie. Current tributary conditions are very low and clear.

Eight year old Sophia Chaney of Erie, PA caught this 8 pound 9 ounce Junior Award sized Walleye. It was 30 ¼ inches long and 16 inches was the girth. She caught it out in 73 ft of water NorthEast of Walnut Creek using worm harness. Her color was Watermelon.

Twelve year old Zoe Chaney of Erie, sister of Sophia caught her Junior Award sized fish. It was 9 pound 3 ounces, 30 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 inches. She caught hers out in 73 ft. of water also using worm harness but her color was green “Mad Money”.

Perch:

The Perch are still there straight out of Walnut Creek in 50 ft. of water and if you go either East or West of the pack you can get them there too in 54-56 ft. of water.

STEELHEAD:

I have had quite a few people tell me that they are hearing about Steelhead in the creeks. I walk along the creek here at Walnut Creek just about every day I am here (four days a week) and I have not seen a fish in it. The lake temperature is 75 degrees at this writing and we just had a little rain last night that didn’t do a thing to bring the creek up any. It is still low and clear. I can see the rocks in the bottom. Maybe at night or early morning someone might get a “Scout” but they are few and far in between. When the lake temperature gets to 65 – 70 degrees then you can start looking for them.

It is still too warm (75 degrees). I am getting people getting them out in the trenches though, but just a few. No boats are trolling in front of the creeks yet either. Give it another few weeks.

With overnight temperatures in the 50's and things starting to cool off, steelhead have been staging near the mouths of Walnut Creek and Trout Run. A few steelhead have been entering Walnut Creek at night but quickly head for cooler water at daybreak. There have been a few unconfirmed reports of steelhead caught along the shoreline at Trout Run in the early dawn hours. It is probably not too early to do some early morning trolling near the mouths or to be trying your luck along the shorelines or along the "Wall" at Walnut Creek. Current Lake Erie water temperature is 76 degrees. West County tribs are low and clear with little to no flow.

The Wall:
Anglers fishing the wall along the channel entering Lake Erie at the Walnut Creek Access are again advised that boaters have the absolute right of way angler's lines. Anglers fishing the wall must remove their lines and give way to boaters exiting and entering the channel. Allowing ones line to entangle the prop of a passing boater in this area is a citable offense. Fishing line tangled in a prop can damage an outdrive seal causing oil leaks and possibly extensive damage. Boaters are asked as a courtesy to sound their horn as the exit the basin into the channel to let anglers know to pull their lines.

Six year old Sean Dewey of Gibsonia, PA brought in a 7 pound 14 ounce Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 28 ½ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 80 ft of water north of the Point on a Reef Runner. Color was Grape Ape.

Nine year old Chase Vrabel of Gibsonia, PA (Sean’s cousin) caught his 8 pound 1 ounce Walleye. It was 28 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught his in 80 ft of water off the Point also. He was using Reef Runner and his color was Bare Naked Wonderbread.

PERCH:

Eleven year old Dakota Smith and his sister thirteen year old Tori of Rural Valley, PA brought in a load of Perch of which two made Junior Angler. Dakota’s was 1 pound 3 ½ ounces, 13 ½ inches long with a girth of 9 ½ inches. Tori’s was 1 pound ½ ounce, 12 ¾ inches long with a girth of 9 inches. They were out in 60 ft of water a little West of Walnut Creek. They also were using Golden Shiners.

STEEL HEAD:

Twelve year old Jason Steiner of Jefferson Hills, PA brought in the first Steelhead to get weighed by me for Junior Angler Award this year. It weighed 10 pounds 2 ½ ounces and was 31 ¼ inches long with a girth of 16 ¼ inches. He caught it straight out of Walnut Creek in 75 ft of water on a Dream Weaver spoon. The color was Silver/Green.

Walleye fishing has been sporadic with no one location being best. Anglers are still catching a good number of short fish to get a few legal size walleye. (of course catching is half the fun). Steelhead have been hitting well in the deeper waters. As of this writing, there is still no major evidence of steelhead staging near the tributary mouths.

Perch fishing has been fair to good depending on who you talk to. When the lake is calm, anglers have been doing well in 52 feet of water due North of the Walnut Creek Access.

Current Lake Erie water temperatures is 79 degrees off Erie. Current tributary conditions as of this writing are very low and very clear.

Thirteen year old Logan Schuller of New Castle, PA came in with an 8 pound ½ ounce Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 29 ½ inches long and had a girth of 16 ½ inches. He caught it out in 70 ft of water off Godfrey Run on a Renosky Plug. The color was Rainbow Trout.

Fifteen year old Cameron Kirkwood of Leeper, PA brought in for Junior Angler Award a 7 pound 13 ounce Walleye. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 16 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 74 ft of water between Walnut and Trout Run. He was using worm harness (Blueberry Muffin).

Twelve year old Ellen Valerio of Girard, PA brought in a 7 pound 12 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 27 ¾ inches long with a girth of 17 inches. She caught it out in 74 ft of water East of Walnut Creek off the Condo’s on a worm harness. Color was Rainbow.

