NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: May 4, 2016

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1 NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: May 4, 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 Given the early ice out, we have been expecting an improvement in the weather for two months. But it only happens for a day or two, then back to northeast winds, gray skies and rain showers. However, it s the first week in May. Things have got to start warming up and drying out a bit. Then maybe, we can say the full spring bite is here! In the meantime, check out proposed crappie regulations for Pymatuning (page 9); Jeff Knapp s river smallmouth tip on spinnerbaits (page 10) and don t forget the Crappie Fishing Seminar on May 19 th (page 11)

2 NW PA FISHING REPORT for May 4, 2016 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, streams, and rivers of Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Venango counties? French Creek flowing through all five counties Angler Al (Franklin); filed 4/28: On Friday, April 22, I discovered the French Creek smallmouth bass are starting to fire up. It took switching from a live large creek chub to smaller minnows to catch them. They were near the bottom of current rips. I returned to the Creek on the 25 th and 27 th. I suspended 3 to 4- inch creek baits below a float and drifted them through long sections of current. I caught 5 smallmouths, 1 walleye and 1 northern pike. CRAWFORD COUNTY Canadohta Lake Timberland Bait; filed 5/2: The crappies and bluegills are beginning to hit at Canadohta throughout the shallows. Trout fishing is in full swing in this area. There are plenty of trout in the streams. I suggest trying Oil Creek, Muddy Creek, or my favorite, Pine Creek near Titusville. Conneaut Lake Loby Entertainment; filed 5/1: I ve been fishing Conneaut for bluegills off and on recently, but it wasn t until this past weekend that I really got into them good. As usual, they are in emerging weedbeds in select areas. I also caught some jumbo pumpkinseeds. It takes some time locating the right area. I have also been fishing Pymatuning shoreline for the spawning bite, and doing well. But that is about over. Pymatuning Lake Jamestown Boat Livery; filed 5/2: It was a pretty slow weekend on the South End of the Lake. This long stint of NE winds, gray days and lack of warmth has things running behind. Loby on Pymatuning

3 I didn t see any number of crappies come through, just a few here and there; same for walleyes. Hills Country Store; filed 5/2: What a roller coaster week. While pre-fishing for an upcoming Hookers Fishing Taxi, I located a large school of crappies that had left the shallow cover spawning area after the arrival of a strong cold front. They took up residence on a hump in 6 feet of water about 200 yards offshore. When we returned the next day, they were gone and search was on again. Post frontal conditions 101: we finally found them in and around large rock and wood scattered around the North End of Pymatuning. Using medium action rods spooled with Gamma Polyflex, we fished 1/16- ounce jigs with Bobby Garland Minnow Mind R tipped with live minnows. We had to pitch and cast many times at the same target to get bites, but the bites were good ones. We ended the day with a dozen quality crappies none were less than 12 inches. Also, customers at Hills County Store are reporting good catches of walleye. Anglers are starting in 5 feet of water on hard bottom and working shallower as the sun drops from the sky. Large minnow baits and 3 grubs are the rule. Duck-N-Drake; filed 5/2: Weather recently has played havoc with anticipated crappie movements on Pymatuning. Customers say the best area is North End in 8 to 10 feet of water. My walleye customers are turning to trolling already, reporting catches in 13 to 16 feet of water on Rapala Shad Raps and Berkley Flicker Shads. Gateway Tackle; filed 5/2: Crappie fishing has been hot and cold due to this crazy weather pattern. One day a hero, the next day a zero. The best crappie area has been the Linesville stumps. The day of the PLA crappie tournament was very unsettled weather wise, but the winners had good weight over 7 pounds for 5 crappies. The evening walleye shoreline casting bite has slowed down. Soon anglers will be shifting to daytime trolling. By the way, there seems to be a higher than usual number of musky being caught. Pymatuning Lake Association Crappie Tournament; filed 5/2: The winning team was Jim Krull and Ken Weilacher from the Jamestown, NY area. They had five crappies weighing a total of 7 pounds 9.5 ounces. Poff s Place; filed 5/2: Right now fishing is not bad, nor is it PLA tournament great somewhere in between. Reports are crappie fishing is tough, and the crappies are running on the small side. And you ve really got to work for those walleyes along shore in the evening. We sure could use some warmer weather, sun and a favorable wind!

