Caution !!! - Marking of ice fishing holes with objects such as soda
bottles, boards, cans, etc... is dangerous as well as a littering violation.
An ice boat recently hit a hole marked by a 2x4 board on Presque Isle Bay and
suffered in excess of $500 in damage!! Serious bodily injury could have
occurred as well!!Conditions
With temperatures hovering above freezing during the day we continue to
experience ice meltdown. Elk Creek north of Route 5 has become completely
ice jammed and unfishable for now. South of Route 5 near the tubes and all
the way to Folleys is open water with fish scattered through out the stream.
The Legion Park holes are open and had good numbers of anglers over the
weekend with catches being fair to good. The Walnut Project Waters including Manchester Hole are completely open with
only a small ice jam left at the mouth. Fish are holding in all the normal
holes. The channel is mostly open again for those that like to fish the
wall. The Walnut Marina is still ice covered but is thinning out fast. The Lake at Trout Run has opened up completely with a good number of anglers
trying their luck. Remember, Trout Run is Commission designated nursery
waters and fishing, wading, or disturbing the fish there is prohibited. 3
suspects were cited on Friday last week for attempting to take fish from
there. The charge carries hefty fines & potential loss of fishing
privileges. Fishing is only permitted in the Lake. The Crew from the
Fairview Fish Culture Station took brood stock from Trout Run on Monday for
future Steelhead runs. Crooked Creek has been producing good numbers of steelhead right now with a
lot of fresh fish being hooked. Watch for posted areas on Crooked and be
considerate of the residents in that area. Godfrey Run is open at the lake with most of the ice now off shore. The Fairview Gravel Pit has open water at the west end with rapidly
deteriorating ice on the remainder. Presque Isle Bay has been yielding nice jumbo Yellow Perch, Northerns,
Steelhead, and a Musky 45" in length was reported caught. Ice was reported
at 16" this weekend off of Perry's Landing and reports of 8-10" of ice off of
Chestnut Street Access were reported Tuesday. The ice should rapidly thin
with forecast rain & high temperatures so extreme caution is advised. Go
with friends, wear a PFD, have a piece of line along ... all good tips to
follow. Temperatures in the 40's & 50's this week should keep tribs high and keep the
melt down going. Anglers coming in from out of town may want to call ahead to the local bait
shops for up to the minute conditions as our weather and temperatures can
change rapidly this time of year. What to use
Anglers fishing the lake shore are back to spoons and the Powerbaits in rough
conditions. Stream baits such as single eggs and jigs will do it when the
lake is calm. Minnows are popular on the tribs now, along with waxworms, egg sacks and
tipped jigs.
As the tribs calm down from all the run off, changing back to single eggs and
small presentations will be necessary. Randy Leighton
Deputy Water Conservation Officer,
PA. Fish and Boat Commission
West Erie County
Rglerie@aol.com
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