Lake Erie Pa Walleye and Steelhead fishing report Sept.

Late season walleye fishing is still good in deep waters off the point and westward.  Water is starting to cool off, but the bite is on!  Also, the steelhead are stacking up in the creeks which is a good sign for the fall bite out front.  Steelie charters are soon to happen for the month of October.  Reserve a spot on the Small Program!  Small Program Charters

Walleye fishing is still incredible for the second half of the summer.  We are catching lots of fish every day.  The average size has been 6-9 pounds!  Starting to see some Steelies mixed in too from our deep water program.  We only have a few days left in August, but September looks to be very impressive for walleye fishing.  Visit us at Small Program Charters

Lake Erie Pa walleye fishing report mid July

Fishing is excellent.  Best in years!  Tons of limits and whopper sized fish.  We're all booked up for july...fishing every day.  So, get August dates while you can and come get some fantastic fishing!  visit www.smallprogramcharters.com 

Small Program Charters - Father's Day report

Let the killing begin!  Lots of good numbers of walleye are being taken.  We're getting a nice mix of eaters and whopper sized fish.  We've been doing well in the nearshore areas, but soon hope to be offshore looking for the big boys.  Recent programs have consisted of Bango dive baits 100 back on mono.  EZ program!  Come get a taste of the action.  Limited dates are available for the rest of the summer months.  smallprogramcharters.com 

Small Program Charters...Early June report

After a frigid Spring and big ice issues, the lake is finally warming up to walleye temps.  We've been catching near shore Walleyes consistently.  Most days yield between 10 to 20 fish, depending on conditions.  As the lake continues to warm, the action will be heating up.  Pun intended!

Small Program Charters - weekend report May 5th

We had an excellent weekend of fishing for monster Lake Trout. Saturday was reserved for the opening day of turkey season and some boat maintenance but it was game on for Sunday morning.  We had a tired husband and wife reeling in 27 of 33 bites netting several fish in the 15 to 18 pound class and topping the day was a whopper 22 pound 35 incher that went to the taxidermist!

Monday morning we were joined by four fellas from Connecticut blessed with a beautiful lake and more fantastic fishing. We went 22 for 25 bites.  No whoppers but several in the upper teen weight class.

Deadliest baits were old school dodgers and spin and glow combinations trolled SLOWLY at 1.5 mph.  Best part, only 6 rods needed :)  

smallprogramcharters.com 

Springtime steelhead in Presque Isle Bay.

Although the weather was cold and ugly we had a good day of fishing in the bay. We landed 7 fish for 9 bites.  Best lures of the day were orange junior thunder sticks 50 foot back on the big boards and tiny spoons right behind the riggers.  smallprogramcharters.com

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 4/18/14

 Steelhead are still in the creeks for the catching. To the east of Erie, steelhead are in all of the usual creeks. As of Thursday, creeks had good flow and color. Anglers have been enjoying good success. No large steelhead were reported. Top baits have been minnows, egg sacks and nightcrawlers. Fly fishers have been using egg patterns and streamers.

West from Erie, steelhead fishing has been good at times at Lower Walnut Creek, and more consistent upstream. Elk Creek is starting to get into good condition after being brown from rains. Steelhead anglers are doing well. The lower creek is loaded with suckers, and some nice smallmouth bass have been reported. A 15-pound steelhead was reported from upstream Elk Creek, but most have been 25 inches to 27 inches, along with a few jacks. Fly fishers should try emerald shiner streamer patterns, and small, hot pink single egg patterns.

Perch fishing is good in Presque Isle Bay. Hot spots include the head of the bay in depths of 4 feet to 5 feet, the Stink Hole, the Water Works, the Yacht Club, where crappie also have been hitting, the old Border Patrol, the lagoon near the boat rental, and it is starting at the North Pier and the South Pier early mornings. Crappie fishing generally has been slow.

Lake Erie weather buoy

The Regional Science Consortium is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a Grassroots Grant from Boat U.S. Foundation at www.boatus.org/grants/vote.asp.

