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WCO Fishing & Boating Reports - 8/1/2001 WCO Joe Russell / Western Crawford County
Pymatuning Lake - The fishing has been fast and furious this week if you are
just out to catch something and the fish off choice seem to be CARP. They
are being caught just about everywhere on the lake but the hot spot seems to
be the spillway. You just have to remember to stay outside the wire because
if you don't it is nursery waters and 200.00 plus cost in fines. A lot of
questions have come up about the jellyfish looking creatures washing up on
shore over the last couple of weeks. No they are not jellying fish and NO…
they
are not harmful. They are colonies of a single cell organism called
BRYOZOANS that usually attach themselves to wooden docks, buoys, or other
structures. It is actually a good thing they are in the lake because they
are a good water quality indicator and will very rarely live where there is
any pollution. Fishermen are also reminded that with the close of the Ohio
state park next month for repairs, if you are staying in the PA state park
and want to fish from shore your Ohio license is no good and you have to
have a PA. license. Several fishermen have been cited in the last several
weeks because they said they were unaware of this, you have to know the law
for the area that you are fishing. Conneaut Lake - Bass were being targeted this weekend and with success. The
fishermen that had luck were using deep diving lures and working the edges
of the weed beds. Some bluegills are still being taken also with a jig and
bobber but they are picking these up in shallower water (bait such as
maggots, meal worms, or grubs doesn't hurt either). A major safety violation has been taking place on both lakes lately that
also needs to be addressed, riding outside of the railing on the front of
your pontoon boat to get sun while underway. This is not only EXTREMELY
UNSAFE but also ILLEGAL, it is called BOW RIDING. Even the best boat
operator cannot stop in time if you fall off the front of the boat, add
alcohol to the mix and it becomes even worse, and on a pontoon boat you have
no place to go but into the motor. Please make our job easier and stay
inside the boat until you come to a stop then get your sun, no officer wants
to deal with a fatal boating accident, and homicide by watercraft is a sure
way to ruin your summer (or life).
WCO John Bowser & DWCO Randy Leighton - Western Erie County
Lake Erie has "turned over" bringing the colder waters to the top surface.
This always turns the fishing into turmoil. Catches of walleye have become
spotty with boats normally limiting out now only having a couple walleye. A
large number of Steelhead & Coho have been caught since the inversion.
Anglers report steelhead surfacing in the trenches. The numbers are
indicative of some hot action in another 4-6 weeks. (seems like the runs had
just stopped) Yellow Perch catches continue off of Trout Run with jumbos still being taken.
A Lamprey Eel was brought into Walnut this week. It was attached to a
Steelhead Trout and released from it just as it was about to be landed. A
second lure snagged the creature and ended its killing ways. This one
measured 19" in length and weighed in at .49 pounds.
Lampreys were first discovered in Lake Ontario in 1835, Lake Erie in 1921,
Lake Michigan in 1936, Lake Huron in 1937, and Lake Superior in 1946
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are predaceous, eel-like fish native to the
coastal regions of both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They contributed greatly
to the decline of whitefish and lake trout in the Great Lakes. Since 1956,
the governments of the United States and Canada, working jointly through the
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have implemented a successful sea lamprey
control program. During its life as a parasite, each sea lamprey can kill 40
or more pounds of fish. Sea lampreys are so destructive that under some
conditions, only one of seven fish attacked by a sea lamprey will survive.
Sea lampreys have had an enormous negative impact on the Great Lakes fishery.
Because sea lampreys did not evolve with naturally occurring Great Lakes fish
species, their aggressive, predaceous behavior gave them a strong advantage
over their native fish prey. Sea lampreys prey on all species of large Great
Lakes fish such as lake trout, salmon, rainbow trout (steelhead), whitefish,
chubs, burbot, walleye and catfish.
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