NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: April 6, 2016

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1 NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: April 6, 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 With ice out by March 1 st, most anglers expected early movement of all fish. Not so, as we now pay for a mild winter. However there are hot bites: jumbo perch at PIB; evening walleye by wading at Pymatuning; and smallmouth on the Allegheny if you don t get blown out of the boat. Warmer days are coming, so be sure to read the Fisheries Forecast for area waters a special addition in this issue of NW PA FISHING REPORT. And check out the Events Page this issue for upcoming events including the CRAPPIE FISHING SEMI- NAR on May 19 th ; seating is limited, get your FREE tickets now! DB s first Pymi catch 2016

2 NW PA FISHING REPORT for April 6, 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, stream and rivers of Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Venango counties? French Creek flowing through all four counties Angler Al (Franklin): - 3/28: I took my guest for the day, Kathy Woof of Port Orange, Florida, down to French Creek. Using floating jig heads tipped with large creek minnows, I cast lines into a current break and let them settle to the bottom. Within minutes we had a taker. A small hammer-handle size pike provided her with excitement. Although a thrilling experience for her, I explained a bigger the fish the more intense the fight. She found out a bit later when she landed a 27 inch prized Kathy Woof pike! (See photo) - 4/3: My morning stint of time on French Creek was cold, breezy and included light hail storm. Although the water was stained by recent rain, the level was good for fishing. I managed to catch five small northern pike and missed hook-sets on several others. They were feeding aggressively on the large creek shiners I was presenting. Solid orange and solid chartreuse colored floating heads worked best. After a few misses, I found that running a small treble trailer hook worked well to increase my hook-ups. CRAWFORD COUNTY Pymatuning Lake Richter s Tackle; filed 4/4: Although the weather has been lousy with cold winds churning the lake, by evening the locals have still been getting out wading for walleye. I had a good night earlier in week casting the shore from my boat. My son and buddy Ryan waded the other night, bringing in two limits. Jig-n-minnow and slow-retrieve of minnow plugs are catching eye. Crappies, however, are missing in action. No consistent bite either shallow or deep. Better days are coming if the wind would let up!

3 Hill s Country Store; filed 4/4: Seems we have gone full circle again. Snow in the boat as we head out for early season ventures. Pymatuning is giving up some cold water fillets to those who are keeping water temperature in mind and go small, go slow. I have to share a story from one of our customers who stopped by for some dock talk before heading out. He told me he usually takes his larger boat, but since he was fishing alone one day last week he took his 14-footer. He was in 10 feet of water, and had set out one rod and was getting another one ready when he heard a splash. Looked up to see the butt end of his rod sinking in the water. He lunged for it, and slipped out of the boat. Finding himself alone in the water with bulky clothing and hunting boots, he thought he was going to drown. But fortunately he had put on his PFD for added warmth against the cold wind. It kept him afloat until he could grab the boat and eventually crawl back in. Signs are everywhere telling us to wear our life jackets glad he chose to put on the PFD for warmth because there is nothing colder than dead. All other bait and tackle shops around Pymatuning are reporting little fishing activity due to poor weather conditions this past week. Some walleye catches have been reported with blade baits around the Espyville Causeway Bridge, as well as some eye being caught in the evenings by wading anglers all over the lake. Low lake level has impacted fishing in some of the shallower bays. Everyone is looking for an April warm-up. Kevin Austin (Farrell); filed 3/31: I caught this nice crappie on March 24 th. It was one of 40 I caught that day. Photo on left. Kevin Austin Jim McClave (Andover); filed 3/30: I went to Padanarum for a couple hours this evening; caught 3 crappies and lost several others fishing from shore right at dark. RJ Graham (Tionesta); filed 3/26: It s finally Spring on Pymatuning. My Dad, Grandpa and I had a stellar day on Pymatuning in the stumps! Could not find a single crappie up north but we took home 36 jumbo perch and caught/released 20 bass on jigs! RJ Graham Marilyn Black (Cochranton); filed 3/26: Darl and I fished the area around Bay 41 on March 26, looking for smallmouth bass and checking the shallows for crappies. Water temp was 47 degrees. No crappies were encountered, but Darl did manage his first bronze fish of the season on Pymatuning, although not the bronze species he wanted. I on the other hand managed to secure our dinner!