SMALL MOUTH BASS:

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
As of late a dozen people will give you a dozen different reports. Anglers are still having the most success for walleye and a few steelhead in the colder, deeper waters of the lake which in many cases may often be too far off shore for some of the smaller watercraft. Boats fishing north of the point off Presque Isle nearly to the Canadian line and West have been doing well. Perch fishing is a bid sporadic with schools somewhat on the move and anglers having to move often to bring in their limits. As of this writing the most productive perch fishing has been in 52 to 54 feet of waters off the Presque Isle condos and the point. The exceptionally warm Lake temperatures this year seem to have fish on the move in search of colder more oxygen enriched waters. A few anglers have been spotted fishing the wall at Walnut Creek at night in search of that first tributary steelhead but it's a bit early. The tribs are still very low and very warm and there hasn't been any evidence of early staging at the mouths. Current Lake Erie water temperature off Erie is 78 degrees.

Nine year old Gage Schwarz of Aliquippa, PA brought in a 9 pound 9 ½ ounce Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He caught it out in 77 ft of water Northeast of Walnut Creek on a Renowsky Plug. Color was Blue.

Fourteen year old Tom Donnelly of South Park, PA brought in an 8 pound 11 ½ ounce fish for Junior Angler Award. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He caught it out in 68 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on a worm harness. Color was Pink.

PERCH:

Nine year old Cameron Ward of Townville, PA brought in a 1 pound ½ ounce Perch for Junior Angler Award. It was 13 inches long and had a girth of 9 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 56 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek and a little East. He was using Emerald Shiners.

WEATHER:

The weather this coming weekend is:

Friday – Southwest winds / 1-3 ft waves

Saturday – Southeast winds / 1-3 ft waves - 50% chance of thunderstorms

Sunday – North winds 2-4 ft waves - 50% chance of thunderstorms

Thirteen year old Edmund Pyska brought in a 1 lb -3 oz Perch for Junior Award. It was 13 ½ inches long and had a girth of 8 ¾ inches. He caught it out in 30 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on worms.

The Perch have slowed down some. The boaters were going out in 45-55 ft of water for the Perch. If you can find them and they start biting, just stick around. They seem to go in circles and come back about every 15 - 20 minutes.

WALLEYE

Thirteen year old Alex Takacs of Clinton, PA came in with his 8 lb-14 oz Walleye. It was 29 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He caught it out in 75 ft of water West of Walnut Creek using an Orange Reef Runner.

Thirteen year old Jason Meier of IL come in with a 9 lb-7 ½ oz Walleye. It was 28 ¾ inches long with a girth of 17 inches. He caught it out in 77 ft of water on the NE side of the First Trench. He caught it on Wonder Bread Renowsky.

The bait and method of the day was drifting minnows with rod in hand.

Gobies like minnows too! But bass like minnows also. Nice up the chain affect minnow to goby to big bronze back. Notice the goby hanging out of the mouth! Too bad they don’t eat them fast enough. The gobies have a large affect on the bass population. Bass spawn once a year where the gobies spawn more than once.

Six year old Grace Ruhlman of Warren PA brought in her 1 pound Perch for Angler Award. It was 13 ½ inches long and had a girth of 8 ½ inches. She caught it out in 52 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on Emerald Shiners.

The Perch fishing seems to be very good. Most everyone going out is limiting on them and in all different depths. Anywhere from 44 ft out to 60 ft. of water. Most boats are going straight out of Walnut and heading just a little East.

WALLEYE:

Thirteen Ryan Bates of Greensburg PA brought in his 9 pound 14 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 30 ½ inches long and its girth was 17 inches. He caught it in 68 ft of water off Elk Creek on an Ice Blue Lure.

Five year old Mathew Kohler of Cranberry Township, Pa brought in a 9 pound 1 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He caught it out in 72 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on a “Michigan Stinger” spoon. His color was Green/Blue.

The Walleye are being hard to find. Some people are going all the way to the Ohio line and some are going straight out of Walnut.

Fourteen year old Dan Wanker of Pittsburgh brought in a 10 pound 1 ounce Walleye for Junior Angler Award. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught it in 70 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek using a Green Flash, Reef Runner.

Sixteen year old Jerry Martis of Belle-Vernon, PA brought in his 8 pound 12 ½ ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 29 inches long and had a girth of 17 inches. He caught it out in 65 ft of water West of Elk Creek on a worm harness. The color was Watermelon.

Fourteen year old Lucas Riggleman of Hollidaysburg, PA brought in his Junior Award sized Walleye. It was 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 27 ½ inches long with a girth of 17 inches. He caught his out in 59 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on worm harness. Color was Orange.

June 29th, 2011

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
Perch fishing continues to be fair to good although the schools seem to be on the move not having settled heavily in any particular areas.. 45 to 50 feet of water Northwest of Walnut Creek is the currently the hot area. with good numbers schooling up at similar depths North of the point at Presque Isle. A good number of perch (30) and walleye limits (6) were brought into the Walnut Access this past weekend. Good Perch action typically will last all summer and well into the fall months. Shiners are plentiful although many anglers will use fathead minnows. The fat heads will not trigger as many strikes however, they are much easier to keep alive in the bait bucket.
Bass fishing continues to be good. Presque Isle Bay has been good in any area where there is cover. Hot spots include Horseshoe pond around the Perry Monument, the North and South Piers, and the East and West Piers along the channel entering Mariana Lake. Tube baits and other soft plastics, jerk baits, and live shiners, leeches, and crawlers have all been working well. One of the best baits for bass are live crayfish available at some bait shops.