4 Robinson s Bait; filed 5/2: While the cooler temperatures the past few days has made it challenging for our anglers to locate crappies, we have had reports of decent numbers being taken here on the north end in 3 feet of water on minnows. Walleyes have been reported being taken trolling at about 2 mph on Hot n Tots south of Harris Island stumps. Some walleyes also have been reported taken on crawlers and bobbers near Wilson s Launch. Perch have been elusive but some were taken in Stewart s Bay; see photo. Ken Smith (Sharon); filed 5/2: I ve been to the North End a few times last week. On the first trip, I caught 10 nice crappies. Later in week, my neighbor and I fished the Linesville Stumps. We put 80 crappies in the boat for his family fish fry. All the fish came on a small jig with a Bobby Garland Baby Shad in Monkey Milk color. Ken s 10 fish day RJ Graham Jigs: filed 4/28: I caught my bass last week mostly on a Strike King Silent Red Eye Shad crankbait; a handful of bass came on my Graham Jig. The big girls had not moved to the bank yet. Saturday night the cold snap messed up my pattern. And we ended up scrabbling the day of the tournament, flipping cover and tossing a Chatterbait occasionally; ended up with 6 bass for 14 pounds. Ben Lipec won with a 22 pound bag. Jeff Frischkorn (Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio); filed 4/23: My two older brothers were walleye fishing on Pymatuning on April 21 st. There were trolling Berkley Flicker Shad in Firetiger without success. Trolling back to the Ohio boat ramp south of the Causeway, my oldest brother Terry caught an egg-laden 39-inch musky. The fish was immediately released. Terry asked me to electronically submit his catch to Ohio Division of Wildlife Trophy Fish program. Counting Terry s fish, there have been four Fish Ohio musky qualifiers from Pymatuning this season already. The minimum length for musky recognition is 36 inches. ERIE COUNTY Lake Erie Erie Sports Store; filed 5/2: Perch fishing in Lake Erie has slowed down due to a week of northeast winds. Perch fishing had been excellent through late April in 45 to 50 feet off the point of Presque Isle and some decent catches reported in 35 to 40 feet off Walnut Creek. Night walleye fishing has just started. Shore anglers will be casting stickbaits like Rapalas and Bay Rats. Boaters will be trying their luck in 6 to 12 feet of water close to tributaries. The bass fishing in the bay has started to pick up with catches of both large-

5 mouth and smallmouth bass. Check out the new arrivals of long minnow lures including Bay Rats, Bandits and Renowsky lures at Erie Sports Store. Presque Isle Bay Jeff Reichel (Meadville); filed 5/1: Jake and I fished Presque Isle Bay on Sunday, May 1 from 10 am to 2:30 pm. First fish in the boat was nice 12-inch perch at our first stop. But we remained skunked for the next 1-1/2 hours part of time was spent cleaning a mouse nest out of the engine compartment and repairing a wire the little buggers chewed through it s a wonder the engine started at all! So we moved to a small spot we found last year in about 24 feet of water that came up to 14 feet on top with what looked like a mangled station wagon on the Garmin! We spent the rest of the day there as the fog rolled in and we could not see land in any direction! The bite was steady and we caught between 15 and 20 nice smallies from that spot and could have caught more but we were getting wet and cold from the misty north wind so we called it a day. (See photos below) Elk Creek Elk Creek Sports; filed 5/2: On Saturday we had a young lad named Alex (age 12) with his father stop by to show us a beautiful steelhead; see photo. Other than that steelhead, anglers have been catching smallmouth and suckers in Elk Creek on Thursday - Saturday. Sunday the rains came and the stream is high and muddy for rest of week. Everyone is so tired of this miserable spring weather. Trout Run Bait; filed 5/2: Well, we should be casting the surf from shore for smallmouth and walleyes it s that time of the year. But the cursed NW winds have messed up fishing for weeks, and I do not see an improvement this coming week. Some smallies in Elk but that s about it. Poor Richard s Bait; filed 5/2: There are a few steelheads left in the lower part of Elk. And of course the stocked trout in Elk and the Gravel Pit are drawing attention. Not hearing a lot about bass. But some guys are catching perch out in 37 to 52 feet off Walnut that s deeper than usual for early in the year.

