NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 10, 2016

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1 NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 10, 2016 The NW PA Fishing Report provides timely angling information for Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Venango Counties covering all species and all waters open to the public. The fishing comments and photos are offered by regional tackle shops and area anglers, compiled and published twice a month. The NW PA Fishing Report is based on experiences, observations and opinions of individual contributors; information sources are considered reliable but comments are not independently verified. In providing information or pictures, you are agreeing to your comments being edited, and posted to websites and distributed electronically. The NW PA Fishing Report is brought to you by: Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region ( Black Knight Industries, Oil City ( Wiegel Brothers Marine, Franklin ( The Landing Net by Darl Black Old time anglers called August the dog days of summer, and offered many excuses why they could not catch fish. Some were true; many were not. As you can see in this Report, anglers who apply the right techniques in the right location are still catching fish. Yes, there is a slow down on lakes, but other lakes are peaking right now. Get out to fish! If you are not receiving this Fishing Report in your inbox, be sure to check the Fishing Report Page of to find the latest NW PA Fishing Report. Also, be sure to read the interview on Page 8 of this Report important information!

2 NW PA FISHING REPORT for August 10, 2017 This Report is brought to you by PA Great Lakes Region tourism with additional sponsorship from Wiegel Brothers Marine and GAMMA Fishing. We answer the question What s biting in the lakes, stream and rivers of Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Venango counties? French Creek flowing through all four counties Pete filed 8/7: Low clear water under sunny skies is tough but we stayed the course. My client and I got into some fish on French Creek. They were eating stick baits and tubes from 412 Bait Company. The bass were in shallow, fast water waiting to pounce. The weather was great and so was the fishing. (See photos above) CRAWFORD COUNTY Pymatuning Lake Richter s Tackle; filed 8/8: The month of August traditionally sees the lowest catches of walleyes and panfish of the year. This is catfish time they are everywhere! There are muskies being caught by the most dedicated. I ve had a 45, 44, and 36 muskies reported recently. Bass anglers are catching some largemouths. Walleyes are being picked up here and there by trolling plugs, but only by the most hardcore experts. Jamestown Boat Livery; filed 8/8: Not much to report. It s that time of the year. There are lots of boats going out but not a lot of fish coming in. I saw a few walleyes on Saturday taken from deep water. Some guys are casting blade baits to the deep structure, after first removing the belly hook. I am hearing about some muskies, too. But the most consistent bite is for catfish. Duck-n-Drake; filed 8/8: We have not received a single catch report from customers this past weekend.

3 Gateway Tackle; filed 8/8: Anglers are catching some crappies and bluegills from the causeway, plus a few walleyes very early and very late in the day. Some fellows in boats are catching walleyes with Sonars and Vib-E blades. I ve heard from tournament bass guys that the better largemouth bite is south of the causeway right now. Lots of catfish! Poff s Place; filed 8/8: This is a pretty tough time of year. Water is too warm and fishing in a boat on the lake can be uncomfortable with that high summer sun. There are some guys catching walleyes at night, plus a handful that are using blades (traditionally a late fall lure) to catch some deep walleyes. Bass and bluegills round out the action. Gamma Re-Spool Station Fishing with Darl Black; filed 8/6: On Saturday morning, fishing friend Jim McClave and I manned the GAMMA Line Re-Spool Booth at the registration site for the Pymatuning Lake Association s annual Kid s Tournament. We provided free re-spool of either 4 pound or 6- pound Gamma Line for any of the youngsters in need of fresh line on their reels. The event was a success with around 200 children registered to fish the two day event. (See photos above) Ken Smith (Sharon); filed 8/4: I fished Pymatuning on Tuesday, August 2 nd. The crappies were pretty active early morning but the bite died down after 10:30 AM. Hang glided Bobby Garland Baby Shads on 1/8-ounce heads over brushpiles and pallets in 8 to 16 feet of water. I finished the day with 24 crappies over 10 inches plus a few bluegills and perch. Back on August 1, we were hang gliding a deep point with brush on it and all four of our rods went down at the same time. It was a madhouse getting four fish in. They turned out to be four 2-pound white bass! (See photo in Livewell) Jim McClave (Andover); filed 7/28: There has been a big slow-down in fish-catching on the South End of Pymatuning lately. Typical warm summer variety of catfish, bluegills and perch are all we are catching. Good time to be working on building new worm harnesses and restocking the many swivels, hooks, and split shot that have been do- First catch of event

