WCO Report for Erie and Crawford County 11/04/03: Erie area, PA,
WCO Report Posted: November 04, 2003

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Posted by DWCO Randy Leighton on November 04, 2003 at 22:14:26:

WESTERN ERIE COUNTY, DWCO Randy Leighton

Condtions:
Water conditions have been clear throughout the West County tribs but flow is still good. Rain and possible snow are predicted and should keep conditions ideal for a while. Good numbers of fish are scattered throughout the Walnut Project Waters and limits have been frequent. Fish in the 8 to 10 LB range have been common. Conditions have been good in and around the Legion Park area off of Route 20 in Girard and as far south as the McKean hole off of I-79. Catches have been good to excellent at times along the Lakeshore at Godfrey and Trout Run. Shiners have been very popular lately. The marina basin at the Walnut Creek Access has been producing some big fish but the numbers have been low. The Marina is a great place to fish at a more relaxed pace and is easily accessible for kids and those folks that don't want to do a lot of walking. There is handicapped parking near the basin and along the channel wall. Current Lake Erie water temperature as of this writing is 55 degrees.

Bass fishing has been fair on Presque Isle Bay with anglers picking up an occasional steelhead or coho.

Hunting Season:
With hunting season upon us and deer season right around the corner, anglers are reminded that wearing some type of bright clothing especially in the remote areas of the tribs will help keep you out of hunters sights. There is no special rule or regulation on this but a little blaze orange makes good sense in any wooded area this time of year. Many of the upper areas of Elk and Crooked Creeks run through prime hunting areas.

Cleaning Again:
There still seems to be confusion regarding cleaning and filleting fish streamside. Gutting a fish and/or removing its eggs is a legal activity streamside as long as the entrails are bagged and properly discarded. Entrails left along the bank or tossed in the water are considered litter and fines will be imposed. Fish may not be filleted until they reach the point of consumption unless they are taken to a licensed cleaning station.

Law Enforcement:
With the recent mild weather and unbelievable crowds, area officers have had their hands full with violations. Recent problems and apprehensions have included individuals netting Nursery water fish, possessing significant numbers of fish in excess of legal limits, keeping foul hooked fish, litter, and fishing without a valid PA. license. Litter problems seem to be finally improving somewhat thanks to additional trash containers at the access area.

Local Weather:
Wednesday night Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain showers until midnight. Lows in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Thursday
Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s.
Thursday night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.
Friday
Partly cloudy in the morning, becoming mostly cloudy with snow showers likely in the afternoon. Breezy. Highs in the lower 40s. Chance of snow 60 percent.
Friday night
Snow showers likely. Lows in the mid 20s. Chance of snow 60 percent.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers. Highs in the upper 30s.
Sunday
Cloudy with a chance of showers during the day. Lows in the upper 20s and highs in the mid 40s.
Monday
Cloudy with a chance of rain showers during the day. A chance of snow showers overnight. Breezy. Lows in the mid 30s and highs in the upper 40s.
Veterans day
Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s and highs in the mid 40s.

WESTERN CRAWFORD COUNTY, WCO Joe Russell:

Pymatuning Lake:
The Walleyes are still biting in deep water but most of the fishermen having any luck are hitting them by boats. It seems that drifting on the south end is the way to go right now and they are having particularly good luck around the pines area just south of the Jamestown marina, where we placed the gravel last year as artificial reefs. 18”-24” seems to be the range being caught right now and jigging sonar’s and jigs tipped with Minnie’s or night crawlers seem to be what they are hitting on. Most of everything else seems to be slowing down right now but I have talked to a few Musky fishermen that state the Muskies should be picking up anytime soon for the fall run, so I would watch for that.

Conneaut Lake:
I haven’t seen much activity here this week but I can tell you that most of the recreational boaters have been removed from their dock space for the year, with the exception of one or two. If you ever wanted to fish Conneaut Lake and have no skiers or jet skis around you this is definitely the time to do it. Look for the schools of white bass under the jumping baitfish or where the seagulls are flocking to around sunset and you should have pretty good luck.

My Personal Thanks To a Couple of Great Sportsmen:
Sportsmanship shined through this last week when I brought my mom and dad, Dixie and John Russell, up on Walnut creek to get them to try Steelhead fishing for the very first time. I brought them up to the area above the chutes in the project waters at Walnut and my mom hooked into her first fish and within a matter of a couple minutes lost it. There were two anglers there who were using fly rods who were landing one fish after another and when they heard this was her first time one of them hooked a fish and handed her his pole to try and land it. Unfortunately that fish to was not to be landed either, but over the next hour or so they coached and encouraged and helped her land at least a half a dozen fish. She was able to catch a really beautiful Brown trout and a nice steelhead before calling it a day. The anglers names were Ted Bender and Tom Hogan and if you are wondering if this was done because I was with them the answer is no. I was in plainclothes and these gentlemen had no idea I was even an officer. They did it because they had a true love for the sport and wanted to experience that through the eyes of someone who had never had that experience before. I did identify myself before we left for the day and thanked them for all their time, and informed them they would be in this weeks report. I once again want to make that THANKS known to these really fine SPORTSMEN who took the time to make a fishing trip a memorable occasion that will be remembered for the rest of their lifetime. By the way dad didn’t need any coaching and was able to catch fish on his own, but I can say that mom landed fish and had keepers on the stringer long before he brought one in. He got home and decided that he would drive the six hours one way and be back out this week to try again, as he is literally hooked on some of the best fishing in the state.





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