Thanks to the impressive community support, RSC and its project partners can educate boaters and others on how to access and use the data from a new buoy system that is being deployed in the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie. The projected launch date for the buoy is May 1 (weather permitting). The buoy will collect meteorological data required for accurate forecasts for this region, and could help reduce "the loss of life and negative impacts caused by coastal storms," according to the consortium's proposal.

Your vote helped to secure funding to pay for signs at boat launch locations and marinas, window clings, watch cards and fact sheets for distribution at marinas, bait shops, lectures and other events. The grant will also pay for the development of a text-alert system that can send text messages to users when weather, water or wave conditions change.A video camera attachment on the buoy system will provide 30-second clips of lake conditions (updated hourly). RSC and its partners will also provide lectures to yacht clubs, sailing groups, boater organizations and sportsman's clubs to educate boaters how to access and use the information.

2014 Walleye and Perch limits set

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has set the 2014 creel limit for Lake Erie yellow perch at 30 per day and the creel limit for walleye at six per day. They limits are the same as they were in 2013.
“This year’s assessment showed that both yellow perch and walleye populations remain stable,” Chuck Murray, the PFBC’s Lake Erie biologist, said in a news release. “Based on this, the creel limits are being held at the 2013 limits.”
The PFBC adopted a regulation in 2012 that established adaptive creel limits for walleye and yellow perch based on the annual quotas established by the Lake Erie Committee. The committee includes fisheries managers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Michigan, and Ontario. The PFBC sets its daily creel limits for these two species by April 15 each year.
“Adaptive fishing regulations are based on the most recent fishery assessment results and are better aligned with the current status of the yellow perch and walleye stocks,” Murray said in the release. “This regulatory flexibility gave fisheries managers the ability to change daily harvest limits prior to the onset of the summer boat fishing season on Lake Erie.”

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 3/28/2014

All of the steelhead creeks are in reasonably good condition. The better fishing on the west side of Erie has been at Elk Creek and Crooked Creek. Fishing in both is best as far upstream as you can get. Catches have been about 50/50 silver fish and dark fish. On Elk Creek, steelhead are upstream from McKean. This might be a fitting time to check upper Conneaut Creek. At the mouth of Trout Run, anglers have been fishing both on the ice and fishing open water. Steelhead are feeding on emerald shiners. A couple of 30-inch steelhead were reported on the west side. Both were spawned out and were not heavy. White has been the hot color on the west side. White jigs, white flies and egg sacks with white netting have been effective.

All of the main east side creeks hold steelhead. Probably the better fishing has been upstream on Twenty Mile Creek. No exceptionally large steelhead have been reported. Many of the fish have been silver. In addition to baits mentioned for the west side, pieces of nightcrawler have been very effective here.

Anywhere you fish for steelhead now, emerald shiners can be the most effective bait. For fly fishers, it seems that black stone fly patterns are effective at about this time. White and olive streamers can be hot at times. At this time of the year especially, rain can change stream conditions quickly. If the water gets color, try egg sacs in orange or red netting, or nightcrawler pieces.

At Presque Isle Bay, perch have been hitting in the open water sections of Presque Isle Bay, including the Stink Hole and the South Pier. A few anglers were on the ice this week, but the warmer weather now will deteriorate this ice quickly. The best advice is to stay off the ice. Even a wind change could open water along the shoreline while you are on the ice.

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 3/14/14

Things are happening at Presque Isle Bay.

Some of the best perch fishing is in water as shallow as a couple of feet. Some crappie also are being caught in the shallow water. Near the Yacht Club, both crappie and perch have been taken in shallow water. At the Stink Hole, perch have been hitting in depths of 2 feet to 4 feet, while crappie fishing might be better at 18 feet. Some of those crappie hit near bottom, some hit about halfway to bottom. BAC Bait & Tackle reported a 16-inch perch caught Monday off the fourth parking lot. Several perch as long as 14 inches have been reported. At Misery Bay, crappie and bluegill have been hitting at 8 feet, to the right of the dirt parking lot on the eastern side.

Creeks are mostly open on both sides of Erie. On the east side of Erie, water flows and color might be better. Very few steelhead anglers have been out, though.

