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.”