NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 24, 2015

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 24, 2015"

Hortense O’Connor’
5 years ago
Views:

NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 24, 2015 The NW PA Fishing Report provides timely angling information for Crawford, Erie, Mercer and

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.

The NW PA Fishing Report is brought to you by: Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region (www.pagreatlakes.com) Black Knight Industries, Oil City (www.gammafishing.com) Wiegel Brothers Marine, Franklin (www.

1 NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: August 24, 2015 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 It happens every year at this time. As the summer bite fades, anglers look forward to cooler water of fall to turn fish on. By reading the reports from tackle shops, it s apparent some anglers have simply quit fishing temporarily due to less than robust fish activity. This will turn around later in September or early October on the more popular waters in the area, including Lake Erie, Pymatuning Lake, Lake Wilhelm, Shenango Lake and the Allegheny River. In the meantime, it s the perfect time to investigate waters you normally do not fish. Perhaps a trip to Edinboro Lake, Lake LeBoeuf, Conneaut Lake, Canadohta Lake, Justus Lake or other smaller bodies of water. I ve found that exploring different waters with rod in hand often leads to unexpected but pleasant outcomes.

NW PA FISHING REPORT FOR AUGUST 24, 2015 This Report is brought to you by PA Great Lakes Region tourism with additional sponsorship from Wiegel Brothers Marine and Gamma Fishing.

2 NW PA FISHING REPORT FOR AUGUST 24, 2015 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 four counties Timberland Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: Customers floating upper part of French Creek have been catching smallmouth and walleye on hand-tied hair jigs in the deepest holes they can find. With the water so shallow, gamefish are holding to the holes at least during the daylight. The best jigs are crayfish patterns tied locally and available at Timberland Bait & Tackle. Angler Al (Franklin); filed 8/23: I didn t have time to fish this week personally, however I did speak with a couple anglers who did. My friend Matt Watson caught a few decent walleye on several occasions during the evening hours on French Creek. His presentation primarily was a Rebel Frog lure and a Shad Rap #5. While in Erie on business, I swung by Walnut Creek Access. Check the Erie section to see what I learned. Editor s Note: With the nice weather and low water level recently, French Creek has been overflowing with kayakers, canoeists, and tube floaters on weekends but few anglers. I had been scouting the Creek for bluedots, making several trips to different access areas without locating any bait. Exceptionally high water in early summer followed by exceptionally low water within weeks may be contributing to lack of baitfish. I spoke with Dustin Shay just before he left for a western adventure last week; he stated even the regular rats were having trouble finding their favorite indigenous baitfish for creek & river smallmouth. The good news: I finally found a section of creek with lots of bluedots. Now I m ready to gather bait and go fish! However, it is too warm to hold baitfish overnight in an aerated cooler; but if you have a spring creek on your property, then you might be in luck for holding bait.

CRAWFORD COUNTY Pymatuning Lake Patty @ Poff s Place; filed 8/24: A few anglers are still catching walleyes by trolling deep water not everyone, just the most dedicated.

Dave @ Richter s Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: My report is pretty much what it was last time.