4 nated to the stump gods. Here is a picture of me showing one of the big catfish to the neighborhood kids. (See photo) Conneaut Lake Marilyn Black (Cochranton); filed 8/7: Darl and I fished Conneaut Lake this morning for a couple hours to check on the crappies. The bite is still on! Bobby Garland Baby Shads and Brewer Crappie Sliders did the trick. Darl is offering a deal on late summer guide trips to Conneaut for bluegills and crappies from August 15 to Labor Day a Back to School Special for a parent or grandparent and child! All equipment is provided. Send Darl an at darlblack@windstream.com for details. (See photo) Bob Grinarml (Cambridge Springs); filed 8/4: We have left the humps of Conneaut Lake and are now trying the weedlines. We caught bluegills, rock bass and perch but no crappies. Got chased off by boat traffic! Canadohta Lake Timberland Bait and Tackle; filed 8/8: Some of the locals have been picking up walleyes by trolling worm harnesses tight to the weedline of cabbage beds. A few pike are being caught as well. I also have reports of anglers catching smallmouth bass at the Union City Dam outflow. Also reports of muskies being caught in upper French Creek on nightcrawlers fished in the deeper holes. The BIG NEWS is our Kids Fishing Tournament at Timberland Bait & Tackle Pond beside the shop. It is this Saturday, August 13 th from 6 pm to 8 pm. No fee, no pre-registration. Just come on over, check in, go fish and maybe win a prize! Bill Logan (Pleasantville); filed 8/7: I fished Canadohta twice last week. No musky action, but landed one bass and lost a bass on both trips. One bass was a nice 2-pound smallmouth! ERIE COUNTY Presque Isle Bay Lake Erie Bait & Tackle; filed 8/8: The Bay is pretty quiet. The water is very warm so perch and smallmouth bass are gone, and crappies are shut down. A few guys are catching largemouth bass. A friend just called to say he was catching walleyes in the Lake at 70 to 80 feet of water out between the Condos and Lighthouse. Perch are hit and miss. A highly unusual event is happening on the lake right now: perch fishermen are catching small walleyes 10 to 12 inch walleyes. Something no one has seen happen in a very long

5 time. Good news for the future. As for the big eyes, here at the store we have the hot plugs: Bay Rat, Renosky and Rapala. Lake Erie Rich Erie Sports Store; filed 8/8: This past week has been rugged for fishing. Those of us that went perch fishing this past weekend found the bite almost nonexistent. On Sunday my crew caught one perch. We fished off Walnut anywhere from 38 to 58 feet and couldn t locate any perch. Earlier in the week we did catch 44 perch and about 15 walleyes. The walleyes were all 9 to 10 inches with only one keeper. All caught off Walnut in about 45 feet. Other perch anglers were also catching small walleyes. From what I hear, walleye fishing has been better than perch fishing. There are many reports of walleyes being caught in the Trenches in 60 to 80 FOW. Fish appear to be deeper now than a few weeks ago. Use equipment that will get you down to 40 feet. Either Dipsey s or leadcore line with deep divers are both working. Best colors are Purple and Firetiger. At the store we have just reduced our Daiwa and Okuma line counter reels now up to 30% off. Lure and rods are 20% off, and our custom fly selection deal is buy 5 get 5 free. Poor Richards; filed 8/8: Nothing much has changed in recent weeks. Perch are in 47 to 52 feet on the West Side, but catching them is a hit and miss proposition. The bigger walleyes are being caught around 65 feet of water between the First and Second Trench. Worm harnesses are doing better than plugs. Best colors are Purple & Pink, and Purple & Black. Elk Creek Sports; filed 8/8: Walleye catches seem okay with many of the schooled fish off the Peninsula that s where the charter boats are working, getting limits in 3 to 4 hours. Perch remain a mystery catch like crazy one day and gone the next. Anglers have been remarking about long commercial traps set about 40 feet; some anglers are tangling lines in them; looking for answers to why they are there. Dutch Fork Custom Lures; filed 8/8: Recently I fished with a couple friends from Erie. We caught walleye on Dutch Fork Custom Painted Cranks and Ghost Blades. Cranks were out five color of leadcore line. Blades were on inline weights 150 feet back on planer boards. Melissa Rogwoski showed how it s done! (See additional photos in Livewell) Thomas Watral (Erie); filed 8/4: On August 1, we fished 58 to 60 feet of water near Harbor Creek Water Tower; we caught 3 big perch and one silver bass. We moved to where the perch boats were fishing, but nothing. On the 4 th, we started fishing at 6 am and fished until 10 am at 48 feet of water off Gull Point, drifting crawler harnesses out to 60 feet no perch caught. Over around the state line, I hear lots of smaller walleyes in the