Walleye action seems to have picked up somewhat. Boaters have been picking up eyes in shallower water, 25 to 45 feet and in 60 to 65 feet North of the Point and West to Walnut Creek. Michigan Stinger spoons and crawler harnesses are always good starter choices. Reef runners in gold and copper have been triggering good strikes as well as.

The Stateline ponds along Interstate 90 at the Ohio line have had very little fishing pressure lately. This can be a good place to try your luck for crappie, perch, and sunfish. The ponds also hold a fair number of bass. The Stateline ponds are relatively shallow and are a good place to use a canoe or small car top boats. There are no launch ramps and most of the area is primitive.

Current Lake Erie water temperature off Erie is 66 degrees

Thirteen year old Tori Smith of Rural Valley, PA brought in a 14 ounce Perch for her Angler Award. It was 12 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 8 inches. She caught it out a little East of Trout Run in 44 ft of water. She was using Golden Shiners.

Not many people coming in with any kind of fish. Walleye and Perch both seem to be very hard to find since the lake turned over. The water has been fluctuating between 67 ft and 53 ft of water for the past two weeks.

Last Wednesday the people were catching limits of Perch and Walleye then the lake turned and I haven’t heard of many boats limiting on any fish. Perch are about the only fish people are getting close to limiting on.

The Walleye seem to be going out deeper from where the few being caught are at. I have had a few boats come in with some and where from 12 -13 fish for a boat with three to five guys on board. So, no limits being met. They were going out 7 miles for those.

Fishing should start picking up (if the weather co-operates) in the next week or so. The migration from Ohio hasn’t come this way yet according to the biologist. This weekend the lake is supposed to be rough.

Also I have had a couple people ask me about the Bowfin. I was given this site to refer people to who are interested in knowing the status of the Bowfin. The site is: http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/bowfin.htm So if you know of anyone who says to Kill and throw away these fish, give them this site. They are on the "Candidate" list.

June 22nd, 2011

West Erie County

DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: Lake conditions have been relatively calm at times over the last week and warm temperatures have finally arrived in Erie, at least for now. With the lake recently "turning over", surface temps had dropped ink down in the 50's however the warmer ambient temps in the forecasts should get things back to normal quickly. Fair to good conditions have sent anglers out on Lake Erie in large numbers especially this past weekend. Walleye catches have been very good with a number of limits brought in. Prime trolling areas have been in 25 to 45 feet of water west of Walnut Creek as far as the Ohio line with the "trolling lanes" a bit congested at times. The small "cookie" size dipseys or flat lines with crawler harnesses are bringing them in. Boards have been helpful on the calmer days. Bass fishing is still good to excellent throughout Presque Isle Bay and along the Lake shore east of the Bay in 25 to 30 feet of water. The long awaited perch schools are starting to form both off the point at Presque Isle in 40-42' of water and due north off of Walnut Creek. Long term forecasts indicate warm weather and little rain through the weekend laying the ground work for busy launch ramps all week. Current Lake Erie water temperature is 55 degrees.
Walnut Creek Access

Hope to See you on the Water
Good Luck To All

Eleven year old Dylan Rybarick of Templeton, PA and eleven year old Dakota Smith of Rural Valley brought in their Angler Award sized Perch. Dylan’s was 1 lb ½ ounce, 13 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 9 ¼ inches. Dakota’s was 14 ounces, 12 ½ inches long and had a girth of 9 inches. They caught them out in 44 ft of water between Trout and Walnut Creek on Emerald Shiners. The boat they were in caught two limits.

WALLEYE:

Walleye are right out there with the Perch. Most boaters are going out off Trout Run and that is where most of the fish are being caught. The water temperature yesterday, Wednesday, was 65 degrees. Today it is 55 degrees. It seems to go up and then down every week.

Wayne Cunningham of Erie brought in an 11 pound 4 ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 30 ½ inches long and had a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He caught it out in 35 ft of water off Trout Run using Stick bait. His color was Purple.

John Brogley (Bronco) of Coraopolis, PA came in with an 11 pound 2 ounce Walleye. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 19 ½ inches. He caught it out off Trout Run in 37 ft of water on a Bango Plug. His color was Black/Silver.

BOATING:

Don't forget to have your boat trailer inspected. Law Enforcement will be checking randomly for uninspected boat trailers. Also, make sure to watch all the signs on the property. Stop signs, Do Not Enter sign etc..