3 CRAWFORD COUNTY Pymatuning Lake Poff s Place; filed 8/24: A few anglers are still catching walleyes by trolling deep water not everyone, just the most dedicated. A customer stopped by the other day to say he had been fishing with Red Denmark and they caught a mess of crappies. He said Red has been averaging 30 to 50 crappies every day he goes out. Richter s Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: My report is pretty much what it was last time. Hardcore anglers are picking up some walleye either by drifting with worms or by trolling crankbaits; catfish are everywhere. My boy and I went out bass fishing the other evening, but the weedbeds have disappeared looks like weeds died early. But while running across the lake we came upon haystacks of crappies in deep water; unfortunately we didn t have crappie tackle with us. (photo of Richter s Bait & Tackle customers with walleye and white bass) Richter photo Jamestown Livery; filed 8/24: A few anglers are catching walleye, crappie and musky. Walleyes and crappies are down deep in 18 to 20 feet. Muskies are coming on top. It has been good musky fishing this summer for average size fish; biggest fish I ve had reported is 44 inches. Duck & Drake; filed 8/24: The last fish reported was last week with walleyes caught in 11 to 16 feet of water just north of causeway. Anglers have been using either worm harnesses or shad style crankbaits. Espyville Marina; filed 8/24: Some anglers still picking up walleyes by trolling either Shad Raps or Hot-n-Tots. Others are drifting live bait for small perch. Robinson s Bait; filed 8/24: Lots of catfish being caught; only hearing of an occasional walleye. But there is big news at Robinson s we are gearing up for shrink wrapping boats for winter (or longer period). With the Linesville Marina closing the end of the month (and remaining closed through 2016 for updating of docks), we expect a lot of people looking to have boats wrapped for winter. We are now handling hunting equipment and will be ready for your ice fishing equipment needs, too. RJ Graham (Tionesta); filed 8/19: I fished Pymatuning today. I started at the Jamestown end looking for weeds, but with the big gusts of wind out of the north I couldn t move around much. So I trailered to Linesville, and had good day. See photo.

Hooker @ Hill s Country Store; filed 8/18: In the truest sense of walking the walk and not just talking the talk, I took my own advice and followed the crappies from overhanging shoreline cover along

The fish are positioned near stumps located on humps topping out at 15 feet. The transition was if coordinated, with all the fish moving at the same time.

Using old school bottom bouncing rigs (snap swivel, bell sinker, and #8 snelled hook) with live minnows, we caught crappies.

4 Hill s Country Store; filed 8/18: In the truest sense of walking the walk and not just talking the talk, I took my own advice and followed the crappies from overhanging shoreline cover along the ridges, points and ditches to the deepwater humps of summer. Guests on Hooker s Fishing Taxi continue to catch good numbers of both black and white crappies. The fish are positioned near stumps located on humps topping out at 15 feet. The transition was if coordinated, with all the fish moving at the same time. It took a couple weeks for them to make the journey, but they are there now. Zac Olechovski and his grandfather Bob fished with Hooker for his 75 th Birthday. Using old school bottom bouncing rigs (snap swivel, bell sinker, and #8 snelled hook) with live minnows, we caught crappies. We adjusted the sinker size for the changing wind condition, and boat control was not easy. Fish were at 15 foot and you had to be at that depth. By the end of the afternoon, they had a bunch of fish to take home, including quality perch and a 20 inch catfish. (See photos on Livewell page) A customer at Hill s says the perch have moved to the 18 depth and are ganged up. Once you find the right depth, stay with them. Hooker also added he is giving a free pack of Bobby Garland Crappie baits with every purchase of a filler spool of Gamma Line while store stock supplies last. (See photos on Livewell page) Conneaut Lake Fishing with Darl Black Guide Service; filed 8/24: Starting about the first of August, the big bluegills finally schooled up in deeper water. But I had not located any decent crappies until last week when they suddenly showed up chasing schools of small minnows on select weed flats. Panfish is definitely the hot bite on Conneaut right now. Book a 5-hour trip for panfish in September and receive a sample spool of GAMMA Panfish Line. me at darlblack@windstream.net or phone my cell at Other areas of Crawford County Timberland Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: Several of my customers report catching walleyes at the spillway of Woodcock Dam this past week. I continue to hear about norther pike in the spillway of Union City Dam in Erie County.

ERIE COUNTY Lake Erie West Side Jim @ Lake Erie Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: Not hearing a lot of reports from either the Bay or the main lake. Best bite going seems to be big sheephead.