6 MERCER COUNTY Lake Wilhelm Fergies Bait; filed 5/2: Finally the crappies have turned on! On Saturday one fellow stopped in with 40 really nice crappies. Early in the week, a group out on a pontoon boat caught 100 crappies. All the action seems in the upper end of the lake from the causeway up into the electric motor only area. Shore anglers are catching crappies in 2 to 3 feet around cover. Shore anglers at Wilhelm Shenango River Lake CDS; filed 5/2: Most of our customers are out turkey hunting this past week, but there was a crappie tournament on Shenango Lake over the weekend. I fished it with about 20 other teams. We caught our 20 fish tournament limit in 11 to 14 feet of water in a bay with live minnows. The winners had 20 lbs. 11 oz. for 20 crappies; the tournament lunker was 1.2 pounds. Guys also caught white bass, catfish and at least one musky and one pike. 5 Points Country Store; filed 5/2: The weather messed up any plans anglers had for the weekend. I didn t hear from any customers about success on Shenango. VENANGO COUNTY Griffin s Bait; filed 5/2: We picked up a new local vendor Rage Tackle. Rage Tackle is located in Oil City and offers a variety of products including sonars with matching spinner blades, bottom bouncers, tube jigs, tube jig heads, floating jig heads and swimbaits. Stop in and check out their new products or visit out Face Book Page at Griffins Bait & Tackle Shop. While fishing Lake Arthur, Mark Ringwelski picked up his first big fish of the year with a 30-inch musky weighing 8 pounds. Cody caught this 21-inch rainbow while fishing Sugar Creek. Cody also landed a nice stringer of trout from Sugar Creek near Wyattville. (See photos) Sugar Creek Angler Al (Franklin); filed 5/2: On Saturday, April 23, I caught a 20-inch brown trout from Sugar Creek on a live creek dace. This past weekend, on the 30 th, following the rain, I took a variety of worms and float bucket of live bait to Sugar Creek. I rigged a large creek

7 dace on a suspended float. The second drift I hooked what I thought would be a big brown but turned out to be a 22.5 inch walleye! Then I put the biggest piece of bait on the hook. Not long after, I landed a brilliant-colored 21-inch brown trout. The rest of the morning I used red worms, wax worms and pieces of crawlers to catch numerous 10 to 14 inch stocked rainbows. (See photos in Livewell) Big Sandy Creek Denny Beggs (Franklin); filed 5/2: On April 27, Larry Kladny of Butler caught this nice Rainbow on Big Sandy; he was fishing minnows. My trout fishing buddies and I caught many trout this spring from Big Sandy. Kim Slye (Cranberry), Larry Kladny (Butler), Bill Beggs (Corry), my brother, and I have caught many trout in area streams this spring. We fish salmon eggs, minnows, wooly buggers and spinners- lots of fun! Here are more from Big Sandy. (See photos below) Kahle Lake RJ Graham Jigs; filed 4/28: I fished Kahle last evening with a friend Austin Weaver. We caught 29 bass all on a drop-shot rig with Jackall Cross-Tail Shad in water from 8 to 12 feet on weed edges. Not many big fish, but lots of fun! (See photo) Allegheny River Gene Winger (Oil City); filed 5/1: Even with the recent cold front the Allegheny River has produced some great fishing over the past several weeks. Bass are moving into their pre-spawn locations and the bite has been spectacular. A typical day on the water produces 40 to 50 smallmouths, mostly in the 16 to 18 inch range but a few brutes in the 20 to 21 inch range. Most have been caught using Winco Tastee Tube Supremes and Solid Body River Darters. Saturday my son-in-law Chris and I boated so many bass we quit counting the largest measured 19/2 inches. A memorable day on the river! (See photos in Livewell)