6 17 to 18 inch range are hitting crawler harnesses; best color Firetiger. No perch out that way. Where are all the perch? Mark Domhoff (Cochranton); filed 7/31: I was fishing with friends on Erie in a boat out in 45 feet of water using jigs tipped with worms and minnows, jigging along the bottom. I took home a limit of walleye. (See photo at right) Jeff Frischkorn, Outdoor Writer (Ohio ); filed 7/27: Darl, your readers may be interested in knowing that our Ohio Division of Wildlife is confirming that the Lake Erie walleye hatch the past two years was exceptional; better than originally thought with a mountain of fish now just a fraction of inches under Ohio s 15-inch legal keeping size. All of this will unquestionably lead to outstanding walleye angling for the next several years that will certainly include Pennsylvania waters of Erie, too. Edinboro Lake Dave Horvath (Edinboro), filed end of July: Darl, I have not been fishing lately but here is what I could dig up on Edinboro. The best bite is largemouth bass early in the mornings around boat docks. Cranks and topwater are producing. Catfish bit is strong in the lake anytime, using crawler or stink bait. Some bluegills are being caught in the channels. Pleasure boaters and kayaks overrun the lake after 9 am in mornings. Late evening is also a good time to fish. MERCER COUNTY Lake Wilhelm Fergie s Bait; filed 8/8: This has been an extremely slow week. Nothing to report from here except the occasional big largemouth. Shenango River Lake CDS Grove City; filed 8/8: I didn t get exact details, but there was a big catfish tournament on Shenango Lake this weekend; two customers remarked about the huge catfish that were weighed in. Other than that, it s been quiet due to heat. We are selling a lot of soft plastic to bass anglers, so they must be catching them somewhere. A few anglers are fishing for smallmouth bass in the local creeks. Ken Smith (Sharon); filed 8/4: I fished Shenango this morning, August 4 th. Using a 1/6- ounce jig with Southern Pro Triple Tail tipped with Crappie Nibbles, I put 30 crappies from 9 inches to 11 inches in the cooler. All these fish were black crappies. I caught most

7 on shoreline blowdowns, six feet deep. Some crappies came from deeper brush at 13 feet with an 8-count on the jig. I left at 1:30 pm with the fish still biting. Just got too hot for me. Shenango Lake is the best lake to fish during the summer as heavy boat traffic doesn t deter the fish from biting. Get out and enjoy a good day of fishing and take some crappies home for fish fry! Darl Black (Cochranton); filed 8/3: This week I fished Shenango Lake with Rick Como of Sharpsville for a few hours one afternoon to gather material for a Pennsylvania Angler & Boater article about white bass and hybrid stripers. Although Rick routinely catches hybrids, we struck out on hooking and landing one on this trip. Rick did, however, land several very impressive white bass. These white bass were bigger than any I have ever caught from the lake. Rick looks for the schooling activity on his depthfinder then he trolls a crankbait through the school. I enjoy catching feisty white bass especially when they are in the 14 to 17 inch range. Based on what I observed, it seems to me Shenango is the new white bass capital of Pennsylvania. (See photos) Mark Domhoff (Cochranton); filed 8/1: I ve been fishing quite a bit in the Shenango River below Shenango Dam, and enjoying the variety of species there. Using mainly worms, leeches and minnows as bait, we have caught walleyes, pike and some nice flathead catfish. (See photos in Livewell) The Mercer Pits Kevin Austin (Farrell); filed 8/5: Hey Darl, I caught this nice 14-inch crappie at a strip mine pit that I fish regularly. I also caught thirteen 10-inch bluegills that day from the pit. (See photo) (Editor s note: As I teen with a car, I discovered just how great old strip mine pit fishing in Mercer County could be for a variety of species. Located on private property, most of the ones I fished back in the 70s are now closed to the public. If you have permission to fish a strip, be sure to carry out everything you carried in.) VENANGO COUNTY Justus Lake Angler Buttermilk Hill; filed 7/29: I took guest Kathy and her granddaughter Leach to Justus Lake. We trolled live chubs and shiners along the weedline near the Beach area and across the lake from the Beach. The Catch of the Day would have been a hog largemouth bass weighing over 5 pounds if the fish hadn t collaborated with a weedbed and