5 ERIE COUNTY Lake Erie West Side Lake Erie Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: Not hearing a lot of reports from either the Bay or the main lake. Best bite going seems to be big sheephead. This has been a tough year for Erie fishing perch never schooled up and stayed put. Walleye has been good when able to get out, but we had a lot of windy days with big waves. However, as a point of interest, our best-selling baits have been Storm Thundersticks in the UV colors. Now we are gearing up for steelhead season. Poor Richards; filed 8/24: No steelheads in the streams yet, other than an occasional brown near the stream mouths in the lake. Weather has been rough and anglers not able to get out very often. The last perch reports we had placed some perch in 43 to 53 feet of water, and walleyes in 65 to 75 feet on the west side. We have emerald shiners right now, although they have been hard to come by some weeks. Elk Creek Sport Store; filed 8/24: Not much fishing-wise happening right now. Monday we had 10 to 20 mph west winds with waves to 6 feet and building. Wind has been the story of this summer. Perch are here today, gone tomorrow not holding together in big schools; fish are moving all the time. I received reports of walleye in 80 to 100 feet off the Point, and perch around 54 feet from the Peninsula to Walnut. The good news is the charter fleet has been picking ups lots of steelhead out in the trenches while walleye fishing. Some boats are getting 10 to 12 each day. We have not seen these kinds of numbers in August for over five years. Everyone here is hoping for a great steelhead return to the streams this fall! Rich Erie Sport Store; filed 8/24: Perch fishing on Lake Erie has been on the upswing during the past several days. Limits of perch off Walnut Creek have been reported. Best spots are north of the Creek mouth in 50 to 55 FOW. Good reports several miles West of Walnut in 48 to 55 feet. The perch seem to be moving in those depths. Some perch anglers are moving several times before they hit the right spot. Walleye fishing has been very good off the Point in 80 to 100 FOW. Please note: We are a running our end-of -season outdoor sale, including Eagle Claw Lead Core Line Combos for just $69.98; other rods and reel combos are also on sale! Paul Stewart (Butler); filed 8/24: I finally got out on the perch boat for a Saturday evening trip. It was a slow start with an East wind. But after moving, we hit perch all on the large size. We got 40 between the two of us! (See photo)

Angler Al; filed 8/23: While visiting Walnut Creek Access, I spoke with Tom Troki of Erie.

Lake Erie East Side Tim@ North East Marina; filed 8/24: Hello Darl! The walleye fishing on the east side of Erie has been good-plus if lake conditions cooperate.

Lead core 7 colors with deep diving Bay Rats or Reef Runners.

6 Angler Al; filed 8/23: While visiting Walnut Creek Access, I spoke with Tom Troki of Erie. He started around 9 AM, catching three 18 to 22 inch brown trout on a 1-3/4 chartreuse spoon then the fish shut off. Another fellow said he caught a steelhead on his fly rod. Lake Erie East Side Tim@ North East Marina; filed 8/24: Hello Darl! The walleye fishing on the east side of Erie has been good-plus if lake conditions cooperate. This past weekend, 105 FOW from Marina to State Line produced nice catches at 60 feet down. Dipsy bite was good at 2-1/2 setting with 175 feet back for spoons and worm harnesses. Lead core 7 colors with deep diving Bay Rats or Reef Runners. The charter fleet out of Erie has been working the waters on the east side of Harborcreek in 80 to 110 FOW; Shades Beach and McCord s Point are excellent. Tip: the bite is much better one hour before sunrise. Perch have been running hot and cold. Try 42 FOW between Greenfield and McCord s Point. Large schools of emerald shiners on the surface probably are why perch are there. Steelheads are coming from 110 FOW at 60 to 65 feet down on blue/chrome and green/ chrome spoons. Some very nice browns mixed in. Erie County Inland Waters Thomas Watral (Erie); filed 8/17: This week I went to the South Branch of French Creek; it is running very low. I hit some of the smaller holes and got a few trout on a Joe Fly with yellow tip. We fished the rest of day at Union City Reservoir, enjoying luck at different spots and a variety of bait. All together we landed over 100 fish, including bass, catfish, sunfish, crappie and perch. Baits included minnows, grubs, worms, leeches and small live frogs. MERCER COUNTY Shenango River Lake Dianne with pike Jim McClave (Andover); filed 8/21: I fished Shenango Lake for the first time this year, accompanying Darl Black while he tested some new crappie baits. But crappies were not