West Erie County

DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: Lake temperatures have struggled to reach the mid 60's making the West Basin migration to our area a bit later than usual. Perch continue to school, but are moving around. 25' - 40' of water due north and west of Walnut Creek. Similar depths north of Seagull Point are starting to produce. Anglers have been having fair to good success from the shore at Walnut, Chestnut Street and the East Avenue launches. Bass action has been great with regular bass season now in effect. Trolling the lake shore at various depths until they are located and then jigging when you locate them is most productive. Tube baits, blade spinners, and jigging blade baits are great choices

Carp fanatics have been doing well in Misery Bay and the Lagoons area. These monsters can put up a great fight and are easy to catch. Strong line and a rod with a stiff back along with minnows, dead or alive and crawlers fished on the bottom are the ticket. Carp are the number one game fish in many European countries and have just started to gain popularity here. The weedy areas near shore in the Lagoons, particularly near the canoe livery at Presque Isle is a good place to try.

Current Lake Erie water temperature off Erie is 65 degrees

Good Luck to All
Hope to see you on the Water

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
Very warm area temperatures have given a boost to a rise in water temperatures on Lake Erie. Perch have been hitting North West between Walnut Creek and Trout Run in 38 to 40 feet of water as well as north of the cribs in 30 to 35 feet with the action gradually improving. Best bet for now is to stay on the move until you lock in a small school. Bass angling is still good in 25 to 35 feet of water all along the Erie shoreline. Bass fishing on Lake Erie has become the summer steelhead replacement with anglers literally coming from all over the country and Canada to experience the thrill and fight of Lake Erie Smallmouth fishing. Walleye have been hitting in the early morning and at dusk west of Walnut Creek in 25 to 30 feet of water.

Pike angling has been fair to good. Not many fish put up a better fight pound for pound. Presque Isle Bay offers some of the best Pike fishing in the country with plenty of trophies waiting to be caught. Pike generally aren't too fussy and often anything shiny will attract their attention. Silver flatfish lures, silver spoons, and chrome rattle traps are great choices. Pike also love live shiners (the larger, the better) suspended under a float. Strong line or a steel leader is a good idea to keep their razor sharp teeth from snapping your line. Pike should be handled carefully when caught with hands and fingers kept behind the gills. Although a bit of a challenge to clean, pike can make good table fare. The area in front of the Chestnut Street launch, outside the Cherry Street Marina , and through out the west end of the bay are good target areas Current Lake Erie water temperature is 63 degrees

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
The holiday weekend brought the warm temperatures to the area, kicking off the unofficial start of the Erie area boating season. A scorcher this past Monday put a good number of boats on the Lake and the Bay. Anglers jumped at the chance take advantage of good wind and wave conditions on Lake Erie. The question all weekend was "where are the perch?" It is a bit early, and Perch catches were sporadic with anglers still looking for the large schools. A number of anglers are claimed to be marking sizable schools at times although they just aren't hitting hard yet. Bass anglers are still hitting them well both in the bay and out in the lake. Walleye catches have been fair at night along the Lake shore in 15 to 25 feet of water. Rising temperature forecasts over the next few week or so should quickly bring lake temperatures up and improve both the perch and walleye fishing. Bass fishing has been fair to good in the tribs especially in the deeper slow moving pools. The Fairview Gravel pit pond is still holding plenty of stocked trout.
Current Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is an 56 degrees, relatively normal for early June.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Erie , like much of the state continues to work its way through very wet spring. Monday night brought heavy wind and rain through out the night that will likely affect fishing patterns through the week. Lake Fishing is picking up the wind and waves cooperate, with the anglers targeting smallmouth trophies along the lakeshore in 20 to 35feet of water. Catch rates have been fair to good off the old International Paper site on the east side of the City of Erie, and West of Walnut Creek in similar depths. Anglers unable to take to the Lake can find good smallmouth fishing from the shore on the south side of Presque Isle State Park and along the North and South Piers along the Erie Channel. Small mouth fishing has been fair from the boat launch north to the Lake at the Elk Creek access and off the Wall at the Walnut Creek Access Area. Some lake perch are being caught for the patient anglers, but no big numbers yet. A number of sizable Lake Trout are being brought in to the Northeast Marina as well. Current Lake Erie Water temperature is 51 degrees.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
The wet and windy Spring continues around Erie with the rainfall creating significant run off and affecting fishing patterns throughout the area. The Erie area has Lake Fishing is picking up though, with the anglers targeting smallmouth trophies along the lakeshore in 20 to 40 feet of water. Catch rates have been good off the International Paper site on the east side of the City of Erie, and West of Walnut Creek. Anglers unable to take to the Lake can find good smallmouth fishing from the shore on the south side of Presque Isle State Park and along the North and South Piers along the Erie Channel. Small mouth fishing has been fair from the boat launch north to the Lake at the Elk Creek access and off the Wall at the Walnut Creek Access Area. Some lake perch are being caught for the patient anglers, but no big numbers yet. A good number of sizable Lake Trout are being brought in to the Northeast Marina as well. Current Lake Erie Water temperature is 46 degrees. (down from over 50 degrees a few weeks ago)

Walnut Creek Access Area:

The new traffic patterns have at the Walnut Creek Access for a number of years now and have been working well when used correctly. Boaters and anglers are advised to observe the posted signs and follow the marked traffic patterns to help ease congestion. Traffic not obeying posted traffic signs and patterns are subject fines. It is also suggested that boaters check trailers for proper registration. Expired registrations are a violation anywhere in Pennsylvania.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ISSUES:

Please be advised that trailer inspections and traffic patterns/signs at Walnut Creek Access will be enforced. Make sure your trailer is inspected if needed (3000 + lbs). Also, watch for all directional signs on the premises. STOP signs, DO NOT ENTER signs, WRONG WAY signs etc.... It has been this way for quite a while now so please be aware.