To the west of Erie, water flows are at a good level, but the water color has been gray. Snow melt starting today might raise flows too high. Ice jams on Elk Creek might cause problems. One is by Legion Park, another in the lower section. Be very careful. Depending on how the ice jams come apart, they could be dangerous. A fair number of steelhead have been caught at Elk Creek. Most have been in the 6-pound to 7-pound class.

Ice fishing for steelhead in Lake Erie off Trout Run has been good. Some of those fish are silver. Results in the lake off Godfrey Run and Walnut Creek have not been as good.

Lake Erie, Pa fishing report 3/7/2014

Ice fishing at Presque Isle Bay has been hit or miss. Some ice fishers have made good catches, others have not.

Misery Bay is the best bet for panfish. Some crappie are being taken at the Stink Hole. Good catches have been reported from 12 feet and 16 feet. Perch fishing is off and on near the second parking lot. On the other side of the bay opposite of the second parking lot, perch and very nice bluegill have been hitting at a depth of about 5 feet. Crappie were seen on underwater cameras, but they were not hitting. Perch are being caught near the middle of the bay off Chestnut Street. Ice is 15 inches to 18 inches thick in the middle of the bay, but only about 12 inches thick near shore.

All the creeks except Sixteen Mile Creek are locked in ice. Even at Sixteen Mile Creek anglers have been breaking away ice to get at pools. There are steelhead in this creek, and a few have been caught this week.

People have been ice fishing for steelhead at lower Elk Creek, but with little success. The same goes for Walnut Creek, except that the only ice fishing has been outside the mouth of the creek. Ice fishers have been doing better with steelhead in Lake Erie off the mouth of Trout Run, but not consistently. The hot lures are 3-inch-long jigs, either gold or emerald green.

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 2/28/14

Steelhead anglers finally had some open water last weekend. Some of those who fished complained about no steelhead in the creeks, while others had some fairly good steelhead fishing. This was the same on both sides of Erie.

Sixteen Mile Creek remains open, and it holds some steelhead. Other creeks are in various conditions that make open-water fishing out of the question.

Ice is unstable at lower Elk Creek. There is ice at lower Walnut Creek.

Steelhead are occasionally hitting off the mouth of Trout Run. No brown trout have been reported there. Top lures are either black and white jigs or gold jigs, both larger than usual, 21/2 to 3 inches. Minnows are also effective.

Even though strong wind has made fishing at Presque Isle Bay extremely uncomfortable, at least outside the ice shelter, there has been some pretty god ice fishing on the bay. Several places in the head or the bay, in shallow water, ice fishers have been catching perch and nice crappie.

Most of those perch have been small, but a day of ice fishing often produces a dozen, or more, very nice perch. At the Stink Hole, try a depth of about 16 feet for perch and crappie. Expect mostly perch through most of the day, and more crappie once the sun is low in the sky.

Even though there were very few people on the ice, one brown trout was caught Wednesday, along with perch and crappie, toward the head of the bay. The usual small jigs tipped with maggots have been effective. Swedish Pimples tend to catch more larger perch. I also suggest a Swedish Pimple with glow color, especially if you fish where there is snow on the ice, and when the sun is low in the sky.

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 2/21/14

Fishing for this weekend depends on the amount of rain that falls. If any creeks break open, there could be flooding. Even on the ice, anywhere near tributary streams there could be weak ice or open water. In most places, there probably is enough ice to hold up through rain and a few days of relatively warm weather. Still, caution is advised.

Sixteen Mile Creek has open water, and it holds steelhead. From time to time there has been good fishing. Minnows have been the best bait. Elsewhere, a few small sections of water have opened, but to a great extent the creeks are still locked in ice.

Steelhead are being taken through the ice off the mouth of Trout Run, at Walnut Creek in the basin and off the mouth, and in the lower pools of Elk Creek. The ice fishing for steelhead and brown trout off the foot of East Avenue slowed, but this can change by the hour. Black and white jigs tipped with grubs and minnows have been effective for steelhead. Gold jigs were hot for a while at Trout Run.