4 Tom Rizzo Conneaut Lake Steve Hughes (Clarion); filed 3/31: Tom Rizzo and I made a trip to Conneaut Lake on Saturday the 26 th. We had an OK day fishing for largemouth, catching 8 or 10 on jerkbaits. We also caught a few small pike. ERIE COUNTY Presque Isle Bay Report from Bay Rat Lures; filed 4/1: Bass fishing on PIB has been hot. Largemouths are in all their normal springtime places (lagoons, Horseshoe, Misery and Head of Bay). Bay Rat pro staff member Danny Jones has been catching lots of fish on the Bay Rat Battle 1.5 square bill crankbait. Hot colors have been Black/Chrome, HD Crappie and Chrome Feisty Shad. Smallies are not moving into the bay in Danny Jones any numbers yet; water temp in the low 40s. But a couple warm days could change that. Erie Sports Store; filed 3/31: Perch fishing in the bay has been very good at various places and times during the past few weeks. Depending on the wind and time of day, perch hotspots for boaters have been the Head of the Bay, near the Yacht Club, the Stink Hole, Misery Bay, and the inlets of the marinas. Perch hotspots for the bucket guys are the North and South Piers, and the public dock. In addition, perch have been caught in the marinas and off the Liberty Park Pier, the old Border Patrol Pier and off the Convention Center Pier. Crappie fishing in the Bay has been spotty not sure if guys are being tight lipped or if it s just a slow start to the season. Thomas Watral (Erie); filed 3/31-3/28: Went out perch fishing at the marina. Caught some really nice perch. Had a hard time keeping two rods in the water. People around me asked what king of rig I was using it was a hand-tied one using Gamma Line. I got 30 perch in the 15 to 15.5 inch range on minnows on homemade Tom Watral perch catch rigs. - 3/31: The Bay has been on fire all of March. Lots of perch in the 12 to 15 inch range. Best baits have been minnows on crappie rigs. Best time has been from 5 am to noon, and then it slows down. Took jumbos home every day. Yes, I m selling bait and rigs again this year at 2407 McKinley Ave.

5 Erie Tributaries Poor Richards; filed 4/4: Steelhead fishing is rapidly coming to an end. Very few still in Elk Creek. However, a few smallmouth bass are already moving into the lower section of Elk. But the hotspot right now is PIB with all the jumbo perch. Elk Creek Sports; filed 4/4: Tough all around right now. Steelheads are pretty much done, and smallmouth bass are just starting to show up in Elk. Stream is full of suckers, however, if that is your area of interest. Trout Run; filed 4/4: Things are slow in the streams right now. Smolts are on the way out, and some smallmouths are showing up. However, the jumbo perch fest continues at Presque Isle Bay. Report from Uncle Jon s Campground; filed 4/4: It was a busy week on Elk near our campground. Several anglers were catching small steelhead. MERCER COUNTY Shenango River Lake 5 Points Country Convenience; filed 4/4: Not much happened at Shenango this past week. Weather kept a lot of people home. I do have reports of anglers catching both northern pike and crappies from shore below the Orangeville dam on the Pymatuning Creek Arm of the lake, plus pike and crappies above the dam in Ohio water. (Photo of Ken Smith s older brother on Shenango last week of March) Lake Wilhelm Fergies Bait; filed 4/2: Has been a slow week. Water temp is still cold, barely 40 degrees in the lake earlier in week. Some scattered bluegills here and there from shore. Guys have not even reported a good bite on the upper causeway. VENANGO COUNTY Allegheny River Jim Allen; filed 4/4: The bite is picking up on the Allegheny. I caught most of my fish on a Firetiger Rapala Husky Jerk and a few on a black tube with gold sparkle. Jim Allen

