WCO Report for Erie County 09/01/2004: Erie area, PA,
WCO Report Posted: August 31, 2004

Conditions
Boaters are picking up steelhead in 75 to 100' of water in the second trench Northwest of Walnut Creek. Evidence of early staging continues off the trib mouths however, with recent warm weather conditions we have actually had a slight rise in water temperature which may delay the early runs. A few early morning anglers have been spotted trying their luck along the shore at Trout Run with limited success. A few reports have come in that there has been some success at the mouth of Elk Creek although confirmed catches have been few. A few lanterns are are lighting up the wall along the Walnut Creek channel with a few steelhead being hooked at night and at dawn.

Perch fishing is still good in 50 to 62 feet of water North and West of Walnut Creek.

Walleye are being brought in consistently. 30 to 45' of water has been productive as well as along the south side of the first trench.

Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 72 degrees. West County tributaries are low and clear as of this writing.

Trout Creel Limits for Lake Erie Change September 7th
Effective September 7th the daily creel limit for trout and salmon on Lake Erie and the tribs as well as Presque Isle Bay and Peninsula waters changes to three fish per day with a minimum length of 15" only two of which can be lake trout.

Boating Tip of the Week:
STAY SEATED -Standing to shoot during hunting season, land a fish, relieve yourself over the side, or pull up the anchor is not worth the risk of parting company with your boat!

Labor Day Weekend
The Labor Day Weekend traditionally begins the wind down of boating season in our area, although September and even October often offer many beautiful weekends. It does seem that Labor Day always seems to bring a brisk chill to the night air and with it the start of steelhead season. With calm wind and wave conditions, this Holiday weekend can be one of the busiest of the season. Be sure your boat has all the required safety equipment, be aware of the possibility of rapid weather changes and fast moving storm fronts and remember that boating and alcohol can be a dangerous combination. Have a safe Holiday weekend and remember that your PFD doesn't work unless you are wearing it.

Consider This:
A recent outdoor publication posed questions on the fish consumption advisories and we are often asked "are they safe to eat". The PFBC does publish official consumption advisories in your fishing Summary book however, consider the following article provided a few years ago by retired WCO John Bowser. Although not an official advisory, it is entertaining and one of the most requested articles we publish on these reports. John is having a warm and sunny retirement and doing fine spending much of his time working on his golf game (I didnt believe it either) Consider the following:

To put the risks associated with eating trout with low levels of PCBs into context, let's follow a typical angler on a routine fishing trip. Our angler gets up early in the morning, before sunrise. Slipping out of the covers, he steps out of bed (the odds of getting out of bed, falling and suffering a fatal skull fracture have been calculated at 1 in 20,000). He showers (the lifetime death risk of dying in the bathtub are 1 in 12,800) and shaves (the odds of injuring yourself while shaving seriously enough to require medical attention are 1 in 7,000). Going downstairs, (the stairs are considered the riskiest part of the house with some 2,000,000 Americans taking a serious fall each year) he heads for the kitchen. Household accidents are widespread and the kitchen is common location (small kitchen appliances and ovens account for almost 97,000 injury accidents each year according to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). Our angler eats a hearty breakfast (lifetime odds of choking to death = 1 in 1,087) that includes eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, hot cakes, syrup and coffee. There are health risks associated with many foods. This includes the risks related to heart disease, cholesterol, high blood pressure and many others (according to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 2,000,000 fatalities annually).Our angler hops in his car and drives down the interstate to pick up his fishing before heading to their favorite stream deep in the woods (in 1997, 41,967 people were killed in the estimated 6,764,000 police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes; 3,399,000 others were injured - US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Our angler parks and hikes about a mile through the woods with his buddy. Although snake bites and other woodland accidents are rare, there are some risks associated with these activities (in fact, the National Safety Council computes your odds of dying by reaction to venomous animals, insects or plants are 1 in 51,265). When the angler gets to the stream, he pulls on his waders, enters the stream and begins to fish. Slipping while wading is a common occurrence. Most of the time, the response is to get up, have a laugh and keep fishing. Sometimes, though, injuries occur (In general, falls kill some 15,000 Americans per year. Another 3,500 die in submersion drownings - National Safety Council). To dry off, our fearless angler and his buddy light a fire (more than 1,700,000 burns occur in the United States each year). The anglers wash a sandwich (odds of death from eating peanut butter are 1 in 3,300) with a six pack of beer and each smokes a couple of cigarettes. Whoa! Alcohol and tobacco are the subjects of health warnings that are much stronger and much more closely based on documented scientific evidence than any health risks associated with PCBs in fish (based on research from the American Cancer Society, each year smoking claims more than 400,000 lives in the US). Assuming nothing drops on them along the way (odds for a fatality caused by falling objects is 1 on 4,400) they're able to walk back to their cars. They drive home, taking all the same risks they took getting to the stream. To finish a fine day in the outdoors, our angler enjoys with a meal of fresh caught trout. The point of all this is that we all take some "risks" everyday. Eating his catch of trout with low levels of PCBs is probably one of the least risky things our angler did this day.

Local Weather:

Wednesday night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. Northeast winds around 10 mph in the evening, becoming southeast after midnight.
Thursday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s. South winds around 10 mph.
Friday
Partly cloudy. Highs around 80.
Friday night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.
Saturday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s.
Saturday night
Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Sunday night
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 60. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Labor day
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Monday night
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain 30 percent.