Most of the perch being pulled through the ice at Presque Isle Bay have been less than 10 inches in length. Talk on the ice has been that bigger perch are due any time now. Perch are being taken off the second parking lot. Perch, crappie, bluegill and steelhead have been hitting near the Stink Hole. At Misery Bay, ice fishers are catching bluegill, crappie and perch. Anglers getting onto Presque Isle Bay ice from the city side have had some luck with perch about three-quarters of a mile out from Chestnut Street to Liberty Park, off the condos, and a quarter-mile to a half-mile off Dobbins Landing. A few brown trout have been pulled through the bay ice.

Lake Erie Pa fishing report 2/14/14

Some open water remains at Sixteen Mile Creek. At least one pair of fishermen caught steelhead this week. Elsewhere the creeks are locked in ice.

We are in the mid-winter slow-down. Fishing has slowed just about everywhere. But there is some respectable ice fishing if you drill a hole in the right place.

Ice fishers have been catching some steelhead at the lower pools of Elk Creek, as well as pools by Route 5 and Interstate 90. A few steelhead have been coming out of lower Walnut Creek. Ice fishing has even slowed in Lake Erie off the mouth of Trout Run, although there has been decent action at times. Use black and white jigs, either bare or tipped with maggots. Shiners also have been working.

Ice fishing at Presque Isle Bay has been fair. Snow drifts in some places are knee deep. The key to success is being right over the fish. Fish are not moving much, and they are not aggressive. Most ice fishers are targeting perch, which typically are more cooperative through mid-February than most other fish. Perch have been hitting off Liberty Park, the Yacht Club, and from the Chestnut Street Boat Launch to the Convention Center. In these areas, the best fishing is near the middle of the bay, or even farther.

Some steelhead also have been caught at the same places. Relatively few ice fishers have been targeting steelhead, but most enjoy hooking them. To increase the steelhead catch, set tip-ups with baits set at various depths, starting just about 5 feet under the ice.

On the Peninsula side, perch are being taken off the third parking lot and the Stink Hole. Get into deeper water. Misery Bay has been the best place to fish for crappie, but this does not mean it has been easy. One hole might be productive while another just 3 feet away is not. Ice fishers at Misery Bay have been catching perch, bluegill and pike. To target pike, set tip-ups at mid depths.

Fishing Report for Lake Erie, Pa

Eastside creeks were open early in the week, but by mid-week already had started building ice. Now all creeks except Sixteen Mile Creek are locked in ice. Sixteen Mile holds some steelhead, but it has been hit pretty hard.

Things are about the same on the west side of Erie. Creeks opened Sunday, and for that brief time there was open water, some steelhead were caught. Now all creeks are frozen. There is ice fishing at lower Elk Creek, but no word on catches. Some steelhead are being taken through the ice off the mouth of Trout Run. Jigs tipped with grubs or minnows are the popular baits.

Ice fishing in Presque Isle Bay is good for February. Ice fishers who get farthest out at Misery Bay have been doing best in that area, catching perch, crappie, bluegill and pike. Perch have been caught straight out from Chestnut Street. Out of the second parking lot at a depth of about 20 feet has been a good area for perch. Try that same depth off the Stink Hole for a mix of bluegill, crappie and perch, and off the Niagara Launch for perch.

Ice fishing off the foot of East Avenue, by the boat launch, has been producing steelhead and brown trout.

Fishing Report for Lake Erie, Pa

Sixteen Mile Creek has open water, but few anglers have been there while temperatures were low. Otherwise, the only steelhead action has been through the ice at the Walnut Creek Access, and in Lake Erie off Trout Run. Catches have been a mix of jack, some as long as 26 inches. Try a black jig tipped with a grub. At times, the action has been fast. Some ice fishers have been going to lower Elk Creek, but no reports yet of catches.

