Quick Steelhead Fishing Update Erie PA January 2, 2018 (1/2/18)

Steelhead fisherman are going to have to wait a little while for solid ice to form on Lake Erie and the bay.  Here is a video of the conditions today at Trout Run.  Ice jams and creeks are frozen making open water fishing impossible.  Ice is forming quickly, though, so get your ice gear ready.  Misery Bay is fishable now and other areas will be soon.  

Video by Andi Kulbacki on YouTube

Visit my above YouTube channel for Product Reviews, fishing videos, tips, and other stuff related to fishing!  Jeff fishing and everything

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!

Heavy Rains Bring in the Steelhead.

Tuesday November 10 2015

Heavy rains today are contributing to very high Erie steelhead streams.  The streams are flowing high and murky which will result in a fresh run of trout.  It usually takes one to three days for streams to improve from a rain event like we are having today.  This weekend may be excellent fishing conditions if we do not get pounded like today.

We still have about a month before the local streams become plugged with ice.  I will provide an update on Friday for my readers that are out of town.  Stay tuned!

This is what twelve mile will hopefully look like when it goes down and is running clear again.  Big fish!

Cold Day of Fishing for a Few Fish.

Today I headed down to Presque Isle Bay to try for jumbo yellow perch. The bay was calm and the skies cloudy. The temperature was pretty chilly. I would guess that it was in the upper 40's.

The fish were biting but I don't think the numbers are there yet. My brother and I caught 10 fish or so and kept three. One fish was nice but I would not call it a jumbo. It was around 9 and a half inches. The perch in the bay right now are running pretty small. The jumbos are still in 50 feet of water in the lake. The weather forecast is calling for real chilly nights so the lake water temperature will start dropping fast. By November, the jumbos should be showing up off of the piers.

Usually by now, steelhead are caught off of the piers throughout the bay. I have not seen any caught yet but did hear about a big steely caught off of the North Pier. Steelhead are entering the creeks now in good numbers but fishing pressure is pretty heavy. Nice fish are being caught in the usual spots like Elk and Walnut Creeks. Good luck fishing and I am going back out Wednesday!

Steelhead Should Be Running Tonight

Heavy rains over the past day have made steelhead fishing very difficult. All the local streams today were high, fast, and muddy. You can bet that the next couple days will be excellent steelheading. The chance of rain is down tomorrow so the streams will probably go down during the day and fishing should be excellent.

Last night and today should have sent the first major fresh run of fall steelhead up the steams. Get out there and catch some nice fat silver fish!

If you need any scent holding orange eggs which work very well on local steelhead, please check out my Sportsman Classified website. My Sportsman Classified site is free to join and free to post your Sporting Goods. It is really easy to list stuff so come on over and give it a try. Happy Hooking!

Steelhead Season Just Beginning.

Today we had some heavy rains which should have raised stream levels to allow steelhead to run up from the mouths of the tributaries. The 2012-2012 Lake Erie Steelhead season is just beginning and the outlook for this year looks fantastic. Steelhead have already been caught off of the North Pier and a few have been in the streams before today's heavy rains. I took a ride out to the Walnut Creek Access area on Sunday to see how the fisherman were doing. It was sunny and warm and not a great day to fish, however, one lucky fisherman did manage to catch one steelhead. The next few days should be much better if indeed there was enough rain to get the streams flowing. October will be a great month to catch fish.

Fall Fishing Report and Update- October 2011

The perch are beginning to move back through the channel.  Jumbo's have been reported, however, I have been doing quite a bit of scouting and have not seen too many caught.  Today, the weather was sunny and warm for October and I fished the North Side.  The action was fast and furious.  In fact, I could only fish with 1 rod.  I ran out of minnows well before dark.  I caught roughly 50 fish and the vast majority were very small.  I managed to catch 3 fish that were keepers in the 8 to 9 inch range. 

Generally in the fall this is what happens.  The small ones show up first and then in a couple weeks the size improves. 

Steelhead fishing in the local streams has been very good with many fresh fish in the streams.  I generally stick to panfish but after tasting my friend Bill's smoked steely recipe, I might have to go after 1 or 2. 

Bill has the best recipe for steelhead that I have ever tasted.  Thanks Bill!  He said he got it from Gander Mountain and modified it a little bit.  Hopefully, when I see him again I can get the recipe for you steelheaders. 

Bass are in until the end of the year and are still being caught in good numbers around Presque Isle and the channel.  Today, the gentleman next to me caught a largemouth about 15 1/2 inches.  He put it in his bucket as it was a legal fish (15 inches). 

The weather forecast is supposed to be great for the next few days so grab that rod and catch your favorite fish!  Good Luck!

Steelhead Showing up on East Side.

On Thursday I went out steelhead scouting and ventured out to 12 mile Creek on the city's east side.  The water was running low and clear but I did see a few fish in the creek.  While I was walking up and down the creek, I did not run into any fisherman and the 8 or 10 steelies that I saw in the creek did not appear to be spooked.  In the picture below you can see a few steelhead at the tail end of a pool.  Today is Sunday and we got quite a bit of rain.  The steelhead fishing should improve by Monday afternoon when the stream levels go down.  Good luck fishin'

Lake Erie Steelhead Streams - Erie County PA

Here is the direct link...Erie County Steelhead Streams

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.

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!

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!