Back in Action.

Sunny skies and warmer temperatures today lowered stream levels. The area streams are flowing at good levels and the water is clear. They are calling for a lot of rain tomorrow so if you are going to fish make it a morning outing. I will provide you another quick update as to stream levels tomorrow evening. Happy Fishing!

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Raging Rivers Make Steelheadin' a Washout

I would show you pictures of the area streams today but my camera broke. I bought a new one, though, and will take more pictures as this week goes by. We received quite a bit of rain today which caused stream levels to rise quickly. The streams as of today at 6:30 pm are still extremely high and murky making fishing nearly impossible.

Yesterday, was a good fishing day with steelhead being caught in decent numbers. I can't confirm the following report but I think the crappies have turned on in Misery Bay and the lagoons in Presque Isle Bay. If not, there was a heck of a lot of fisherman out there getting skunked. A half dozen or so boats were clustered by the Perry Monument in Misery and there were quite a few people fishing the lagoons. It started raining hard so I did not get out of the car to check on the fishing but I will be fishing for those hefty crappies this week.

Steelheading will probably be poor for the next day or so. It all depends on when the rain will quit. One advantage to all of the rain is that the streams were running high enough to allow more fish to run further up.

The perch fishing in the bay is just starting to pick up. I saw a few in buckets around 10 inches and talked to fisherman who said they returned a lot more tiny guys.
The Lake Erie water temperature is still around 35 F and may be a little warmer in the bay. It needs to get up to about 40 F before the fish really start to hit and good catches become more consistent. May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Update: Here Comes Another Fine Steelhead Weekend

We received a little rain but it only raised the stream levels a little. The local streams are running clear at normal levels and the fish are in the streams in good numbers. I don't really see more fish but the same amount that was present last weekend which was an excellent fishing weekend.

We need heavy rains before more fish can head further up the streams. There are a lot of fish further up the streams, though, so if you are tired of the crowds near the stream mouths, head upstream.

Clear water conditions this weekend with a good amount of sun today which may raise the stream temperatures a bit. Smaller size glo bugs and imitation eggs should fare well. And don't forget your mini-foos. FishUSA.com has a good supply and I have supplied their picture of their steelheader'. Don't forget to tip it with a maggot for best results. May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Watch the Weather...

Just a quick Wednesday update for those who live a couple hours away. The streams as of today are running low and clear. Many steelhead are in the streams and splashing around spawning. The weather forecast starting today is rain and we are supposed to get quite a bit over the next few days. I will post stream pictures showing levels on Friday. This weekend might be a washout for steelheading so stay tuned for my Friday update. If the stream levels rise a little fishing will be excellent. Hopefully, we will receive an ideal amount of rain so that the big steelhead can be caught. See you on Friday!

Trophy Bass Season Nearing.

With the weather warming up the ice on the lake is quickly receding. We have a lot of great fishing to look forward to over the next few months. The rest of this month and April, steelhead are the hot topic for gamefish. However, in April you can fish the open lake or Presque Isle Bay and catch humongous smallmouth bass. The largemouth's are in the bay also, but we generally do not see largemouth's as large as those caught in southern states. The smallmouth fishing is hard to beat in Lake Erie. It is not that uncommon to catch a smallmouth over 20 inches and that is the size that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has earmarked as a true trophy bass.

The Fish Commission has set a trophy bass only season from April 18 through June 12, 2009. During this time period, only one fish can be kept and it must be over 20 inches. The rest of the year, you may keep 4 bass (combined) over 15 inches. These regulations are for Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay.

When I tell people that bass have to be this size to keep them out of Lake Erie many are extremely surprised. I routinely walk up and down the South Pier which joins the Bay with Lake Erie and see much smaller bass in people's buckets. One day I spoke to a fisherman who could not speak English who had seven bass in his bucket all around 10 to 12 inches. I explained to his English speaking daughter that bass had to be 15 inches to keep and that he needed to toss them back into the water. He did so but this still has me thinking that there are a lot of bass being kept that are much smaller than 15 inches.

Anyway, the size limit, I believe, is set appropriately and it is common to catch fish in the 15 to 20 inch size range. In April and May, the smallmouths especially are very aggressive and can be caught with almost any lure that is run through their spawning redds. I generally do a lot better on largemouth bass in late July and August when the water temperatures are higher and I can use top waters.

I wanted to post a link for you to check out the lake's conditions before traveling here to fish. As many of you are probably aware, the lake conditions can change rapidly. The lake may be calm in the morning only to turn into a high wave nightmare later on in the day. The National Weather Service keeps constant tabs on the lake's conditions and you can check out the conditions for Lake Erie anytime after April 1, 2009 at Lake Erie Wave Forecasts. Make sure you look at the area from Conneaut Ohio to Ripley New York.