Ice fishing has been good at Presque Isle Bay. Look for perch in 16 feet of water off the Niagara Boat Launch. Crappie and perch are hitting at a depth of 20 feet at the Stink Hole, off the second and third parking lots and off Ferncliff. At Misery Bay, ice fishers have been catching crappie, bluegill, perch and some largemouth bass. Quite a few steelhead have been caught off the first parking lot. Try a silver and red Swedish Pimple tipped with a grub for steelhead. Use single hooks, which hold better than the small treble hooks. For crappie and perch, try a gold and red Swedish Pimple at the end of the line, and a teardrop jig about 18 inches up the line, both tipped with a grub. Or, to concentrate on larger fish, tip the Swedish Pimple with a shiner. Wiggle the jigs occasionally. Watch for suspended crappie and perch if you have a sonar, and react immediately when you do.

Steelhead and brown trout are being taken at the foot of East Avenue.

http://smallprogramcharters.com

PA Fish Commission creates voluntary youth license

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission today voted to create a voluntary $1 youth fishing license and to link the revenue generated from it to programs to increase youth fishing participation.
The voluntary youth license will be available starting Feb. 1 from all licensing agents and online through the PFBC’s Outdoor Shop. With a $1 agent fee and a $0.70 transaction fee, the total cost to purchase the license will be $2.70.
“Increasing youth and family participation in fishing, boating, and conservation programs has always been part of our strategic plan,” John Arway, Fish and Boat Commission executive director, said in a news release after the commission’s quarterly meeting.  “This goal responds to the fact that the percentage of children and young adults ages 6 to 15 who fished in Pennsylvania in 2010 was only 24 percent, as compared to  37 percent in 2005 and 41 percent in 1995. We want to continue to refine and develop programs to engage kids.”
For every youth license sold, the PFBC will receive approximately $5 in federal revenue from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Act program, which provides funds to states based on a formula that includes the number of licenses a state sells. The commission said approximately 25 percent of its budget now comes from federal funding.
According to the “2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,” 367,000 children and young adults ages 6 to 15 fished in Pennsylvania in 2010.
“I want to emphasize that this is purely a voluntary youth license, and it is not required for kids to fish,” Arway said. “If just 25 percent of those 367,000 children were to purchase a voluntary $1 license, it would result in more than $550,000 in revenue for the commission to invest in youth programs,” Arway said.
Youth who plan to participate in the upcoming Mentored Youth Fishing Days must obtain either a voluntary youth fishing license or a free mentored youth fishing permit. The Mentored Youth Fishing Days are scheduled for March 22 and April 5.

Ice fishing report January 24

With the exception of Sixteen Mile Creek, which might have some open water, the only way to catch steelhead from streams on the east side of Erie is to break away some ice. Be very careful if you try this.

Creeks are also frozen to the west of Erie. Some anglers have been getting onto the ice at the basin, at the Walnut Creek Access. There is about 5 inches of ice. Some steelhead are being caught on jigs tipped with grubs or minnows.

Thursday morning, about 25 ice fishers were spread between Misery Bay and in Presque Isle Bay near the Bayfront Convention Center. The catch has included bluegill, perch and crappie. Ants have been popular jigging lures in colors green, metallic green and pink. A few pike have been caught at Misery Bay.

2014 Youth Life Jacket Give-away

Monroeville, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), Cabela’s, Port of Pittsburgh
Commission and the Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council are pleased to announce this year’s free Youth
Jacket Give-A-Ways. The mentioned sponsors will present 3 separate Give-A-Ways, the first to be held
January 26th, during the 54th Annual Pittsburgh Boat Show www.pittsburghboatshow.com. The second
and third will be February 15th and 16th at the 29th Annual Allegheny Sport, Travel and Outdoors Show
www.sportandtravel.com.
 Parents must register their children beginning at 12 noon at the PFBC booth. There is a limit of 50
youth life jackets (40 pounds to 90 pounds) available on each day of the Youth Jacket Give-A-Way. Each
youth/family that is registered for the youth jacket give-a-way will be required to attend a short workshop
about life jacket safety, workshop times not finalized at this time.
 At the workshop, a short talk (15 to 20 minutes) about proper uses of life jackets will be presented
by the PFBC staff and then each youth will be fitted with their own life jacket by a uniformed officer.
 This event is part of the national, “Wear It” campaign that promotes life jacket safely.
 The PFBC would like to thank the sponsors of this event: Cabela’s, Port of Pittsburgh
Commission and the Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council. This is the third year for the Port of Pittsburgh
Commission and Cabela’s to sponsor this event. At the end of the 2014 event, 450 youth in the region
will have received a fitted life jacket, long with over 1000 people learning about life jacket safety at the
workshops.
For more information on Fish and Boat Commission’s programs, visit www.fishandboat.com and
click on Learning Center.
The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the
Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information
about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our website at www.fishandboat.com.

