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EASTERN-ERIE/WESTERN-WARREN COUNTY - WCO Mark Kerr PAN FISH EXTRAVAGANZA:
Anglers frequenting the Siegel Marsh impoundment (west of the junction of SR 8 and Barton Road, Greene Township) have been rewarded with excellent blue gill harvests. Many have limited out and fair numbers of those fish caught have been half the size of pie plates. EAST COUNTY BASS UPDATE:
Anglers have been reporting bass hookups in as little as 10' of water throughout east county waters. Additionally, Twentymile Creek has begun to see large numbers of bass migrating their way upstream, already to areas south of SR 5. BASS SEASON OPENS JUNE 15TH!!:
The opening of the regular bass season begins this Saturday, June 15th.
Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay & Peninsular Waters… 15" minimum size & 4 limit (combined species)
Commonwealth Inland Waters…
*12" minimum size & 6 limit (combined species) [through October 31st]
*15" minimum size & 4 limit (combined species) [November 01st through December 31st] LAKE LEBOEUF WALLEYE:
High water levels have been causing problems for anglers at Lake LeBoeuf; however, with the levels beginning to recede it's a good bet that this lake will again begin to produce nice catches of walleye. We'll keep you posted!! EAST COUNTY PERCH:
Few and far between much east of Sixmile Creek; however there have been some boats and sporadic reports of catches in the area around Eightmile (Shade's Beach). Average depth has been hovering between 22'-25' of water. EAST COUNTY LAKE TROUT UPDATE:
Catches of Lake Trout are being reported due north of North East Access in 110' of water. MK Spoons fished at 90' down seem to be choice.
One fish was weighed in at 27#, just missing the state record of 27#-13 oz. At least 1/2 dozen fish have been weighed in at between 23-24#.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. CENTRAL ERIE COUNTY / WCO Tom Edwards
Perch fishing is well under way at various locations on Lake Erie. The cribs east of East Ave. Launch are producing nice catches as well as right out in front of East Ave in about 15 feet of water. Persons are catching perch along the rock jetty of the launch as well. Late report in on limits being taken all along the shoreline in 8-10' of water from the Coke Plant to Sixmile Creek. The South and North Pier are producing catches of Yellow Perch and Rock Bass for those without a boat. Smallmouth Bass are picking up along the Erie shoreline but with increased results between Hammermill and Eight mile (Shades Beach). Walleye fishing really hasn't started from the boats yet. One gentleman at Walnut Creek had a 6.5# one the other day. Officers who patrol Central Erie County are noticing quite a few expired VDS (Flares.) If your vessel is over 16 feet in length you must, at all times, carry devices suitable for day use and devices suitable for night use, or devices suitable for use both day and night. Approved day-use-only devices include orange smoke and orange signal flags. Flares are approved for both day and night use. If flares are selected, a minimum of three must be carried. Three day/night signaling devices meet both requirements. All VDS must be USCG approved, have legible approval numbers, be in serviceable condition and be readily accessible. VDS are not acceptable if the expiration date has passed. This information was taken from the Boating Handbook. Another common violation which we are encountering is that of Navigation Lights. All vessels must show required running lights between the hours of sunset and sunrise and during periods of restricted visibility, such as fog and heavy rain. The following are the times for the upcoming week. June 12 - 17 / SUNRISE 0549.... SUNSET 2050 And now for the Erie Weather Forecast....
Wednesday. Mostly cloudy in the morning with a chance of showers. Then becoming partly cloudy. Cooler with highs in the mid 70s. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Wednesday night. Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday. Increasing clouds. Highs in the lower 70s.
Thursday night. Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s.
Friday. Partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mainly in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Friday night. Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Saturday. Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s.
Sunday. Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. Highs in the upper 60s.
Monday. Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s and highs in the upper 60s.
Tuesday. Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s. Highs in the upper 60s
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... WESTERN ERIE COUNTY / WCO John Bowser & DWCO Randy Leighton
CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS: Bowser - 774-0928 Office/Fax / 881-5657 - Cell / jwb014@aol.com - email Perch have begun to school off of the point and in 25' of water due north of the Walnut Creek Access area. Anglers have been limiting on nice size perch in only a few hours. Small shiners on perch rigs are the ticket as usual. These early season perch seem to be fussy...accepting only live minnows and turning away from the dead ones. Shiners are in abundant supply and readily available at all the bait shops. Early morning hours or at dusk have been the hot times.