6 Gene Winger (Oil City); filed 4/4: After the ice moved out, fishing was a little slow. But over the past couple weeks the bite has improved dramatically. The challenge has been fighting the high winds and changing water temperatures. When the water temperature was hanging around 40 degrees, the smallmouths were deep and taking small finesse baits. Now that the water temperatures are hitting 50 degrees, the bass have spread out into faster moving water and smaller back eddies. The best baits have been Winco s CW Smallies Delight Jigs and Winco s Tastee Tube Supreme and Baby Tastee Tube. On our best day, we caught a boat load of bass, most over 15 inches with the largest weighing 4.5 lbs. and measuring 21.5 inches. See photos in Livewell Steve Udick (Oil City); filed 4/3: On Friday April 1, I got out late afternoon to fish the Sage Run pool. Wind was whipping up river. I only managed to land two smallies, one on a tube and one on a Firetiger Floating Rapala. On Saturday, I attempted to fish with Seth Harrelson in the Siverly Eddy. Winds were just too strong. We each missed fish on tubes. I managed to get this 18 incher in the pic on a Firetiger Shad Rap SR07. It was the only catch of the day. Firetiger has been the best color for all my fishing buddies this winter/spring. Pete Smallies on the Yough - 3/26: The Allegheny was low and clear at 48 degrees. Smallies were hitting close to the bank. We used 412ubes and skirted jigs with Small Craw Trailer from 412 Bait Company. The bite was slow at first but as the sun heated up the river, the bass began to hit hard. We moved into some current and caught some nice fish swimming the jig just off the bottom. The fish were very healthy, and biggest was 20 inches. - 3/30: The Allegheny was stained and up a bit, but temp dropped to 46 degree. I was guiding Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva for the day. The bite had slowed down from the last time due to the rain staining the water. We managed to catch fish on and off using 412ubes with a dead stick presentation. It was his first time on the Allegheny River and he was happy with fish caught, landing about 25 with the biggest one 18 inches. GO STEELERS! Alejandro s 18 SM - 4/1: We fished the evening on the Allegheny; water was dirty and it rained off and on. We caught some fairly aggressive fish not far off the bank using a swim jig and 412 Bait Co. Small Jaw Craw. The thumping action of the lure help produced two 20-inch smallmouth and a few smaller ones.

7 - 4/2: Cold rain and snow on the ground. Things started slow but the bite picked up as the day went on. Two more 20 inch bass plus a bunch of other sized fish. Again it was a bank pattern for us, using cranks at first and switching to 412ubes as the water cleared. The weather was crazy but the fishing ended up being pretty good you never know what is going to happen until you get out and fish. Bill Logan (Pleasantville) - 3/16: Got 4 smallmouths today before wind and white caps drove me off. Two came on a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad and the others on a grub. - 3/22: It was windy again on the river. I missed 2 fish and caught 20-inch pike. Water temp was 39 degrees, but at least it was windy. Boat being blown all over due to wind. Did I mention it was windy? - 3/26: Today I got 5 bass, 1 walleye and 2 pike on swim baits and a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad. - 3/30: Did the wind stop me from fishing the river today? No! Okay it beat me up but I did catch a pike. Logan Windmaster Logan RG Graham (Tionesta); filed 3/21: We fished the river today. It was slow and cold! Water temp in lower 40s. We managed a few bass. Remember to wear your PFD in cold water season it saves lives! Matt Watson (Franklin) filed 3/26: Fished on the 24 th ; I landed 2 pike and 2 smallmouths. On the 25 th we got 4 pike and 2 smallies; biggest pike was 30 inches and smallmouths were 16 to 18inches fishing Rapala Husky Jerks from shore. Today, March 26, the bite was hot in the Oil City pool I m told sadly I fished somewhere else! I did catch a 5 pound smallmouth and a couple small pike. Then a huge musky ate my Rapala X-Rap and that ended that. On another note, we had a muskrat attack a friend s pit bull today; the muskrat was showing all the signs of rabies so be careful out there.! Planning a trip to Pymatuning Lake? Interested in a guided trip for crappies, bluegills or walleyes with an experienced angler? Check out Fishing With Darl Black Guide Service at or call for more information.