Smallmouth bass fishing is very good to excellent from where the Piers exit the bay all the way to Twenty Mile Creek on the east side. In the early season, the bass will be in less than fifteen feet of water and can be caught by wading off shore also. Many fisherman stick close to stream mouth's but I have had very good days when fishing quite a distance from stream mouth's so if you are not catching fish simply move to another spot.

I have a new spinner to test out and if you would like to help me test it out and compare it to other spinners, please email me and I will give you information. I will include your comments and test results in a later post along with my findings.
May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Another Excellent Steelhead Weekend.

Steelhead, steelhead, steelhead; that one word describes this weekend's fishing opportunity. The streams are full of nice shiny fish which have recently entered the streams to spawn. The streams are somewhat low and clear but the fish didn't seem to mind. I saw many fish being caught and there is some really big fish being caught this year. If you have a nice picture of you with a fish and want me to show it off on this website, simply email it to me and I will put it here.

A couple words of importance: fishing organizations recently released a ton of smolts into the area's streams. Please don't target these little guys. Most of them are less than 9 inches but each year I am surprised to see fisherman catch and measure the fingerlings. Although it is not illegal to keep smolts that are larger than 9 inches during the regular trout season that begins on April 18, 2009, these fish should be returned to the stream so that they can venture out into the lake and become adult steelhead. Remember, right now all of your steelhead have to be larger than 15 inches and you can only keep three.

Having said that, warm weather is expected this week. The weather will undoubtedly raise the water temperature in the bay at least a few degrees. Crappies and jumbo perch may start to hit. Any day now I expect to get news of fisherman catching them. My friend Rob is a very avid "bucket" fisherman that tries to go out almost daily the next couple months. I will be talking with him for updates and checking out his blog. If you are interested in following Rob's blog, you can do so at Robfisherie.blogspot.com. He doesn't really care about steelhead but he loves his panfish. He also talks about the history of the old time pier fisherman in Erie and how the "old-timers" are disappearing. A good blog with some fine history. Have fun fishin' this week and stay tuned for more updates!

Fisherman Gearing Up for Excellent Weekend

I just wanted to provide a quick update for the many fisherman who live outside of the area and are thinking of coming to Erie to fish this weekend. The streams are in great shape and as of today are flowing at ideal conditions. We did receive quite a bit of rain but the streams subsided quickly and this weekend is looking like another great weekend to fish for steelhead.

Presque Isle Bay's water temperature is still very cold and I have not yet talked to anyone that is doing great on jumbo perch or crappie. Look for a vast improvement over the next few weeks. Please remember when fishing our area streams to pick up your litter. May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Gourmet Steelhead Recipe

With all these steelhead being caught, I thought I would provide a gourmet recipe that won't let your family or dinner guests down. Many fisherman smoke steelhead and this is definitely a good way to prepare them. However, if you don't have a smoker or would like a change of pace, try this recipe that I got from kitchengrrl at Recipezaar. You can also find many other great fish recipes there. Their web address is http://www.recipezaar.com

Broiled Steelhead Trout with Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic

5 minutes to prepare/ 20 minutes to cook

Serves 3-4

1 pound steelhead filet, with or without skin
1 clove garlic - chopped fine
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 lemon, zest of
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus
additional oil for greasing the baking pan

1. Prepare a baking or roasting pan by lining it with foil and brushing it with olive oil.

2. Preheat broiler
3. Mix together all remaining ingredients except fish into a well blended paste.
4. Place fish skin side down (if it has a skin) on baking sheet, then spread seasoning over the flesh.
5. Broil fish at second rack away from heat for 5 minutes or less, just enough to sear flesh but not burn herbs.
6. Lower fish to 3rd or 4th rack and lower heat to 325 F. Bake for additional 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through in the thickest portion.
7. Serve with steamed veggies, salad, or whatever.

Wesleyville Conservation Club Stocks Trout for Kids

In my personal opinion, there is nothing more rewarding than to teach a youngster how to fish. I do not have any children but I was very lucky to have a much younger brother. When he was just a couple years old he would look at me when I was all decked out in my fishing gear and ask "Can I come?" I would look back at his big smiling face and say, "very soon, it is too cold for you today." I would bring home the fish to show him and tried to teach him the difference between species. Soon, he would not only look at the fish but also would say, "brown trout" or "sunfish" or "perch." At a very young age my little brother not only knew what a fish was but he knew their common names. Shortly after this, he too became an avid fisherman and one day when he was still a youngster he caught a fish that he could not identify and neither could I. It looked like some kind of tropical fish to me but it was caught in the Army Corps of Engineer pond by the South Pier across from Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. Not exactly where you would expect to catch a tropical fish. He pulled the fish out of the water and said enthusiastically, "what'd I catch?" I did not have a clue so we took the fish to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission for identification. I cannot recall what the fish was, however, it was a tropical fish that somehow got in the pond; either a Jack Dempsey or Oscar. Anyhow, I was proud that my little brother would not keep any fish that he could not identify, he wanted me to check it out before tossing it in the bucket. It is important that we teach youngsters fish identification skills, as well as, teach them to fish. It is really great that around Pennsylvania we have areas where only children can fish. Here they can be taught by adults how to fish and even catch a few because they don't have to worry about the adults catching all of the fish.