Hot Tip: One veteran angler, Jimmy Dallas, said the trick is to drop the bait to the bottom & wait 2 seconds, then drag it a couple inches & lift. He said that they are hitting so light that you can't feel them but if you follow this method you will score doubles. Bass fishing has been good off Raccoon Creek with the best success coming in 10' of water using jerk baits. Patrols observed one boat landing their 42nd Bass of the morning using this method.
Elk Creek Access has Bass present akin to a Steelhead Run and 24 soft shell crabs will yield 24 Smallmouth. Most of these are in the 12" to 15" range but still fun on light tackle. Walleye catches have been sporadic. The few walleye that have been caught are probably still "resident" fish with the big migration from the West still a ways off. A Delaware angler came in with an 8.75# Walleye this week but failed to share any info on the where or how. Miscellaneous — A few Steelhead have been caught in the colder waters of the first and second trenches however catches have not been consistent. A number of nice catfish have been pulled out of the Walnut Channel. Fishing Permit Money might fund Lake Erie Projects:
Money generated from the sale of special fishing permits on Lake Erie may now be used to fund projects to benefit the lake, it's fisheries and tributaries, according to state Rep. John Evans of Washington Township. R-5th District. The House of Representatives passed a bill last week, sponsored by Evans that will allow the $268,000 in the fund to benefit recreational fishing in the Lake Erie Area. The Bill now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
"Eight years ago, this fund was created to ease the hardship when the use gill nets was banned by the Commonwealth," Evans said. "Now that the $3 special permits are not necessary, this bill will allow money to be used to enhance the quality of recreation for the fisherman who enjoy the Lake Erie area," he said.
Possible projects that could benefit include land acquisition along the Lake Erie tributaries; and improvements to existing facilities at Walnut Creek, Elk Creek, and North East.
The Lake Erie permits, which were issued in the form of a self sticking stamp, were sold from 1995 until 1998.
"Area sportsmen have reported to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission that they support their fees being used for such improvements," Evans said. "I'm pleased to see that these funds may soon have a positive impact on Lake Erie fishing and recreational opportunities," he said
Reprinted from the Erie Times News dated June 11, 2002
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WESTERN CRAWFORD COUNTY / WCO Joe Russell
Pymatuning Lake- The walleye fishing has picked up significantly recently with large numbers of fish being taken off the Jamestown main swim beach. Boats that start around the shoal just north/west of the beach and drift south to about Gum picnic area seem to be having the most luck. Worms (night crawlers) are still the bait of choice fishing suspended up off the bottom with a floating jig head while you drift appears to be the most productive. A fishermen and his buddy also showed me a stringer full of nice walleye taken up north around the stumps trolling walley divers so that may be another option to try. Shore fishermen are also picking up nice (16"-23" range) walleyes around carp point just north of the gate house to the handicap area where the new gravel beds were placed just south of Jamestown marina. Night crawlers continue to produce the most fish here as well. Perch and Crappie continue to be slow however some are being caught around the Islands on the North end. Minnie's or worms under a bobber seem to be working best for these. Work is to begin this next week (6/24/2002) on the manning boat ramp and access area. The entire project will last 5 to 6 weeks to upgrade this facility. During that time the ramp and the access area will be closed and alternate access areas will need to be utilized. After completion of that project the contractor will move to the Jamestown/Turnersville ramp/access area to upgrade it. I will let you know when this will take place when it gets closer. The project calls for a better dock system and making it handicap accessible, it will be a good improvement for all when finished and only a slight inconvenience while underway. Conneaut Lake- I spoke with several fishermen who had quite a bit of fun catching Northern Pike and small Smallmouth over the weekend. Spinner baits were the lure of the day and the biggest producer. They did tell me though that on several occasions that they were waked and a couple of times they were worried about their safety. Unfortunately we can't watch every boat 100% of the time and be there around the clock. Should you run into this situation though get the bow numbers from the boat and as good of a description as possible and contact me and I will address the problem. You should remember though that unless you want to get involved and testify if charges are filed then there is not much we can do. I am listing ways to contact me below, and should you have a problem please feel free to contact me. My phone numbers and ways to contact me are as follows:
CELL PHONE- (814)720-1246
OFFICE PHONE- (724)932-5661
REGION OFFICE- (814)337-0444 *Monday through Friday 08:00 to 4:00
E-MAIL - fishcop@alltel.net you will notice my e-mail has changed due to problems with not enough space with the other provider this email has no size limit so receiving mail should not be a problem.
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