FISHING:

So far I haven't heard any good reports on fishing. Only a few boats going out yet and mostly for Bass. No reports yet on Perch or Walleye. Water temperature is still cold. It was up to 51 degrees now as of today it is only 42 degrees. It seems to be heading in the wrong direction.

FISH FOR FREE DAYS:

Memorial Day, May 30, and Labor Day, September 5, are Fish for Free days. All rules remain except you do not need a license. Also, Cabela's is having a contest ocinsiding with Memorial Day's Fish For Free day. It is called Cabela's "Wanna Go Fishing For Millions". You can find information on it on the PFBC website.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions Spring Bass and crappie season is picking up as Bay temperatures slowly rise. Most area launch ramps are in and boaters are taking to the bay and even the Lake when the weather permits. Area temperatures are still on the cool side. As the Lake temperatures slowly warm, and it has been slow, it wont be long before the perch schools form and the migrating walleye move in from the Western Basin. Perch and Bass fishing has fair to good along the North and South Piers as has perch. Bass anglers are reporting the action is getting better throughout Presque Isle Bay. There are still a few steelhead remaining in the area tribs, but the numbers are low having been replaced by suckers, small mouth bass and few catfish.
Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 50 degrees.

We are looking for the Walleye bite to start when the water temps get up another 5-7 degrees. We have found some schools and will go after them very soon. We still have some good dates open so if you are thinking about a trip don't wait until the lat minute and hope your dates are open book today and don't get closed out.

Shoreline Fishing at Night for Walleye
Walleye season opens on Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay, and the PA tributaries to Lake Erie on May 7th. Although Lake temperatures are a little cold yet for migratory walleye, early season anglers will be trying their luck along the shorelines near the Walnut access area and Trout and Godfrey runs. The jetties just east of the Walnut Creek Channel are the most popular spots at night. Resident walleye often will come in close to shore after sunset in search of stocked smolts and shiners. Patient anglers can cash in with a little skill and finesse. It is arguable how successful anglers are with these early season walleye, but be assured we have observed many successful night time outings. Wading the shoreline or fishing from shore with light line (4 to 6 lb.) using large Rapellas in rainbow, silver, and fire tiger patterns are the ticket. Cast out as far as you can and let the lure rest, giving it an occasional twitch. Patience in and allowing the lure to float motionless at times is critical for success. Typically the strikes are hard and obvious since these "resident" walleye are often the "lunkers." Secrets to success are patience, keeping quiet and not using any light. Successful anglers say even a lit cigarette can scare them away from the shore at night. Calm moon lit evenings and a glass lake surface tend to be the most productive although the action can start shortly after sunset at times.

Boaters often have success as well this time of year staying close to shore and either casting or trolling. Planer boards are almost a must for near shore walleye when trolling. A reminder that the walleye limits have changed for this year. The minimum size is 15" with a daily creel limit of 6 fish.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: A fair number of fresh steelhead in the 15' to 20" range, or "jacks" as they are often called, have moved into the lower stretches of Elk and Walnut Creeks. Fresh steelhead in this size range put up a great fight on the end of a noodle or fly rod and can be better table fare than the larger older steelhead. These fresh fish are generally aggressive and will hit a variety of presentations depending on water clarity. Small presentations will work, especially single cured eggs and egg pattern flies along with the micro jigs and live grubs. Suckers have begun to move into the tribs which is a good indicator that the warmer spring weather may actually be around the corner. A few boats were spotted this past weekend on Presque Isle bay targeting post ice crappie and pan fish. Current West County trib conditions as of this writing were stained with good to hard flow.

Ice on Presque Isle Bay is melting fast with reports on Tuesday of a few inches or so inches of soft unstable ice with considerable slush and water. Anglers are advised that ice conditions should now be considered unsafe. There have been a number of reported fall throughs on Presque Isle Bay over the last few weeks. Rain and warm daytime temperatures this week may bring the hardwater season to an end by the weekend.

On the bright side, ice out typically means the beginning of an abundance of slab crappie in and around Presque Isle Bay.

Current tributary conditions as of this writing are high and flowing with good color. The stage is set.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: A winter blast hit the Erie area Monday leaving up to a foot and a half of wet snow with the expected this week. The area tribs had melted down, jamming the mouths with the large broken ice flows. Although there is some open water on the tribs, they have begun to quickly refreeze.

