WCO Report for Erie County 06/08/2011: Erie area, PA,
WCO Report Posted: June 07, 2011

June 8th, 2011

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, rglerie@msn.com

Conditions:
Very warm area temperatures have given a boost to a rise in water temperatures on Lake Erie. Perch have been hitting North West between Walnut Creek and Trout Run in 38 to 40 feet of water as well as north of the cribs in 30 to 35 feet with the action gradually improving. Best bet for now is to stay on the move until you lock in a small school. Bass angling is still good in 25 to 35 feet of water all along the Erie shoreline. Bass fishing on Lake Erie has become the summer steelhead replacement with anglers literally coming from all over the country and Canada to experience the thrill and fight of Lake Erie Smallmouth fishing. Walleye have been hitting in the early morning and at dusk west of Walnut Creek in 25 to 30 feet of water.

Pike angling has been fair to good. Not many fish put up a better fight pound for pound. Presque Isle Bay offers some of the best Pike fishing in the country with plenty of trophies waiting to be caught. Pike generally aren't too fussy and often anything shiny will attract their attention. Silver flatfish lures, silver spoons, and chrome rattle traps are great choices. Pike also love live shiners (the larger, the better) suspended under a float. Strong line or a steel leader is a good idea to keep their razor sharp teeth from snapping your line. Pike should be handled carefully when caught with hands and fingers kept behind the gills. Although a bit of a challenge to clean, pike can make good table fare. The area in front of the Chestnut Street launch, outside the Cherry Street Marina , and through out the west end of the bay are good target areas Current Lake Erie water temperature is 63 degrees

Children and PFD's: Children panic when they fall into the water suddenly. This causes them to move their arms and legs violently, making it hard to float safely in a PFD. A PFD will keep a child afloat, but may not keep a struggling child face-up. That's why it's so important to teach children how to put on a PFD and to help them get used to wearing one in the water. To work correctly, a PFD must fit snugly on a child. to check for a good fit, pick the child up by the shoulders of the PFD. If the PFD fits right, the child's chin and ears will not slip through. PFDs are not babysitters. Even though a child wears a PFD when on or near the water, an adult should always be there, too. Parents should remember that inflatable toys and rafts should never be used in place of PFDs. When shopping for a child's PFD, be sure it is with the USCG approval, especially the infant sizes.

Children 12 years of age and younger are required to wear and approved "size appropriate" wearable PFD while underway on Commonwealth waters on any boat 20 feet or less in length and in all canoes and kayaks

Be Sure Your PFDs are in Good Serviceable Condition:
Check your PFDs often for rips, tears, and holes, and to see that seams, fabric straps, and hardware are okay. There should be no signs of waterlogging, mildew odor, or shrinkage of the buoyant materials. If your PFD uses bags of kapok (a naturally buoyant material typically found in many older orange vest type PFDs), gently squeeze the bag to check for air leaks. If it leaks, it should be thrown away. When kapok gets wet, it can get stiff or waterlogged and can lose some of its buoyancy. Don't forget to test each PFD at the start of each season. Remember, the law says your PFDs must be in good shape before you use your boat. Ones that are not in good shape should be cut up and thrown away.

Keeping Worms Lively:
Cool moisture is the key in keeping Crawlers lively. Worm bedding can be purchased at any bait or tackle shop and does an excellent job of retaining the right amount of moisture. Several layers of newspaper or a small cloth on top of the bedding will allow you to place a few ice cubes in your worm box and will allow cool water to seep into the bedding without over saturating. Commercial fish attractants also can be sprayed onto the bedding if desired. Much to the wife's dismay, I have kept crawlers alive in the fridge for months at a time. One has to be careful when waking up for that midnight snack and foraging through the fridge.

Local Weather:

Wednesday Night...Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Thursday...Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Thursday Night...Mostly cloudy in the evening...then clearing. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday...Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.

Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s.

Saturday...Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 70s.

Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s.

Sunday...Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s.