Pennsylvania Fishing Reports!

The bay also holds many large mouth bass of which we caught one good size bucket mouth.

The morning drizzle came to an end and the fish catching action increased with many doubles and even a triple.
This put smiles on all at the same time.
All the fish were caught on golden shiners purchased at Poor Richards bait shop 814-474-5623.

Tight Lines Captain Ron 800-784-1232

Ron

Thanks so much,

Pymatuning/ Conneaut Lake:

Still not much fishing pressure this week but we have had some pretty severe storms at times with heavy rains and extremely high winds. We even had the first snow of the year this last week so it has not been that conducive to fishing. Now would be a good time to get that boat ready for next year and make sure everything is in shape for the upcoming season. If you store your boat outside also don’t forget to pull your fire extinguisher inside since changes in temperatures over the winter can drastically shorten its life.

My Final Report:
I never thought that over three years ago when John Bowser asked me if there was anything that I might have to add to the Erie WCO Report, that it would turn into a weekly writing assignment. Or that so many sportsmen and women would read the articles almost religiously every week. If you were to ask my bosses they would tell you that one of my weaknesses is report writing and if it wasn’t for spelling and grammar check on Microsoft word I would be lost and you probably would not be able to read them. When I first started John would call me just about every week and say “come on Russell am I the only one working in this region get your damn report up here so I can go to bed!” Well unfortunately all good things must come to an end and this will be my final report from the Western Crawford County district. I have put in for and been given a district closer to where I am originally from and as of the beginning of the year I will be taking over the Wyoming/Susquehanna district in the Northeast region. What John started with this report has been widely accepted by everyone, and even used as a model for the rest of the state, to get the word to the fishing and boating public. I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me over the last three years and asked if I was Fishcop and thanked me for writing in and being part of this. To those of you who have taken the time to write and send in notes of encouragement, or stopped me along the stream, I want to say Thank You. It makes this assignment much easier for the officers who have to write it knowing that it is read and looked forward to by the fishing and boating community we serve. I have met some wonderful sportsmen and women through this report and it has been an honor to be a part of it. I also want to thank some of the best officers in the state, that I have had the pleasure of working with. Erie and the Northwest Region have an exemplary officer force and I am not just talking about full time people. Without the deputy force that we have statewide our job would be close to impossible and we certainly would not have the protection of our resources that we have now. My E-mail will probably be online for about another month while I wrap things up and prepare to move and my cell is good until the end of December. My pager will be off after the end of November and my state line is good until the middle of December. Once I get into my new district I will be sure to contact Randy Leighton and pass on my new contact information should anyone want to keep in touch. Once again thanks for everything and I hope to see you along the streams. By the way should anybody be looking for a house within minutes of some of the best fishing and hunting the state of Pennsylvania has to offer, I have one for sale just contact me and we will work something out. WCO Joe Russell

Pymatuning Lake, Conneaut Lake:
Fishing has slowed down this week and boat traffic has all but stopped except for the few brave souls who venture out on the weekends. Winter has started to show its ugly head and the temperatures have been dropping regularly here. Fish can still be had but it takes some work, concentrate on the deeper water and fish slower presentations allowing the fish time to go after your bait. Colder water will slow the fish strikes down but they will still be present just not as aggressive. Switch to more bait fishing or tip your lures with some bait now to give it a smell and taste and you should improve your odds of success.

An oversight has been brought to my attention that requires my apology and correction.
Last week I reported about the fishermen who were truly sportsmen and helped my Mom on Walnut Creek project waters with the steelhead. I mistakenly reported the names as Ted Bender and Tom Hogan when in fact it should have been Ted Varshine and Tom Hogan. I apologize for getting your name wrong Mr. Varshine and once again wish to express my gratitude for your help at making my folks trip a HUGE success.

Don’t forget to Pack for that fishing or hunting trip in advance, if you are planning on coming out to enjoy our vastly popular recreational areas. Make a list of items that you will be using then double check while packing the car. My father who is extremely hooked on our steelhead streams was so excited to get back out here again with my uncle and my cousin that all the flies he had tied the week before were left in his basement in his haste to get going. Not to worry though I had a vice and he was busy tying the night he got here so he had flies to use the next day. By the way we had another several days of outstanding fishing with the steelhead cooperating while they were here.

Pymatuning Lake:
The Walleyes are still biting in deep water but most of the fishermen having any luck are hitting them by boats. It seems that drifting on the south end is the way to go right now and they are having particularly good luck around the pines area just south of the Jamestown marina, where we placed the gravel last year as artificial reefs. 18”-24” seems to be the range being caught right now and jigging sonar’s and jigs tipped with Minnie’s or night crawlers seem to be what they are hitting on. Most of everything else seems to be slowing down right now but I have talked to a few Musky fishermen that state the Muskies should be picking up anytime soon for the fall run, so I would watch for that.

Conneaut Lake:
I haven’t seen much activity here this week but I can tell you that most of the recreational boaters have been removed from their dock space for the year, with the exception of one or two. If you ever wanted to fish Conneaut Lake and have no skiers or jet skis around you this is definitely the time to do it. Look for the schools of white bass under the jumping baitfish or where the seagulls are flocking to around sunset and you should have pretty good luck.

My Personal Thanks To a Couple of Great Sportsmen:
Sportsmanship shined through this last week when I brought my mom and dad, Dixie and John Russell, up on Walnut creek to get them to try Steelhead fishing for the very first time. I brought them up to the area above the chutes in the project waters at Walnut and my mom hooked into her first fish and within a matter of a couple minutes lost it. There were two anglers there who were using fly rods who were landing one fish after another and when they heard this was her first time one of them hooked a fish and handed her his pole to try and land it. Unfortunately that fish to was not to be landed either, but over the next hour or so they coached and encouraged and helped her land at least a half a dozen fish. She was able to catch a really beautiful Brown trout and a nice steelhead before calling it a day. The anglers names were Ted Bender and Tom Hogan and if you are wondering if this was done because I was with them the answer is no. I was in plainclothes and these gentlemen had no idea I was even an officer. They did it because they had a true love for the sport and wanted to experience that through the eyes of someone who had never had that experience before. I did identify myself before we left for the day and thanked them for all their time, and informed them they would be in this weeks report. I once again want to make that THANKS known to these really fine SPORTSMEN who took the time to make a fishing trip a memorable occasion that will be remembered for the rest of their lifetime. By the way dad didn’t need any coaching and was able to catch fish on his own, but I can say that mom landed fish and had keepers on the stringer long before he brought one in. He got home and decided that he would drive the six hours one way and be back out this week to try again, as he is literally hooked on some of the best fishing in the state.