8 pulled off. However, numerous smaller largemouth bass were boated and a few smallmouth bass, too. Around noon nasty weather rolled in so we took to cover. (See photo) Allegheny River Bill Logan (Pleasantville); filed 8/8: I went to the river today and caught bass! The river had been tough lately with few fish caught. Today I landed 6 smallmouths and lost 2 all on a Rapala Minnow. Also had a nice musky follow my glide bait. I covered 10 miles of river today. Justus Lake bass Steve Udick (Oil City); filed 8/6: A group of us floated the river the first weekend in August. Torrential rain hit us Saturday morning and lasted past 1 pm. We had 13 people in our party and only managed 8 bass between us on Saturday. Sunday the river had come up and huge mats of grass and weeds made retrieving lures impossible. Chris Marczak of Waterford caught a prized 21.5 inch smallmouth bass on a Floating Rapala Minnow in Firetiger. I landed an 18 inch smallie on a Mizmo Grub. Both fish came from the Rockmere Eddy. Sad to say we only caught 24 bass and one walleye among 13 anglers on the two-day trip. (See Photos in Livewell) It s an Alien Invasion! (Special interview on the Hydrilla situation at Pymatuning) If you have fished Pymatuning by boat this season, more than likely you have encountered State Park s Courtesy Boat Inspection check stations at launch ramps. The employee quickly tells you something about an invasive weed, but you really aren t listening because you want to get out on the water. Well, now that you have time to read the NW PA Fishing Report, take an additional minute or two to read the following important information about the Hydrilla invasion. Pymatuning State Park Manager Dan Bickel responds to questions posed by Darl Black, editor of the NW PA Fishing Report. 1. What specifically about Hydrilla should be a concern to boaters, anglers and others who enjoy Pymatuning Lake and other nearby waterways? Hydrilla spreads rapidly growing up to 2.5 cm a day and can grow from substrate to surface in depths up to 12 feet of water. There are very few species that can compete with hydrilla leading to a monoculture of very thick mats choking out native weedbeds important to fish habitat. It also has been found to host the cyanobacteria Aetokthonos hydrillicola which leads to deaths of waterfowl and bald eagles through a neurological disease called avian vacuolar myelinopathy. A couple of samples tested from Pymatuning thankfully did not find the cyanobacteria currently present on them.

9 2. How many acres on Pymatuning are being impacted by Hydrilla? Hydrilla was first identified in Pymatuning in 2010 and according to a lake wide vegetation survey completed last fall, hydrilla is now in 10.85% of the lake and is the 3 rd on the list of most frequently found after Southern Naiad and Eurasian Watermilfoil. 3. How many acres of water have been treated with herbicide? What is the herbicide being used? Is it a selective herbicide for just Hydrilla, or does it kill other vegetation which benefit various panfish/gamefish species? Left unchecked, Hydrilla can overrun sections any lake. Photo of a lake infestation from internet. In 2016 two new chemicals were added to the park s DEP permit acres treated with Sonar H4C (fluridone) and acres treated with Aquathol K (Endothall). Aquathol is a one-time liquid injection and Sonar H4C is a granular application that requires one initial treatment and 2 follow up treatments per season. Representatives from each of the companies were part of the initial discussions on locations, size of treatment areas, and how and when to dose. They were present on site when we did the applications. Where we are treating we are targeting the hydrilla beds where other species have already been limited or pushed out completely. Depending on the specific species, the chemical labels list whether it has potential to suppress or control and at what rates they are impacted. Our goal again is to target the hydrilla beds, not whole lake treatment. 4. How long will treatment for Hydrilla continue and what is the cost associated with controlling it? As with any invasive species treatment that we do, it is unrealistic to believe we can eliminate the species from the ecosystem. We aim to stop the spread, decrease the population, and then control the species into the foreseeable future. This year between chemical and man hours we have about $35,000 into the treatments. Ohio DNR received a GLRI grant for $25,000 which has been a tremendous help covering a good portion of the chemicals. We were unable to cover all locations with Hydrilla this year due to budget limits but are hopeful to expand to cover additional areas next year.