7 cooperative on this day. Darl caught a crappie on the first brushpile we hit, but that was the only crappie caught for next three hours. I caught several small white bass, two smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass all on crappie jigs. Back at the ramp, a couple bass anglers said they had caught five legal-size bass, including one 20-inch smallmouth. (See photos above) Dianne Kolodziejski (Hermitage) caught a very nice northern pike on a 1/8-ounce jig on August 8 while fishing with her husband. They also boated half-dozen nice white bass, numerous crappies and a few keeper bluegills. Said the bite was steady all day. (See photo above) Lake Wilhelm Wilhelm Marina; filed 8/24: I caught a 28 inch 6.5 walleye on a Hot-n-Tot last week. Fergie s Bait; filed 8/24: Not much fishing activity this past week. My notebook only lists a couple 4 to 5 pound largemouth caught by a customer on the 14 th, and another customer catching some nice crappies off the Three Posts area. VENANGO COUNTY Allegheny River Griffins Bait & Tackle; filed 8/24: Nightcrawlers and maggots have been the best seller of the last few weeks at the shop. After being without wax worms for a month, fresh ones finally arrived. Shallow diving Challenger Lures have been a hot seller, along with Berkley s Flicker Shad and Storm s Crawfish Lure. Tom Nuhfer landed several nice largemouth bass in a private pond in Venango County using a pink jig with glow head no live bait. Alex Tafoya, age 10, caught a 4-pound 24 inch bass using a jitter bug on the Allegheny River across from Sheetz. (See Photos on Livewell Page) Gene Winger (Oil City); filed 8/24: With the river so low and clear, smallies have become really skittish these past couple weeks. Evening fishing has been most productive. Picking up smaller bass in shallow, fast running riffles and at the lower end of deep pools using Winco s new River Darter Soft Jerk Bait in River Shiner Color with lateral stripes. However, larger smallies seem to be concentrated in the deepest spots in the river and require some real finesse fishing to get their attention. Using Winco s Tube Supreme fished slowly on the bottom seems to do the trick; I ve caught several bass in the 18 to 20 inch range. On the lighter side, my 7-year old granddaughter Olivia kicked my butt fishing on Monday evening congrats Olivia! (See photos on Livewell page)

RJ Graham @ Graham Jigs; filed 8/24: Dad and I fished the river from Oil City to Franklin yesterday, drifting in our Pymi boat.

The bite was slow for us, but we were on a new section of the river.

smalliesontheyough.com; filed 8/24: We fished the Allegheny River near Tionesta for three days.

It was a great float with good friends from 412 Bait Company and Kayak Anglers of Western PA.

(See photos below) Fall Foliage Paddle Fest October 10th on the Shenango River This float from Pymatuning Outflow to Riverside Park

8 RJ Graham Jigs; filed 8/24: Dad and I fished the river from Oil City to Franklin yesterday, drifting in our Pymi boat. We managed about 10 bass all on Graham Jigs in faster water sections. The bite was slow for us, but we were on a new section of the river. I also fished the river at Tionesta the day before, landing 15 smallies on a Zara Spook right around dark. Pete filed 8/24: We fished the Allegheny River near Tionesta for three days. Smallmouths were tough to come by with the bright sunny skies. We landed some nice ones from 16 to 19 inches. It was a great float with good friends from 412 Bait Company and Kayak Anglers of Western PA. Buzzbaits and sitckworms were hot, along with 412ubes. (See photos below) Fall Foliage Paddle Fest October 10th on the Shenango River This float from Pymatuning Outflow to Riverside Park in Greenville puts you right on the river during the height of the fall foliage spectacular! After the float, enjoy a cookout with fellow paddlers and music by The Flap Jacks. Registration begins at 7:30 am at Pymatuning State Park. Shuttle bussing from Riverside Park to Pymatuning will be provided, beginning at 8:00 am. Cost $15.00 per person. For more info contact Shenango River Watcher s at or at: info@shenangoriverwatchers.org

