WCO Report for Erie and Crawford County 9/05//01: Erie area, PA,
Fishing Report Posted: September 05, 2001

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[ Lake Erie & Tributaries Fishing Report ]

Posted by WCO John Bowser on September 05, 2001 at 08:37:40:

Erie WCO Fishing Report / September 5, 2001
WCO John W. Bowser & DWCO Randy Leighton
Western Erie County

Steelhead?
Anglers continue to try their luck as the first steelhead of the season begin
their "exploratory" runs. Fish will move in and out of the tribs until the
rains bring good water levels and the temperatures begin to fall. (Many
anglers believe the steelhead run really doesn't begin until Officer Bowser
tells the fish its ok to start...this is in fact a totally unfounded
rumor.....) Numbers are small but with each "teaser" rain shower, a few more
make their way in and up the tribs. A few good inches of rain and the tribs
will be loaded. The holiday weekend saw many anglers on the wall at Walnut
with lanterns lined up like runway lights. Glow in the dark Cleos, fresh
skein, and chartreuse powerbait have been catching fish at night. Daylight
brings the problem of very low and very clear conditions. Large baits and
heavy line during daylight hours wont do much more than spook the fish. 4 lb
line during the day should be about as heavy as you go if you want to get
strikes. A single egg on a #16 or 18 hook would be the way to go. Very
small micro jigs tipped or untipped (with a single maggot) may be worth a
try. Subtle earthy colored jigs in black, brown, and olive are a good start.
Shiners and a little split shot under a very light float can work well.
Live shiners are best hooked through the lip.

Crappie
Anglers on the South Pier have been having a field day with the Crappie.
Many buckets were full of "slabs" this past weekend. (A number of nice perch
topped off many nice catches) Shiners work best but can be difficult to keep
alive out on the Pier. Fat head minnows will work just as well, and will
stay lively much longer. Fall fishing along the North and South piers can be
some of the best shoreline fishing Erie has to offer.

Walleye?
You have to find them to catch them. The Triangle along the Canadian line,
west to the Ohio line still seems to be the spot. Conneaut anglers are
limiting about 14 miles out and about 6 miles west of the PA/OH line.

Perch
I don't think it gets any better than it has been, and it doesn't show signs
of slowing as we move in into what is arguably the best "perching" month of
the year. With shiners in short supply, anglers are finding the Fat head
minnows work just fine. Fish are still schooling about 4.5 miles due north
of Walnut Creek in 45 to 50' or water and a good school continues to build in
about 45' of water North of the Point at Presque Isle.

Law Enforcement
The past holiday weekend brought scores of boaters out to wind down the
season. As late as we are in the boating season, officers still are finding
a number of safety violations. Vessels with partial or no running lights
seemed to be popular this past weekend. Lights should be checked during the
day before venturing out...not after the sun goes down.

Early reports indicate that we should see a good deal more nice boating
weather. This late in the season along with rapid changes in lake
conditions, officers will have little tolerance for safety equipment
violations.

The crowds over the weekend at the Walnut Access Area saw a number of
individuals blatantly running the stop signs at the entrance to the Access
parking lot. With the amount of heavy foot traffic in this area, officers
will be on the lookout for this serious violation. Anglers need to be aware
the children and the elderly are often crossing at this intersection and are
often paying more attention to the fish they caught then the vehicle entering
the parking lot.. Public safety at the Access is and shall continue to be a
priority with all of our officers.

Last call on the Fish Fry
This is the last call for the Fish Fry / Cooking Demonstration …This great
event will be held September 9th @ 5:00 PM. As the boating season winds
down, anglers will be bringing fillets of Walleye & Yellow Perch to share
with fellow anglers. PFBC employees & volunteer sportsmen will be breading
and cooking fish for the public. All are invited, just bring along some
fillets, snacks, covered dish, dessert, rolls, or "whatever" to share. For
specific needs, you can view the sign-up sheet in the Lobby or contact either
the access @ 833-2464 or WCO Bowser @ 774-0928.

WCO John W. Bowser
Jwb014@aol.com
DWCO Randy G. Leighton
Rglerie@aol.com


Crawford County Report / WCO Joe Russell
Pymatuning lake as off yesterday was still 78 degrees and very warm. Quite
a few of the fishermen that I spoke with said that they read the walleye
were biting really well. I can honestly say they didn't read it here. This
entire week I spoke with 3 successful fishermen (2 for bluegills and 1 for
carp) on pymatuning. As soon as the walleye start the fall run I will
definitely let you all know, but as of yet they are just not hitting due to
the warm water. Lake levels are also down right now due to lack of rain and
warm weather so extra care should be taken if you are operating a boat. As
of monday the lake was 1.5 to 2 feet low.

Conneaut lake fishermen were out in force before the boats this weekend but
the only thing that seemed active was again the Bowfin and Bluegills. With
the holiday weekend being the unofficial end of summer the boating traffic
seemed to multiply ten fold. This was by far the busiest weekend of the
summer for the lake for boats. Thankfully there were no accidents or
incidents on the lake all weekend though even with the increased traffic.

With fall right around the corner and the dropping night temperatures,
boaters should remember to bring extra coats or clothes with you when you go
out. Even if it is warm when you head out the tempature can drop rapidly
when it gets dark (it was 50 for the fireworks on saturday night at 11:00)
and Hypothermia can be life threatening, especially if you already have a
medical condition or are elderly. You never know when something will go
wrong with your motor and you will be stuck out there. An extra sandwich
and something to drink wouldn't hurt either to give your body energy. If it
can go wrong it usually will so as the boy scouts say " BE PREPARED "

WCO Joe Russell
fishcop16@hotmail.com





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