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.