Erie WCO Fishing / Boating Report - 5/8/01
WCO John Bowser & DWCO Randy Leighton Walnut Creek …
Channel is being dredged this week and should be ready for the opening this
weekend. Office will be staffed 7 days during daylight hours starting this
Friday 5/11/01. Tributaries …
A few Steelhead remain in the tribs though the numbers are quickly dropping
as the temperatures warm. Plenty of Brown Trout left in the tribs, Fairview
Gravel Pit, & Lake Pleasant. Yellow Perch …
Decent catches are being made in 48' of water off of Conneaut, Ohio and in
25' of water off of Seagull Point. Jumbos are being taken this week off of
the South Pier with sporadic catches off the City side of the Bay. One angler
on the South Pier landed a 5 & ½ lb. Whitefish with a shiner. This is only
one of several that I have ever heard of being caught by hook & line in my 14
years in Erie primarily due to their mouth being so soft that hooks will
usually rip out. Crappies…
Steady catches were observed all along the bayfront marinas on shiners and
green Mister Twisters though not much size to them. Edinboro Lake Fingers
are yielding some nice ones also. Bass…
Bass & Suckers are currently in Elk Creek in good numbers. Nice Bass were
being taken off of the monument area on PI Park with good success rates by
boaters trolling Hot 'n Tots just off shore in Misery Bay. Soon the shoreline
of the lake will be filled with Bass Boats in the 25' to 35' water depth
range. While all boaters should keep an eye on the weather, boats with low
freeboards should be especially careful. Be sure to check the expiration
dates on your Visual Distress Signals as officers are finding a number of
violations recently. Walleye…
Catches are being made along the trib mouths. Reports of up to 5 taken in one
whole night of fishing were the best heard of. Things should be good for the
next few weeks of this fishery. Keys are a flat lake and a dark moonless or
cloudy night. New anglers should avoid shining flashlights near the water or
allowing headlights to sweep the beach upon your approach. This will shut the
fish off immediately. Fishing Derby…
Elk Valley Sportsmen Annual Kid's Fishing Derby was well attended this past
weekend with over 100 children under the age of 12. Pa. Fish & Boat
Commission Officers were on hand to assist & passed out water safety
information packs. ***PFBC Basic Boating Course ***
there are still openings for what will probably be one of the last free
courses offered before the start of the boating season. A certificate
obtained from this course is required to operate a Personal Watercraft
(Jetski). Registration is done by calling 814-774-0928 and leaving your
name, call back phone #, and the number of people that will be attending.
The course is being held May 21st & 22nd from 6 PM to 10 PM at the Elk Creek
Sportsmen Club in Lake City, Pa. Western Crawford County WCO Fishing Report -
WCO Joe Russell
The fishing this week has slowed in Pymatuning Lake probably due to the
really good weather, local
fishermen are somewhat hopeful that the rain we got today (Tuesday) will
start the walleye biting again. Bass and Crappies are still doing good though
and the back bays and areas with structure should definitely not be
overlooked.
Conneaut lake has started to turn on with the back waters warming the panfish
have really started hitting and several fishermen reported having good luck
with trolling. The hotspot for the week though definitely has to be the Hartstown Swamp
area, I personally fished there Sunday and Monday with my father and the
action was unbelievable. With an ultralight or a fly rod you can have hours
of fun. The Bass and Panfish would hit on just about every other cast and the
Bullhead were just the right size for good eating. This is also a good place
to take children as the banks are not steep and the action is enough to keep
them occupied, (my 4 and 8 year old had a ball). When you are young not every
fish has to be a wall hanger to be a trophy and these smaller fish were well
worth the time. I would recommend bug spray though because at sundown the
mosquitoes got fierce.
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