The ice has been thick enough on Presque Isle Bay to withstand the spring temperatures late last week and was crowded with ice huts this past weekend. Ice thickness has been reported anywhere from 4 inches up to 10 inches depending on what part of the bay you are on. Catch reports at Presque Isle have been sporadic with mostly blue gills filling the buckets. There have been reports of good size perch catches and the occasional steelhead.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: Mild temperatures early this week put a good dent in melting down much of the snow and ice that has piled up around the area. Although ice in most areas is still stable, there was considerable standing water and slush on the Bay and Tribs this past Monday. Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the high 50's are later this week which may be enough to open the tribs and start the ice jams. Anglers are advised to use extreme caution in all areas as this warming trend approaches. Ice fishing on Presque Isle Bay for perch and steelhead has been sporadic although gill catches seem to be plentiful.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions: Erie has been part of the arctic blast that has sent the mercury into the single digits over much of the last week. High winds and drifting snow have made travel difficult and many have been content to stay in the warmth and safety of their homes or workplaces. On the other hand the popularity of ice fishing our area, especially on Presque Isle Bay seems to grow every year. This past weekend found countless huts on the bay and many hardwater folks trying their luck on the Walnut channel and along the shore at Trout Run. Frigid temperatures have accelerated ice thickness around the area. Anglers coming off Presque Isle Bay Tuesday afternoon reported Ice as thick as 10 to 12 inches in many areas. Although there is plenty of thick ice, a heavy blanket of snow has slowed the formation of hard "black ice" in some areas. With the wind howling temperatures in the single digits, the shelter of a hut is a necessity. As always, ice fishing reports vary greatly, depending on who you talk to, but in general, fish are being caught. Lake Erie, although not quite completely frozen, seems to be well on its way.

Anglers have had success targeting steelhead through the ice at the Walnut Creek Basin and in the channel just outside the basin. Broken drift ice has built up along the Lake Erie shoreline. This ice is not solid or stable and should be considered unsafe. The Manchester hole although mostly ice covered although fast flowing water under the ice in this area is a recipe for danger.

A number of anglers found good ice fishing at the Upper Gravel Pit pond in Fairview this past weekend bringing in a few nice perch and a a few leftover stockies. Shiners were the ticket. The Gravel Pit pond is somewhat sheltered from the high winds that often blow on Presque Isle Bay and can be a good place for those without a portable ice shanty. The Gravel pit, although not a large body of water, is quite deep.

Ice Fishing Gear Reminder:
It is unlawful while ice fishing to use more than five fishing devices, which may consist of rods, hand lines, tip-ups, or any combination. Each device shall contain a single fishing line with no more than three hooks attached to each line. Holes cut in ice may not exceed 10 inches between the farthest points as measured in any direction. All lines, rods, or tip-ups shall be under the immediate control of the person using them. On Fish & Boat Commission lakes, shelters, or shanties must be removed when through fishing for the day.

Presque Isle Bay was just starting to get to the solid ice stage when the thaw hit. The existing ice suffered considerable melting and what remains has softened considerably. As of Monday afternoon better than two thirds of the Presque Isle Bay was ice free with the remaining ice risky at best. Many stress cracks are visible and the Bay should be considered very unstable for now. Day time temperatures in the twenties ma make the window of opportunity for trib fishing short lived, but for now conditions are good. The Walnut Creek marina basin was ice free as of late Monday. The shoreline at Trout Run, although not frozen, was scattered with loose drifting ice and slush. Current West County trib conditions as of Tuesday were high and flowing nicely with good color.

A few anglers found good ice fishing at the Upper Gravel Pit pond in Fairview this past weekend bringing in a few nice perch and a a few leftover stockies. Shiners were the ticket. The Gravel Pit pond is somewhat sheltered from the high winds that often blow on Presque Isle Bay and can be a good place for those without a portable ice shanty. The Gravel pit, although not a large body of water, is quite deep. Be sure to check ice thickness carefully.

Eleven year old Stephen Van Horn of Rural Valley, PA brought in a 9 pound 2 ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 28 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught it in the Project waters in Walnut Creek on Wooly Bugger. Black/Orange.

Well this is the last of the season. Our office hours are going to the weekends only now. My hours will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s from 7 AM till 5:30 PM. I will be here on the 23rd also which is a Thursday but that is to close up shop.

2011 FISHING LICENSES:

The 2011 Fishing Licenses are out now and can be bought down here if you are trying to think of a good Christmas present. The Creel limit and Size limit are the same as last year.

Winter Fishing Tip:
Allowing your reel to get wet in freezing weather can render the drag system ineffective. Be sure to thoroughly dry out a wet reel and oil lightly.... especially in freezing conditions

Paul Durci of Sarver, PA brought in this nice sized male Steelhead. It was 15 pounds 7 ounces, 32 inches long and had a girth of 21 inches. He caught it at 20 mile and brought it all the way here so it most likely was even heavier. He caught it on a Sucker Spawn.

Thirteen year old Jeramey Kehler came all the way from Reading PA for an educational trip. He caught this 8 pound 13 ½ ounce Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 26 ½ inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught it at the Stop Sign hole on Walnut Creek using a Sucker Spawn. The color for him was White/blue.

Paul Lorigan of Oil City, PA brought in an 11 pound 2 ½ ounce female. She was 29 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught her on the Bin wall at Walnut Creek using a K-O Wobbler. His color was Green/Silver.