Lake Erie fishing report Jan 17

The steelhead creeks have been in good condition. Only a few anglers have been taking advantage of it, though.

On the east side of Erie, one angler reported catching several steelhead at Sixteen Mile Creek, including several fresh fish. This latest batch of fresh steelhead includes several larger fish than we have been seeing this winter.

The situation is similar on the west side of Erie. Flows are in good shape, with water color varying from clear to some good greenish color. Fishing pressure has been light to moderate. Temperatures are expected to drop over the weekend, so guides clogging with ice will be a problem. Some fresh steelhead have moved into the creeks. There are fresh steelhead as far up Elk Creek as McKean. The better fishing is in the mid-section of Elk Creek.

Emerald shiners are the top bait, with some coming on egg sacs, or if you can find it, skein. Near the mouths of Elk Creek and Walnut Creek, black jigs tipped with grubs are catching some steelhead. Fly fishers have been having success using bead-head nymphs and streamers with some flash.

Ice fishing at Presque Isle Bay has been fair to good. Ice fishers at Misery Bay are getting mixed catches of bluegill, perch, crappie, bass and a few pike. At the Stink Hole, nicer perch have been coming through the ice along with crappie and bluegill. Some good perch have been caught off the third parking lot. Big ships coming into the harbor apparently did not damage the ice to any great extent, but still be very careful.

Lake Erie Stamp update

After having Mr. John Arway speak today I had the chance to ask him for a summery on the future of the stamp and possible changes. He goes on to say....

"The Lake Erie Stamp is currently limited by existing law to provide public fishing access or improve fish habitat. In order to use the stamp funds for different purposes, the law would need to be changed by the legislature. The PFBC has suggested that the funding be used to support public fishing which would allow the funds to be used for broader purposes. The more groups that get behind broadening the language, the better it will be to get it done. Always strength in numbers."

Fish Commission @ Tom Ridge reminder

To all my friends that fish lake Erie. Please come to the epacba meeting on Saturday. We will be discussing the lake Erie stamp money and guides license issues with the executive staff at the pfbc. It starts at 10:00 am at the tom ridge center In Erie pa. Thanks

Fish Commission meeting this Saturday...reminder

Update: January 11th EPACBA Meeting with The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Meeting is open to the public. 

Please join us January 11th at the Tom Ridge Center in Erie, PA at 10:00 am for discussions and important information regarding Lake Erie Pa waters. In the forefront, we are having some heavy discussion concerning the Lake Erie Stamp. Where’s the money? Who’s benefiting from the Lake Erie Stamp? What about the boaters? If the money isn't used, do we lose it? Now is your chance to be heard. 
In a special EPACBA meeting this January 11th at the Tom Ridge Center @ 10:00 am, we have invited the head of the the PFBC, Executive Director John Arway, Commissioner Ed Masharka, Law Enforcement Supervisor for the NW Region Bob Nestor, All Local WCO's from Erie County, Fisheries biologist Chuck Murray, and Senator Sean Wiley to discuss your concerns of not only the Erie Stamp, but anything affecting you or your Charter business whether it be political, fishing, boating, on the water protocol, whatever! Bring your thoughts to the January monthly meeting.

Bios:
John Arway http://fishandboat.com/execdir.htm
Ed Masharka http://fishandboat.com/comm1.htm
Senator Sean Wiley http://www.senatorwiley.com/

Important notice: All questions for the panel of experts must be submitted in writing prior to the meeting. Preferred method is via email to smallprogram@comcast.net please send asap as we need time for the panel to prepare. All questions will be addressed. Mention who you’d like your question(s) to be directed to.