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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