8 Bill Logan (Pleasantville); filed 4/30: Back on April 20 th I caught 15 smallmouths in fast water; 13 of them on various Rapala baits and the 2 biggest ones on paddle tail swimbaits. On the 30 th, the bite was slower. I got six bass including three of them over 2.5 pounds in one spot. All bass came on Rapala Shadow Rap Shad. (See photo). First Aid Kit Important for Anglers Angler Al says Accidental injuries are common, whereupon some are more severe than others. As an independent safety consultant for American First Aid, I teach folks 1 st Aid/CPR and proper use of an AED. I also sell first aid kits. Your cars, trucks, boats, campers and garages should all be equipped with well-filled first aid kits. I also market safety related products such as UV polarized safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, etc. Should you have any questions regarding safety, or might like to purchase a first aid kit or schedule yourself and others for first aid/cpr/aed training, please contact me, Angler Al at Or me at albell.of.afa@zoominternet.net. Fishing with Darl Black Guide Service is currently booked through the first of June, I am now booking crappie/bluegill at Pymatuning for June and July as well as bluegill/crappie trips at Conneaut Lake for August & September. All tackle and bait provided, including rods and reels. Consider giving a gift certificate of a guided trip to a friend for a special occasion. Visit my guide page on the internet at and Like my Facebook Page Fishing with Darl Black for more information. Then me direct at darlblack@windstream.net to discuss a date. Once again this season in cooperation with GAMMA FISHING, each booked guide trip in 2016 will receive a sample spool of GAMMA s Optic Yellow Panfish Line in 4 poundtest the best light line I have ever used.

9 New Crappie Regulations Proposed for Pymatuning By Darl Black I attended the public meeting in Linesville almost two weeks ago where PA Fish & Boat Commission Fisheries staff explained about new proposed regulations on crappie at Pymatuning. Pymatuning has never had a creel limit or minimum size on crappies as least as long as I can remember. Regulations on Pymatuning require agreement between Ohio and Pennsylvania. While PA has expressed a desire for limits through the years, OH would not agree until recently when the data from both states showed a dramatic decline in the crappie population. Basically the data shows the crappie population in Pymatuning peaking in However, since 2012, the population is on a sharp decline. Yet angler effort for crappies continues to climb. The result is fewer crappies being caught and their size is somewhat lower than in years past. Biologists explained this was more than the simple fluctuation of crappie populations. With the current unlimited creel and no minimum size, Pymatuning s crappie population would not recover. Comments were made by the audience of anglers. One individual in particular stated he had fished the lake since a youngster in He had seen the ups and downs of various species, but had noted a decrease in crappies recently. He noted that the increased number of anglers on the lake and the incredible amount of high tech equipment used by anglers today can put intense pressure on a fishery, and the fact that Pymatuning had no creel limit or minimum size on crappies was foolhardy given anglers knowledge today. Everyone seemed in agreement. The regulation package proposed for Pymatuning is referred to as Panfish Enhancement, and has been used on other lakes in Pennsylvania. The proposal is a 9- inch minimum and 20 fish daily harvest limit on crappies. With a show of hands, all but one angler showed support for it the one angler wanted a 25 or 30 fish creel. The proposal goes to first reading at the next Commission meeting, then out for public comment. Based on written comments and those from the public meeting, there may or may not be changes. The plan is to have it back for second reading and approval at a Commission meeting later this year, hopefully with implementation in 2017.

10 River Spinnerbait Tips For NW Pennsylvania Fishing Report By Jeff Knapp/Keystone Connection Guide Service Free-flowing rivers like the middle portion of the Allegheny furnish some of the best fishing in the state for smallmouth bass, with the potential for both numbers and size. Rivers, though, are subject to constant change, particularly given the whimsical weather patterns of recent years. One must be able to cope with a variety of river conditions, including high and dirty. Within reason, I like it when the Allegheny is up and off color. What s reasonable? Using the USGS gauges at Franklin and Parker as a measuring stick, below 8 feet at the former or 7 feet at the latter; visibility-wise, at least six inches. Higher flows push bass tight to the banks, meaning they are more concentrated rather than spread throughout various mid-river areas. It s a perfect scenario for chucking spinnerbaits, a tactic that often results in a day that produces lots of quality-sized bass in the 15 to 20-inch range, particularly if you follow these tips. Target banks that aren t getting blasted with hard current. These spots can be found along inside bends in the river, below points/bars formed at creek mouths (incoming clearer water often found below creeks is another draw for bass), in and around island complexes with are often feature diverse current situations and good shallow water habitat. Bring you re A-game, casting wise. Typically, bass will be tucked in right next to shore, likely intercepting food that comes close by. As such, there s a big difference between casts that land a few inches off shore, and ones that hit three feet from the bank. Expect a bass to bite within the first few turns of the reel handle. Unless we have a fish or two hit halfway back to the boat indicating a willingness to move for a bait that particular day I recommend to my clients that they burn the lure back to the boat once it s 15 feet or so off the bank, so they can get another cast off, keeping the bait in the prime zone as much as possible. Gear-wise, being proficient with a baitcaster is an advantage in this situation. You can thumb the spool to feather the lure s splashdown next to shore. However, medium action spinning tackle works okay, particularly after the user has launched a few casts and gets the timing down. In terms of actually spinnerbaits, I like Terminator s T1 as well as Winco s Custom Lures River Rascal Short Arm spinnerbait. When the water s still quite dirty I prefer dark skirts and big thumping blades. In the case of the Terminator, this is a single gold Oklahoma blade in size 4 or 4.5 (for a quarter or three -eighths bait, respectively). With Winco s bait, I opt for a size 4 Colorado blade rather than the size 1 or 2 that comes standard. As the water starts to clear (one to two feet of visibility) I notice a preference shift to lighter colored skirts, and flashier tandem blades like the willow leaf, options available on T1. Retrieve-wise, a slow steady retrieve is often best within the first few feet of the bank, one that gives the bass plenty of time to locate and react to the lure. Also, in areas where deeper water tucks up close to the bank it often pays to allow the bait to spiral down on a semi-tight line for a couple seconds after splashdown, just like a jig or worm. It s a tactic particularly well-suited to single-spin lures. For more information on Keystone Connection Guide Service go to or visit Keystone Connection Fishing Guide Service on Facebook.

