January 3. 2018 Ice Conditions on Presque Isle Bay in Erie Pennsylvania

The ice on Presque Isle Bay is getting thick enough to fish and one brave soul ventured out today at the foot of Chestnut.  The following video was shot at the Liberty Docks and shows cloudy but well covered ice.  I would give it two days.  By January 5th it should be good but use caution and test thickness.

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Northern Pike Compete with Other Predators Like Walleye and Should Not Be Introduced.

A friend of mine in the Western USA just sent me this article which was posted on County10.com  It is very important to not introduce any non-native fish or organism to any body of water.  Lake Erie has been a similar victim recently with the introduction of the round goby and other fish like the white perch.

A photo posted on County10.com Tuesday morning of a Pavillion angler and the Northern Pike he caught in Ocean Lake on his birthday has confirmed the worst fears of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

“We heard about a northern being caught in Ocean last winter, but we were never able to put our hands on the fish, so this is the first official confirmation that northern are in there,” said Craig Amadio, WGFD fisheries biologist in Lander. “Northern Pike are very aggressive that require a lot of food. There are suckers, carp and such in the lake for them to eat, but with a predator like that our big concern is they could escape and establish themselves in other waters, we want to keep them out of Boysen.”Amadio said people don’t realize how easily fish can move around. “We’ve been managing Ocean Lake for walleye, which is another top predator, and to have two top predators in the lake is not good for what we want to do there,” he said. The fisheries biologist said that because northern are such voracious eaters, they don’t do well in Wyoming waters because there are usually not enough fish to sustain them.

Amadio praised the angler, Russell Naef (above), for keeping the fish intact and calling in when the G&F reposted in comments on the photo reaching out to him. “We want to get the otoliths from the fish (inner earbone) because we can tell how old the fish is as otoliths grow in rings, and they retain the chemical signature of the water they grew up in, so we can tell where it came from when it was young,” he said.

“We have to assume there are more of them in Ocean Lake. If any other angler catches one, we’d like them not to release it back into the water, but kill it and keep the head so we can harvest the otoliths,” he said. “These northern are a threat to our entire fishery out there.”

Amadio, who came to Lander from Green River, said he’s had experience at Flaming Gorge when Burbot first showed up there. “We manage that for lake trout and kokanee salmon, but the burbot are also top predators and they’ve had a negative impact there.”

He said it’s way too early to know how the northern got into Ocean Lake in the first place.

Northern Pike. h/t Photo WGFD / Pitchengine Communities

Steelhead Update for Erie Streams - November 11, 2015

The heavy rains ended yesterday and the high murky streams undoubtedly resulted in a fresh run of steelhead trout.  I went on a scouting mission today and can report that the smaller streams are about fishable.  They were still high at  2 pm this afternoon, but close to good fishing levels.

Tomorrow should be an excellent day to fish.  I did not see any fish in the streams today due to the murky conditions but here is a video of what 4 mile creek looked like.  I have caught steelhead on days like today but with the leaf litter present today it would be difficult.

Tomorrow try bright eggs and bright fly patterns.  If you would like to learn how to steelhead fish the streams around Erie, you can check out this article by Tim Trainor Erie County Steelhead Tactics.

Good luck fishing!

Forget Steelhead Fishing in the Streams this Weekend!

A real quick update to help out my readers that are in Pittsburgh and elsewhere.  The warm temperatures along with rain have raised the area streams to extremely high levels.  They are running very high and muddy.  I don't think there will be any stream steelhead fishing this weekend.  Perhaps, Sunday afternoon at the earliest.

Steelhead are also in the bay and strong southern winds are forecast for tomorrow.  These conditions won't be bad for fishing on the north side of the bay.  The new Sons of Lake Erie Pier should be a good spot this weekend, as well as the public dock and maybe even off of the Chestnut pier where they rent boats and jetskis during the summer months. 

High stream levels are blowing out the mouths of the streams so the smaller stream mouths should be good fishing this weekend.  The smaller streams include Trout Run and Godfrey Run on the west side. 

On the positive side, when the streams go down there will most likely be steelhead everywhere!  Next week should prove to be excellent fishing.  Use bright egg patterns or live eggs in cloudy water and a real good tip is to tip your egg with a maggot.  The steelhead seem to go nuts for a squiggly maggot popping out of a bright salmon egg!  Good luck fishing!

Slow Perch Day.

This morning was cold with a strong breeze from the north.  You know what they say?  If the wind is from the north do not venture forth.  That phrase was very correct this morning.  The south pier was lined up with fisherman hoping to catch some tasty Lake Erie Yellow Perch. 

Most guys left with nothing but a chill from off the lake.  I caught 1 fish and it was a good one (11 inches).  The guy next to me caught 4 fish, all keepers, and thanks to him I left with 5 fish in my bucket.  Everybody else that showed up early did pretty poorly and most early risers took off before I left at 8:30 am. 

Well, everyday can't be a great fishing day so maybe next time I go I will catch more.  Happy Hookin'