Robert Stevens of Bethel Park, PA brought in his Steelhead for Angler Award. It was 11 pounds 6 ½ ounces and was 31 ½ inches long with a girth of 17 ½ inches. He caught it on his fly rod which he only started using two years ago. He caught it at the Stop Sign hole on a Sucker Spawn also but his color was Pink.

The water so far this year has been very low. It seems the only time anyone is catching anything is after a rain which we have only had three rains so far this season. The fish seem to know how much is coming and when they come in they shoot all the way up as far as they can go. They don’t bother stopping at the mouth.

Most of the fish getting caught are in the project waters and up above the Manchester Bridge. Thursday, Nov. 18, seemed to be a productive day. I had a few fish in the 8 & 9 pound range come in and also a couple 6 & 7 pounders.

WALNUT CREEK END OF SEASON:

Nine year old Kyrin Wyatt of Windgap, PA brought in his 11 pound 15 ounce steelhead for Angler Award. It was 30 inches long and had a girth of 18 inches. He caught it at the mouth of Elk Creek on a Flatfish Plug. The color was Fire Tiger.

Eleven Year old Gary Taylor III of Hillsville, Pa came in with his nice catch. It was 9 pound 10 ounce, 28 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 16 ½ inches. He caught it in the Manchester Hole on Walnut Creek using a Pink Trout worm.

PA STEELHEAD ASSOCIATION:

The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association had their Annual “Learn To Fish” outing on Saturday. They had 17 children show up with their parents. The kids had a good time even though they didn’t catch any fish. They had two winners. They were from left to right, Madeline Welch of Erie, Charlotte Nass and her sister Naomi Nass from Bethel. Madeline won the Reel and Naomi won the rod.
It seems very few of the seasoned fishermen where catching any either. Most of the creeks are very low and clear. We haven't had any significant amount of rain to help entice more fish to come in and to dirty up the water a bit. And it doesn’t seem to be any rain in the next week either.

We opened the Marina today 11/3/10 for fishing at noon. Lots of people here for the opening The North wall is where most of the fishing people were set up.

The East wall in front of the building had quite a few too.

The North wall is where the first fish and the next five fish were caught.

The first fish was caught at 12:11 pm. since then five more have been caught within a 10 minute period. Donald Broadwater of Jefferson, PA brought in the first fish. It was 17 inches long. Some of the others that were brought in were the same size.

There are fair to good reports of steelhead being caught in Presque Isle Bay and Marina Bay at Presque Isle State Park. A number of anglers floating shiners have picked up an occasional steelhead while targeting perch and crappie.

Best bets right now would be to target deeper water at the tributary mouths as well as the lakeshore at Trout and Godfrey Runs on calm days.

The Walnut Creek Marina Basin is scheduled to be open to fishing Wednesday November 3rd at noon and may be a good place to try pending additional precipitation

Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 53 degrees. Area tributary conditions as of this writing are low and clear with little flow.

October 27th, 2010

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
Steelhead season is in full swing now with good numbers of fish and anglers spread throughout the area tribs. The access areas at Elk and Walnut Creeks have been crowded and the angler pressure intense. Significant rain on Tuesday has again brought levels making the tribs flowing well. Spin anglers along the wall and the Project waters were doing well on the powerbaits, fresh skein, colored egg sacks and live shiners. Fly anglers were doing well on single egg patterns, small woolly buggers, and suckerspawn patterns in pink, white, cream peach, and red at times. A good number of fish in the 10 LB plus range have been brought in for weighing this year.
Anglers have been doing well in the upper stretches of the tribs around Whitman's bridge in Girard, the Struechan Flats area in Fairview and the areas on Elk Creek around Foleys End Campground.

Crooked Creek has been giving up fish with far less crowded conditions.

Anglers fishing the Lakeshore at Trout and Godfrey run at have been doing very well on calm days and evenings. Egg sacks, single eggs, and the egg imitation patterns have been popular in these areas.

Current Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 56 degrees. West County tributary conditions as of this writing were up and flowing well.

Walnut Creek Marina Basin to Open for Fishing:
Docks are scheduled to be removed from the Walnut Creek marina opening the basin to shore anglers. Fishing will be permitted at 12 Noon, Wednesday, November 3rd assuming that weather conditions do not impede dock removal. For more information, contact the Walnut Creek Access area office at 814-833-2464. The marina basin opening has become an annual tradition at the Walnut Creek Access with anglers often lined up around the perimeter eager to make that first cast. The basin is a great area for introducing the youngsters to steelhead fishing and is a good area for handicapped folks or those that just want to pull up a chairs and sink a line. A fair number of fish have been seen surfacing in the marina the last few weeks.

Trout Run:
The steelhead breeding stock is backed up heavily at the Trout Run Nursery waters where Route 98 ends at Lake Erie. With the opening of significant additional parking, this can be a great shallow water viewing area to take the youngsters for an up close and personal look at these great game fish. The Nursery waters at Trout Run are controlled by the PFBC and although fishing this area is not permitted, sightseers of all ages are welcome.

