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.
No comments:
Post a Comment