8 2016 Overview of Fisheries in NW PA Based on surveys by PF&BC Fisheries Mangers Summary of District 1 waters by Tim Wilson Presque Isle Bay BLUEGILLS are fantastic in the Bay in both size and abundance. If looking for bluegills, PIB is the place to go. NORTHERN PIKE seem to be rebounding. The LARGEMOUTH BASS population in the Bay peaked in 2005 to 2010 well above normal, but the bass population has fallen back to about average now. Pymatuning Lake Going by our survey catches, 2014 was the best year ever for WALL- EYES at Pymatuning and 2015 was our second best. The number of legal walleyes is outstanding and average size is going up a bit. If our survey catches are not matching angler catches, possibly the sheer number of baitfish in the lake may be the problem. If walleyes are chasing open water bait, then it s more difficult for anglers with traditional methods to catch them. CRAPPIES: Last year the abundance of crappies was up but the average size is down. There was a big three-year-old year class of 7 to 9 inch fish that should be showing up this spring as 9 to 11 inch crappies. Last year our survey nets set a record for MUSKIES at the lake; look for improved catches in the coming years. Pymatuning offers excellent BLUEGILLS in size and numbers. We are seeing an abundance of YEL- LOW PERCH at Pymatuning, including jumbos. LARGEMOUTH & SMALLMOUTH BASS are doing okay. The CHANNEL CATFISH population at Pymatuning is doing very well. Shenango Lake CRAPPIES are growing faster at Shenango than Pymatuning, and the density of crappies at Shenango is 2 to 4 times that of Pymatuning. However, based on our surveys, few crappies at Shenango live past three or four years, so few quality crappies are being caught. We are going to do further work to try to determine whether natural mortality or angler harvest is resulting in the lack of older fish. It is possible there is not be enough appropriate size minnows in the lake to feed growing Crappies at Shenango crappies. HYBRID STRIPERS and WHITE BASS are doing well at Shenango, and anglers are pleased. LARGEMOUTH & SMALLMOUTH BASS are doing well at Shenango. Some decent NORTHERN PIKE continue to show up in our surveys. However, we stopped stocking Shenango with MUSKY a year ago because we were not seeing any return. And don t overlook the CHANNEL CAT opportunities here.

9 2016 Overview of Fisheries in NW PA Continued Summary of District 2 Waters by Brian Ensign Allegheny River Back in 2007, we stopped stocking WALLEYES in the Allegheny to see if natural reproduction was sufficient. Our follow up surveys showed we had good number of all sizes of walleyes from Tionesta downstream. However, from Tionesta to Kinzua Dam Outflow, our numbers were down. We started stocking that upper section last year and saw a huge increase in YOY sampling. Anglers are catching nice walleyes throughout the river, but they are catching exceptional ones in the lower sections below Tionesta fish in the 30 to 33 inch range. We stock MUSKY fingerlings in the river and musky fishermen are reporting good Pete Cartwright with Allegheny River Smallmouth catches. The YOY SMALLMOUTH BASS survey in 2015 showed normal numbers, although YOY smallmouth is not as a reliable indicator as YOY walleye survey. We are working with Army Corps at Kinzua to keep water level stable when possible. French Creek We stopped stocking French Creek with WALLEYE fry to see the results, and discovered that stocking was an important component to the French Creek fishery. We started stocking walleye again last year. Our catch rates looked good with 45 fish per hour that is 2 to 3 times higher than before. Walleye outlook is good. Conneaut Lake Our surveys show very good panfish populations in Conneaut Lake, especially for BLUEGILLS. Lake Wilhelm An explosion of gizzard shad several years ago have impacted the fishery here. Our surveys in 2010 showed LARGEMOUTH BASS were present in numbers and were very healthy. PANFISH have struggled due to competition from shad. We increased the WALLEYE stocking, hoping they would eat more shad. We need to build up the predator base to control the shad. Woodcock Creek Lake WALLEYES are doing fine. We also see some really nice SMALL- MOUTH BASS captured in our surveys. Union City Reservoir Although only 27 acres, this lake has a really good LARGEMOUTH BASS population with some decent size fish. Union City Reservoir has the highest catch rate for largemouths in the entire state among small reservoirs.