11 What: When: Where: FREE CRAPPIE FISHING SEMINAR Thursday, May 19 th at 7:00 pm Reynolds 115 Edgewood Dr. Ext., Transfer Spider rigging on Pymatuning Lake Presentations on various crappie fishing techniques, including Spider Rigging by Dan Dannenmueller, 2 time Angler of Year on Crappie Master Tour. Plus, a presentation on choosing and using today s sonar to help you catch more crappie. Your questions answered by a panel of experts from Garmin Electronics, Gamma Line, TTI/Blakemore Fishing; Bobby Garland Crappie Baits, Driftmaster Rod Holders and B n M Crappie Rods. Seminar is free, but seating is limited. Obtain free tickets at any of the following bait and tackle shops in the Shenango- Pymatuning-Wilhelm triangle: Consumer Direct Sports (CDS), Grove City, PA 5 Points Country Convenience, OH Hills Country Store, Route 7, OH Richter s General Store, Jamestown PA Jamestown Boat Livery Duck-N-Drake, Lake Road, OH Gateway Tackle, Andover OH Poff s Place, Espyville PA Robinson s Bait, Linesville PA Fergies Bait, Lake Wilhelm Lake Wilhelm Marina Griffins Bait, Cooperstown PA. Shenango Lake 2016 WALLEYE Tournament, May 14. First Place $ Team entry fee $ Registration forms and rules at pymalakeassoc@windstream.net.

12 The Livewell Brought to you by: Wiegel Brothers Marine 704 ½ Elk Street Franklin, PA Gene says the bass bite on the river is ON! Boat of the Month: See the new sticksteering Express Boat at Wiegel Marine. It can be outfitted with a jet for the river, or an outboard for crappie fishing! Or a traditional tiller boat for river! Duff at Pymatuning Photo from Richter s Bait, Pymi Angler Al with a trophy brown trout from Sugar Creek.

13 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 Hill s County Store Williamsfield, OH Maurer s Trading Post Franklin, PA Robinson s Bait & Tackle Espyville, PA Gamma Fishing Tip Denny Beggs is the winner of spool of Gamma Panfish Line for this issue of the Fishing Report. Please your shipping address to Darl Black to claim your prize. Brad Taylor Brad Taylor, a diehard crappie angler in Mississippi. He has been the president of the Magnolia Crappie Club for three years (the largest crappie club in Mississippi) and fishes the Crappie Master Series, a country-wide competitive circuit. Brad spider rigs with live bait most of time; this is very slow trolling with rods out the front of the boat, each with a heavy sinker to take baits down. Spider rigging translates to multiple rods in southern states usually more than the three rods each angler is allowed in PA. Being a tournament angler with many rods, you want the best line available. Brad uses GAMMA Line. Although Brad will not be at the Crappie Fishing Seminar in Transfer, PA on May 19 th, another competitor on the Crappie Master Series will, along with several other speakers, including Dale Black, President of Gamma. Come on down to seminar to learn more about GAMMA Line and how crappie anglers use it.