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
Trib conditions remain somewhat low and clear with some color in the deeper pools and some flow. We have had enough rain to keep the water levels reasonable with some flow. Forecasts are calling for additional rain throughout the week. Weekend crowds have been excessive at the access areas at Walnut and Elk Creeks with anglers lining up elbow to elbow from the Project waters up to the "chutes area". Weekdays are somewhat less crowded. A good number of browns are being caught along with many citation size steelhead. Steelhead can be found throughout lower Elk near the access area. A good number of limits were taken from both areas this past weekend. Less crowded conditions can be found on Elk Creek near the Girard Boro Park up to and including the Legion Park area off of Route 20. Fish are holding near the Struchean flats off of Sterretania Road up to Folley's End as well. The upper areas of the Tribs may require a little walking to find fish but should be less crowded. Small wooly buggers, sucker spawn and egg patterns, micro jigs, maggots, along with single cured eggs have been popular in the clear water. Light line or leaders in fluorocarbon are nearly a must in the present conditions. Current Lake Erie water temperature is 57 degrees. Current west county trib conditions are clear with some flow, and very fishable levels.

Fifteen year old Alisha Zanath of Aliquippa, Pa brought in an 8 pound 5 ½ ounce Steelhead. It was 26 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 16 inches. She caught it in Elk Creek on a Gold/Red Cleo. It was also her first fish. Dad was really proud of her.

There are others catching fish but shy in front of the camera. The weather has not been co operating with the fisherman this week. We have had rain up till Wednesday and so the creek was high and muddy. Then on Thursday it started laying down and became a good color. Later in the day they started biting.

Most of the fish are being caught up in Walnut Creek above the Manchester Bridge by the Chutes and above.

Not much action down by the lake though.

Weekend Crowds

Erie has not had significant rainfall since the remains of the dying east coast hurricanes. As such, most all areas on the tribs are low and clear although there is some flow and levels are fishable. The Walnut Project waters and the Manchester Hole are now holding fair to good numbers of fish in each of the holes and anglers have been doing very well along the North Walnut Creek wall at daybreak. Trout Run along the lakeshore has been somewhat productive on calm days at daybreak. Fish are above Route 20 but numbers are limited and fish are still scattered in those areas. Elk Creek has been giving up good numbers of fish from the mouth to the boat launch and on south to the waterfall hole. Very light presentations are a necessity with many experienced anglers opting to use 2 lb. line or tippets. Minnows, small pieces of skein, and egg sacks have been hot along the wall at Walnut. Small suckerspawn patterns in white, peach, and pink along with woolly buggers and small nymphs have been good artificial choices in the shallow pools. Tipped micro jigs in brown, olive and black as well as single cured eggs (the natural kind) have been good choices as well.

Perch and walleye fishing isn't over yet as long as the lake conditions cooperate. Perch are stilled schooled north of Walnut creek in 66 to 71 feet of water. Good walleye fishing can still be found on the South side of the first trench and as of late has been some of the best of the season

Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 66 degrees with the. West County tribs are low and clear and slightly warmer as of this writing.

Report: The Steelies are definitely in. Trolled in front of Trout Run from about 7:30-1pm. Landed 3 and had 5 short strikes.

All hits except one were on black plugs mostly Blakemores.

Short strikes came because I forgot to set my planer board releases a bit tighter for better hook set.

Because the waves were bad out deep a lot of boats trolled in front of the streams. I did not hear of anyone limiting out.

There were a few brave souls out deep with the waves averaging 3-5ft. One or two boaters mentioned fishing for perch. Sounded like they were catching some.

Good Luck To All

Saturday was a day with lots of change. Weather started out nice, 2ft or less and then went to 2-4ft. Late morning it settled down.

We fished first Northwest of Walnut close to the Ohio Border in 71-75ft. By the time we got on the walleyes, one of my crew got the "Erie Flu". We moved to the shelter of the shore and tried for stealies.

On the radio I heard some good reports of walleye and perch. Lots of limits and near limits. I saw "Seawolf" Charters make two trips so the fishing must have been good.

"Fish Connection" charter limited out by 1pm on steelies in close. Lots of steelies being weighed at "Poor Richards."

Nine year old Hunter Briggs of Scottownship, PA came in with a 7 pound 4 ounces Walleye. It was 27 ½ inches long with a girth of 17 ¼ inches. He was out in 65 ft of water West of Walnut Creek using a Fire Tiger Bagley. He also caught this 8 pound 13 ½ ounce fish that was 29 inches long and had a girth of 17 ½ inches. It was caught the same place on the same thing.

Fifteen year old Stephen Pritts of LaTrobe PA brought in his 9 pound 4 ½ ounce Walleye for Angler Award. It was 29 ¼ inches long and had a girth of 17 ¾ inches. He was 77 ft of water straight out of Walnut Creek on a worm harness. The color was Green Emily.

John Theodore of Baden, PA came in with an 8 pound 11 ounce Walleye. It was 29 ¾ inches long and had a girth of 16 ¾ inches. He was out in 75 ft of water off Godfrey Run. He was using a worm harness and Blue Berry Muffin.

The Lake has been rough since last Friday. The lake is muddy as far out as you can see. The temperature dropped from 76 degrees to 69 degrees in that time also. Therefore, no one has been out to go fishing since then. It is supposed to lay down tomorrow and Saturday to 1-3 ft waves.

It looks like the summer may be over.