10 5. What are the economic and ecological costs to Pymatuning if Hydrilla is not controlled? Close-up of Hydrilla. Internet photo. The 2010 Penn State University look at impacts of visitor spending in the local economy showed Pymatuning at $83.8 Million generated each year. With the majority of park users coming to spend time in some way on the lake, be it fishing, boating, or swimming, impacts of hydrilla could be tremendous to the local economy. Left unchecked, hydrilla will clog the shorelines making access to beaches, moorings, marinas, launches, and beaches extremely difficult. We are increasing our education efforts for boaters to Clean, Drain, Dry their boats to reduce the spread of invasive species from lake to lake. This is and will always be the most economical approach to invasive species. In 2016 we introduced an Invasive Species Courtesy Boat Inspection Stations pilot program to help spread the message. LIVEWELL OVERFLOW - Photos from Pymatuning Lake and Shenango River tailrace below Shenango Dam. Ken Smith s Pymatuning white bass Joe Shuttleworth s big Pymie flathead catfish on 6 lb. test! Summer Species! Pymie Channel Cat Robinson s Mark Domhoff tailrace catch

11 Dutch Fork Custom Lures Summer spinner sale 10 fluorocarbon harness reg SALE $ fluorocarbon harness reg $3.99 SALE $2.89 Any size Ghost blades 3 pack Reg. $4.99 SALE $ use keyword wally dog when ordering for special pricing good until August 20, 2016

12 There is Still Time to GO FISHING before School Starts!! Join Fishing with Darl Black Guide Service for a fish-filled day on Conneaut! Summer is nearing its end. If you have promised to take one of your children or grandchildren fishing this summer, time is running out. To encourage you to Take a Kid Fishing, Darl Black is offering a Back to School special price on a guide trip for a parent/grandparent and youth under age 16 between August 15th and Labor Day. The usual $ fee for five hour trip is reduced by $50.00 for weekday trips choose either a morning or late afternoon session. We will fish Conneaut Lake where (as long as the wind isn t blowing too hard) the two of you will catch a variety of panfish crappies, perch, BIG bluegills and perhaps a bass or two. All equipment is provided. Adult only needs a PA fishing license. Call me at to discuss a date, or me at darlblack@windstream.net. Very nice Black Crappie from Conneaut Lake Jumbo Conneaut Bluegill Oversized Pumpkinseeds You might even catch a trophy bass

13 The Livewell Brought to you by: Wiegel Brothers Marine 704 ½ Elk Street Franklin, PA On the Allegheny River Boat of the Month: How about this fully rigged and ready to hit the water stick steering jet boat? Still lots of fishing time left in the season. Chris Marczak s 21.5 Smallie! Steve Udick Or buy a plain jane boat and rig it yourself! On Lake Erie with Dutch Fork Custom Lures (Wiegel s can put you in an Erie boat, too.)

14 Black Knight Industries Oil City, PA You can find GAMMA line locally at the following tackle shops: Consumer Direct Sports Grove City, PA Griffins Bait & Tackle Cooperstown, PA Maurer s Trading Post Franklin, PA Robinson s Bait & Tackle Espyville, PA Gamma Fishing Tip Mark Domhoff is the winner of a spool of Gamma Line for this issue of the Fishing Report. Dave Horvath is the winner of Yum Lure packet for his small lake report on Edinboro. Please your shipping address to Darl Black to claim your prize. Gamma Tip from Outdoor Writer Jim Gronaw: One of the best multi-species tactics I have found is to use a light braid such as Gamma Torque in 20-pound strength as the main line, with a fluorocarbon leader of 12-pound Gamma Edge. Knotted together with a small barrel swivel, this makes a great shore fishing tool for reaching fish that make shoreline movements early and late in the day. Since I do 95% of my fishing from the bank, Gamma Torque Braid enables me to reach distances that are needed to cash in on lowlight predators like summertime largemouths, walleyes and channel catfish. Recent catches have included big walleyes at Long Arm Dam (York County, PA) and a massive 31-inch channel catfish from a small public lake in Maryland. Superior casting distance, coupled with the no-stretch characteristics of the braid ensures quality hooksets at long distances on big fish. You can work everything from surface baits to soft plastics to buzz baits all on this setup. Additionally the toughness of the fluorocarbon can prevent biteoffs from the occasional toothy critter. Bob Grinarml: I was fishing with my brother-in-law in Tampa Florida this spring. I was telling him how much I like Gamma Line. He said You mean like this as he pulled a spool of Gamma out of his tackle box! I guess more people know about Gamma than I thought!