10 Justus Lake This is primarily a TROUT lake. There are smallmouth bass, musky and walleye in the lake but anglers generally don t catch many of these species but when they do, the warmwater gamefish are often exceptional size perhaps the result of feeding on a soft ray, high protein prey source. Edinboro Lake Currently this lake has decent WALLEYE and LARGEMOUTH BASS populations. It is on schedule this year for a MUSKY survey to evaluate the survival of musky fingerlings. Canadohta, Sugar and LeBoeuf are being evaluated with regard to musky fingerling survival too. More Spring 2016 catches from the lakes and rivers of NW Pennsylvania Pete Cartwright on the Allegheny River Danny Jones with PIB steelhead Pymatuning night eye success Pymatuning largemouth

11 EVENTS PAGE for Spring Crappie Fishing Seminar WHEN: WHERE: TOPICS: Thursday, May 19; 7:00 pm Reynolds VFW, Transfer, PA 115 Edgewood Drive Ext. Less than 1 mile east of Rt. 18 Techniques to catch more crappies TJ Stallings on Pymatuning Lake Featured speakers include: Dan Dannenmueller, pro crappie tournament angler TJ Stallings, co-founder of CRAPPIE NOW Magazine Mark McQuown, Garmin electronics and others Seminar is free but with limited seating; tickets are required. Free tickets available at: Visit Mercer County PA tourism office in Sharon Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau office in Meadville Pymatuning, Shenango & Wilhelm bait and tackle shops, including Robinson s Bait; Poff s Place; Gateway Tackle; Duck-N-Drake; Hill s Country Store; Jamestown Marina; Richter s Tackle; 5 Points Country Convenience; Fergie s Bait; Wilhelm Marina; Griffins Bait April 9, 2016 PF&BC Mentored Youth Trout Day; go to for more information. April 23, 2016 Wildlife Educational event: Salamanders; Erie National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Guys Mills; call for more info. April 30, 2016 Pymatuning Lake Association. Crappie Tournament; info at or phone Dan Dannenmueller on Shenango Lake April 30, 2016 Bassmasters of Crawford County Spring Bass Classic; Pymatuning Lake; contact epmarsh@zoominternet.net for information. June 19, 2016 BMCC Father s Day Bass Tournament; Presque Isle Bay; contact epmarsh@zoominternet.net for information.

12 The Livewell Brought to you by: Wiegel Brothers Marine 704 ½ Elk Street Franklin, PA This spring on the Allegheny River Boat of the Month: Look at these photos! See what you are missing on the Allegheny if you don t have a jet boat from Wiegel Brothers Marine in Franklin. RJ s first smallies 2016 Steve Udick & his magic Firetiger Rapala Jeremy Chris and Gene Gene Winger Gene Winger s Crew Above An early flathead cat Pete Cartwright & Crew - Masters of chest waders

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 JIM ALLEN is the winner of spool of Gamma Polyflex Line for this issue of the Fishing Report. Please your shipping address to Darl Black to claim your prize. GAMMA TIP from Angler Al: With trout season just around the corner, here s an important bait tip. Lively red worms presented naturally as possible in the churn of the current are one of the best bait choices for trout fishermen in the spring. The best time is when stream water is slightly stained or is clearing up after a rain. Use a light rod and reel spooled with 4-pound test Gamma Polyflex. Pinch on a BB size split shot about 10 inches above a #8 hook. Apply the hook once through the middle of the worm so both ends are free to wiggle. Gently cast upstream as far as you wish. Use your free hand to feel the line for a nibble or tapping of a feeding trout. When you get that bite, use a light to moderate upward hook-set. Also, make sure your drag is set to handle a 4 to 6 pound fish. When you land one, handle carefully and take a picture for the Livewell! Kudos to you should you decide to release the trout to battle another day. Always, Angler Al.