Tom Loftus, a friend of mine, wanted me to write an article about the Wesleyville Conservation Club and what they do to help kids learn how to fish for trout.

The Wesleyville Conservation Club maintains a local trout hatchery in North East PA and raises trout to be stocked in area waterways, including Four Mile Creek which is designated as an under 16 fishing program.

They would like fisherman to be aware of who this trout stocking program is designed for. The trout stocking program is designed to benefit kids and senior citizens through the first two weeks of regular trout season. Many local kids in Wesleyville and Lawrence Park do not have the opportunity to trout fish elsewhere. Please leave the trout stocked in between Route 5 and Buffalo Road to the kids to fish for and for senior citizens to pursue. The Four Mile Creek Kid's Program works on the honor system so please give the kids the opportunity to have fun the first couple weeks of the season. The creek is going to be stocked the night before opening day with roughly 1000 brown trout and a good amount of palomino's (golden trout). I visited the hatchery and saw some fine fish.
According to Rob Sanford, the Raceway Manager, the average fish is between 11 and 14 inches. The club is going to restock Four Mile inseason on the Friday after the opener with the same number of fish again.

The Wesleyville Conservation Club is in the Cooperative Nursery Program and part of the local trout organization 3-CU. If you would like to donate to this wonderful non-profit organization, you can purchase skein to be used to raise more trout from East End Angler on East Lake Road in Harborcreek.

Children under the age of 16 do not need to buy a fishing license to catch trout in Four Mile Creek but must follow the general regulations that are in the 2009 Pennsylvania Fish Commission's guide.

If you are an out-of-towner and would like a great place to bring your kids fishing, consider bringing them on opening day to Four Mile Creek. It is very rewarding teaching a kid to fish and with so many trout being stocked, they are sure to bring some home. If you need a place to stay, Jackie at the Lighthouse Inn and Restaurant will give you $5.00 off their regular low hotel rate. Just mention this article to receive the discount. They are located on East Lake Road directly to the east of Four Mile Creek.

If you are from out of town and need directions to Four Mile Creek, please email me and I will get them out to you. May your kid's lines be tight and their hooks be happy!

Light Rains Falling..Steelheading Still Good.

Light rains entered the area today and may raise the streams to ideal conditions. As of this morning, the streams were flowing low and clear and many of the steelhead were spooky. It is hard to imagine if any more fish are gathering at the stream mouth's as this years run has been fantastic thus far. Fish are still being caught at stream mouth's indicating that we have not seen the last of this year's run and more fish will be entering the streams when stream levels increase. This weekend should be excellent fishing, however, if we get too much rain today and tomorrow it may be a washout. I will try to provide an update Friday on stream conditions. The forecast is calling for a dry day Friday so stream levels will be decreasing. This weekend's fishing forecast is definitely dependent on the weather. The fish will be there but if we can fish for them is another thing.

Fisherman Enjoy Great Success!

"This is the best day of steelheading, I've ever had!" "Fantastic!" "They were hitting every fly I cast!" These are just a few of the comments I received today from the many fisherman I interviewed. Tourists from Maryland, Ohio, southern PA, New York State, as well as, local fisherman enjoyed great success this weekend.

Large numbers of steelhead could be found in most of the streams all the way from Elk Creek in western Erie County to Twenty Mile Creek in far eastern Erie County. Stream conditions were ideal and the steelhead were not letting many fisherman down. The sun beating down on the cold streams was making the fish more active.

The only downside is that as of this afternoon, many of the streams are now running a little low and very clear. The fish are beginning to get a little spooky. We might get some rain within the next few days to help out the fishing conditions. If not, the fish will be spooked out of the riffles and be in the deeper holes and congregating at stream mouth's.

Egg sacks, single eggs, Glo Bugs, and wooly buggers worked well for the fisherman I talked to. Good luck fishing this week and please remember to pick up your trash. Many people allow us access but they are not too thrilled when they have to pick up garbage left by fisherman. May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Stream Levels are Good, Steelhead in Streams

The streams are running a little high but have cleared up significantly. Steelhead fishing should be excellent over the next few days. All of the ice has blown out of Presque Isle Bay and perch fishing should start to pick up. I checked Dobbins Landing today and no one was really doing any good yet, just a few small perch. A few steelhead are being caught off the piers in the bay but I have not talked to anyone as of yet that has caught a bucket of perch.