Shenango River Lake s Blue-Green Algae Situation Information from John Kolodziejski, Lake Manager If you have fished Shenango Lake this summer, you know it is unusually green.

9 Shenango River Lake s Blue-Green Algae Situation Information from John Kolodziejski, Lake Manager If you have fished Shenango Lake this summer, you know it is unusually green. And if you have been following the Shenango Lake Facebook Page, you know they have an advisory out about a severe blue-green algae bloom in part of the lake. USACE Lake Manager John Kolodziejski address the blue-green algae bloom. The blue-green algae bloom had been an interesting challenge since there are so many variables. It truly is a moving target. As you know, the naturally occurring algae is present in nearly all bodies of water, but currently the cell counts are higher than normal at Shenango. This might be due to the heavy precipitation we received earlier in the summer which likely flushed a large volume of nutrients and fertilizer from watersheds upstream into the lake. There are no certainties with such blooms since algae cell counts can multiply, or blooms can expand and then dissipate seemingly overnight. Also, the presence of such algae does not mean it is producing toxins. To date, no toxins have been detected at Shenango. We recommend a common sense approach. This includes not ingesting lake water and avoiding direct contact with areas which have a thick visible green scum. The purpose of our current advisory is to simply let our lake users know the bloom is present so they can make an informed decision on how to enjoy Shenango Lake. Lastly, there are no fish consumption advisories at Shenango. John Kolodziejski

10 The Livewell Brought to you by: Wiegel Brothers Marine 704 ½ Elk Street Franklin, PA Allegheny River Smallmouths Boat of the Month: Express River Jetboat completely rigged and ready to fish! Get it now in time for the fantastic fall fishing on the Allegheny. Olivia outfishes Gene Pymatuning Crappies (Hooker photos) Olivia/ Winger photo Bob & Zac Zac Olechovski Alex/ Griffins Photo Largemouth bass from Venango pond Caught by Tom Nuhfer

Black Knight Industries Oil City, PA 16301 www.gammafishing.com www.froghairfishing.

Post Franklin, PA Robinson s Bait & Tackle Espyville, PA Gamma Fishing Tip Angler Al is the winner of tackle prize for this issue of the Fishing Report.

11 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 Angler Al is the winner of tackle prize for this issue of the Fishing Report. Please your shipping address to Darl Black to claim your prize. Held on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas this past week, the FLW Championship concluded on Sunday, August 23. The winner of the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup and its $500,000 prize is Tennessee angler Brad Knight. Brad is a pro-staff member on the Gamma Line fishing team, and here is what Brad had to say about Gamma Line: Key to my victory was drop-shotting. On my drop-shot rod for this event, I used 20- pound Gamma Torque as my main line with a leader of 10-pound Gamma Edge. I was fishing in some pretty thick stuff. When I hooked a good-size fish, it often wrapped me around a log. But I landed every bass; never had any issue with line. I am confident with Gamma Line on my rods. Gamma is the strongest line on the market. Without Gamma, I would not have won the 2015 FLW Cup! This the third year in a row that FLW Championship has been won by a pro angler using Gamma Line. A very excited Gamma Line President Dale Black says he is pleased to offer a high quality line that helps professional anglers achieve their dreams. Go Gamma!

NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT

NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA FISHING REPORT Published by Blackwolfe Communications LLC Issue: September 26, 2018 The NW PA Fishing Report is brought to you by: Fishing with Darl Black Guide Service Dave Lefebre