Erie WCO Weekly Fishing Report - 8/8/01 WALLEYE are being caught in the highest numbers in the "Triangle" area of the Second Trench. Boats in the '290 & '890 numbers had about 16 walleyes / boat. This is about a 21 mile run NW out of Walnut Creek. Since this area is only about a mile from the Ohio Line, anglers should be certain of their location if they do not hold an Ohio License. The line is 80 degrees & 31.1 minutes on your GPS. STEELHEAD are coming in about 2 or 3 fish to the boat at Walnut. These are being caught while trolling in the trenches. The recent lake thermocline inversion mixed things up for a bit but lake surface temps seem to have returned to normal and are running about 76 degrees F. PERCH continues to be the hottest fish in the lake. They are currently about 3.5 miles straight out of Walnut. Just run due north and you can't miss the pack of boats. Jumbos in the 12"+ range are the norm. Jimmy Dallas fished on Tuesday using Perch eyes for bait and to his surprise, landed a 20" Bass on his first jigging action. LACK OF Pfd's is amazingly one of the most frequent violations found this year so far with 33 citations issued in Western Erie County District alone. This violation has only been exceeded by a lack of a Fishing License with 34 citations being issued. RIGHT OF WAY RULES should be refreshed by all boaters and especially those operating in the heavy traffic of Presque Isle Bay. Operators are responsible for knowing these as well as maintaining a safe speed, keeping a proper lookout, and knowing which watercraft is privileged. Accidents can be an expensive way to become educated in these matters. The longnose gar ranges widely through the Mississippi River watershed and lower Great Lakes. It is also found along the Atlantic Coast north to New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, it has been reported from scattered locations including Lake Erie, and the Allegheny and Ohio River watersheds. It has also been reported to be in the extreme southern portion of the Susquehanna River watershed. Never abundant, the longnose gar's primary Pennsylvania haunt is the shallow, weedy waters of Presque Isle Bay in Lake Erie. One oddity of the gar is its tolerance of low oxygen conditions. Gars have a swim bladder that connects to the throat by an open tube. When hard-pressed for oxygen in the water, gars can go to the surface and gulp air into the swim bladder, which then acts as a lung. The genus name "Lepisosteus" means "bony-scaled." : Longnose gar adults live in lakes or sluggish pools and backwaters in rivers. They spawn in the spring, in the vegetated shallows of lakes, or they may migrate upstream to find a gravel bottom. Males mature in three to four years. Females mature a year or so later. No nest is built. Females may spawn with several males over the long spawning season. Up to 30,000 tiny dark eggs are released by each female. The eggs stick to underwater objects and plants. The eggs, which are poisonous to humans and other mammals, take six to eight days to hatch. Then the young gars attach themselves, by means of a suction disk at the tip of the snout, to something submerged. There they await the absorption of the yolk sac. Young longnose gars grow fast, nearly to two feet the first year. They may live to be 20 years old. Spotted gars also spawn in the spring, with large groups of males and females appearing over riffles and in the shallows along lake shores. They make no nest for the eggs, but the gravel is cleaned by their spawning activity. They also spawn over underwater vegetation. The spotted gar grows more slowly than the longnose. Gars are voracious carnivores, preying on other fish. Their hunting tactic is to lie in wait for prey to move close, or they may stalk it slowly. Then they rush in and slash their sharp-toothed "beak" from side to side, killing or injuring the target fish. The prey is then grabbed crosswise in the gar's teeth and maneuvered in the jaws to be swallowed headfirst. Gars also occasionally feed on crustaceans. Gars are sometimes seen on sunny days, apparently basking, just beneath the water's surface. FACTS
Our country's population steadily increases. This requires constant development and disturbance of available land. The greater the population, the greater the demand for clean water. Clean water is required for fish life to survive. Clean water is required for mankind to survive. Silt and sediments are pollutants which destroy fish life. They are carried downstream - only to deposit elsewhere in the watershed to cause a downstream threat to life and property thru increased flooding, and can affect international shipping by clogging shipping channels. Skunk Cabbage is a plant which only survives 99% of the time in wetlands. However, because this plant is not present does not mean the area is not a wetland. Before a lake or pond may be drained or drawndown or treated with chemicals - the proper permits must first be secured from the PA Fish and Boat Commission. (Drawdowns of ponds less than 1 acre in size are exempt from drawdown permits) It is unlawful to disturb any waterway or watershed in any manner which might cause damage to fish - without required permits. Wetlands are a critical part of earth's water retention system. They act like a sponge by absorbing and holding water during rainfall and releasing water during non- rain periods. Besides being natural flood control aids and habitat for wildlife, waterfowl and fish life - wetlands act as water purifiers which absorb numerous pollutants into their plant systems and release cleaner water. If you're caught violating environmental laws by the Fish and Boat Commission which pertain to waterways, you can expect to face costly restitution and/or criminal prosecution for offenses committed. The Environmental Agencies from all levels work together on investigations, permit issuing/reviewing and public information assistance. Remember that committing an environmental violation is a crime! don't place yourself in a situation that can result with a prison sentence, seizure or impoundment of your equipment, thousands of dollars in criminal and/or civil penalties. TOWNSHIPS, MUNICIPALITIES AND OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM THE PROVISIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS. ************************************************************************** John W. Bowser
|