The weather forecast is indicating that this weekend should be excellent steelhead fishing but the clear weather may slow it down a little. Watch for the next front coming early next week which will bring rain.

Remember when steelhead fishing that the water is still very cold so it is best to get your bait down to the fish in the streams. Imitation egg sacks, real spawn sacks, live minnows, and maggots should all perform well for bait fisherman.

Glo bugs, hare's ear nymphs, imitation sucker spawn, imitation eggs, and spring wigglers should be great choices for fly fisherman.

With the recent heavy rains raising stream levels, fish should be well upstream so you should be able to get away from the crowds this weekend. Fishing pressure will be intense, though, so early mornings may be best before fish are spooked out of the riffles. May your lines be tight and your hooks be Happy!

Stream Fishing Conditions Improving

The area received less rain than anticipated. The local stream levels are decreasing and the water is beginning to clear up. If there isn't any rain tonight, streams will be in good shape tomorrow. Today the streams were still a little high and the fishing holes were on the cloudy side. I visited a couple areas and did not see any fish caught. If you are fishing tomorrow, try larger and brighter colors and use a little more weight to get down to the fish. Good Luck!

This is a local photo of Cascade Creek which runs through Erie. The stream gets decent runs of steelhead but today I did not see any fish caught and fisherman reports indicated that no fish were being caught.

Streams Still Running High and Cloudy

After this weekend's rains, the steelhead streams are still running high and somewhat murky. In the deepest holes, fishing is possible and if you try it make sure you use larger and brighter globugs or eggsacks. The fishing will most likely not improve over the next few days as there is a warm front passing over the area tonight through Wednesday bringing more rain. This coming weekend looks good though, temperatures will be in the high 30's to 40's with little chance of rain. I will keep you updated on conditions throughout the week but if I had to bet, I would say Saturday and Sunday will be great days to come and fish! Stay tuned...

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Heavy Steady Rains Ruin Sunday Fishing

Heavy all night rains inundated the area and streams rose quickly. This is good news for the fish as now they can run up the streams. Fishing was nearly impossible Sunday and it will probably be at least a few days before stream levels decrease enough to make fishing permissable. I will post pictures over the next few days so that you know when streams are able to be fished again. You can bet on one thing, though, the warm rains will bring in a large number of fish that have gathered at the stream mouths.

Perch fishing should start to pick up in Presque Isle Bay as the jumbos are now spawning. Generally speaking, the perch follow the ice. As the ice moves out of the channel the perch are close behind. Therefore, Liberty Park Pier is good early and over the next couple months, the perch will head east towards the channel. I would wait awhile until trying the North and South Piers and stick to the bay.

Also remember, if you are not catching fish on the south side of the bay, try the north side which are the piers at Presque Isle State Park. Use at least 6 pound test, though, as this is the time of year you will hook into steelhead also in the bay. Stay tuned for my almost daily updates.

Steelhead Now Running!

Today I ventured out to western Erie County and was surprised to see that the ice around the streams blew out and fishing conditions were perfect. The streams are running at good levels and the next week should provide excellent fishing opportunities. The steelhead are preparing to run further up the streams and will do so when heavy rains occur. Fishing pressure was intense today and many fine fish were being caught towards the mouth of Walnut Creek.

Trout run, which is a nursery water and is illegal to fish, is packed with steelhead of all sizes. Please see photos.

I will be providing frequent updates on this seasons steelhead run and I wanted to provide tourists with a little more information. In order to fish for steelhead in Erie County, you can purchase a 1-3-or 7 day fishing license or you can purchase an annual non-resident fishing license. The 2009 license fees and requirements are as follows:

1 Day tourist (not valid from March 15 to April 30) - $26.70
3 Day tourist - $26.70
7 Day tourist - $34.70
Trout/Salmon permit - $9.70
Lake Erie permit (needed if you are going to fish the lake or its' tribs) - $9.70
Combination Trout/Salmon and Lake Erie Permit - $15.70
Non-resident Annual Fishing License - $52.70

Pennsylvania Annual Fishing Licenses are valid through December 31, 2009. Residents of Pennsylvania need trout/salmon permit to fish for steelhead and a resident annual license priced at $22.70.

May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

March 5 2009 - Temperatures Rising

Quick weather update - March 5 2009 - Temperature was in the 50's and streams really starting to open up. With the rising temperatures, fishing will really be picking up. Snowpack is all but non-existent so streams will be running clear until next rainfall. Today is Thursday and this weekend should be excellent steelhead fishing. Be very careful if venturing onto ice in Presque Isle and Misery Bay.