Erie Steelhead Experience » admin

Jigs, jigs, and More Jigs

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:31:18 +0000

That’s what fish will take all winter long. Flatfish have mostly gone out the window, and you can always pick up a fish or two on single eggs, flies, and egg sacks. A recent day yielded 5-6 fish out of every pack of fish I found, all taking jigs. You don’t have to have many of them or in any extreme colors, just whites, blues, greens, darks, and a few flashier ones on 1/64 oz to 1/16 oz. Swim the jig in front of packs of fish and if the first line of fish doesn’t like you might have fish coming from the back of the back to strike. Often I use one color all day and never have to change. White and blue are my favorites. If the water picks up speed and color I’ll switch to skein or egg sacks. That and a can of single eggs from Poor Richard’s in Erie are all you need to catch fish all winter in open water. If it freezes….break out the auger.

On another note I may not guide again for quite some time with my twins being 6 weeks old. My focus will always remain on them and fishing a distant second and when I am able to fish I’d like to actually fish for myself for a change and then get them into it. I’ll keep this site up just in case I want to start back and might just keep it as a fishing blog with reports. It may change into something else as I my devote any guiding time to charitable causes that get wounded veterants and disabled children out fishing. I look forward to the years that come and someday I’ll have my 2 boys stomping around the Erie streams chasing Steelhead. My worst fear is not that they won’t be into fishing, but that they’ll be ten times the fisherman I ever was! I can only hope.

-JB

Update

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:13:53 +0000

Sorry for the lack of reports….my twin boys were born November 1 and I haven’t fished much since. Got out a couple of times for short trips and caught some fish, but my priorities are with my family and fishing has and will always take a back seat…that is until my boys can fish and they can come out with me! Finn Jeffrey and Dane Stephen were born at 7.5 lbs each…couple of football sized steelhead! All are doing well including Mom. Now if we can just get them to sleep a little longer! I will get out fishing here and there and might be out Monday..if so I’ll post conditions and a full report. Hope everyone is having a great season and keep on hitting those fish all winter when the streams are open as these Fall runs were much better than last year. Many fish will be packed in holes through the winter. Good luck and hope to see you on the streams in the near future.

-JB

Fishing Report 10/24/11

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:52:52 +0000

Fished a large trib with Jim on Monday and fish are still everywhere to be found. By far the best run since 2008. Fish were hooked on Flatfish lures, jigs, and drifting some flies and egg sacs. I landed a 30″ 11 lb fish and a 9 lb fish, and Jim’s biggest to the bank was a long 9 lb fish dime bright. Water is low and clear and fish are a little spooky depending on what kind of water they are in. Rain won’t hurt and it looks like it’s coming. This winter will be amazing as long as the creeks are open. Seems as though fish are still coming in and staging so if November sees further runs of fish the creeks will be jammed up with Steelhead through the spring. Might do some trolling next week if the weather cooperates but my twins are due on November 1 so I might not see the water for a few weeks after that. Of course it’s a great season!!! Here’s some pics from yesterday. -JB

Fishing Report 10/17/11

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:48:55 +0000

Covered about 3 miles each way of a large trib. When the water started to clear fish were everywhere and striking everything. I blind fished runs with Flatfish lures to get fish I couldnt see, and targeted the ones I could. Same thing all day, swing the lure through the entire drift, against the bank, through the fast water and into the slow water. I did this all day with great success. Landed fish up to 9 lbs and put over 20 fish on the bank with many more lost, broken off, and just plain missed. I still don’t understand why people drift fish all day and miss out on watching fish chase and strike lures with violent intentions. Done if for 11 years and I’ll do it until the last day I fish the Erie tribs. Fish are everywhere right now and can be caught multiple ways, but getting these fish on their own aggression bests all techniques. That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact. You might get good numbers of fish drifting a fly or bait under a float, but would you rather see a float go under or a mouth open up on a lure from a fish that just shot 30 feet ahead of his pack to get it? With this kind of run this is what I’ll be doing through Christmas, with jigging being a second option in slower pools. Float fishing is always my last option. I want to catch fish in any way I have to, but we all know the rules of an angler. We start out wanting to catch a fish using any method possible. Then we want to catch a lot of fish. After that we want to catch the biggest fish. Finally, we want to catch fish how we want to catch them. It’s a good day when you know you can change it up in a certain situation and catch a few more fish but you stick with what you got on because that’s how you want to catch the fish….and if they don’t want it that way, see ya later….go upstream or downstream to find fish who want to play your way.

Monday and Tuesday were incredible days on the creeks. Perfect water, fish running all over. The kind of stuff I can’t wait to show my 2 very soon to be born sons. Good luck to everyone out there and have fun. Here’s some pics, and yep, they’re fish on a rope. Stocked up the freezer for holiday meals. Now which one first? Blackened cajun, teriyaki kabobs, panko breaded????

Fishing Report 10/7-10/8

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:01:09 +0000

Fished with Jay and Marc for 2 days and we covered water from the mouths to Route 20 on multiple small and large tribs. The water was low and clear but fish remained aggressive enough to provide a great day on Friday and a slower day on Saturday. There are plenty of fish still holding at the mouths so the next big rain will bring in even more fish. The middle and upper sections will fill up even more. Good packs of fish were found in most good holding water. I landed a personal season best 12 lb fish measuring 33″ on the tape. Big buck that took a Flash Candy egg pattern in a quick run. Amazing part was he was with a female fish just as large if not bigger.

Flatfish, jigs, and floating single eggs and trout magnets worked well. While the weather is nice I’d love to see it get back to 50′s and rain for the next push of fish and for the ones already in to keep moving. I can tell you first hand one large trib already has more fish in it now than I saw all of last year. This could be a much more normal year for Steelhead fishing in Erie, hopefully comparable to the 2007-2008 runs. Long way to go before winter hits and we have a good barometer to judge by. I’ll be changing it up and trolling the bay and a creek mouth next week if the wind and weather cooperate. Otherwise who knows what streams I’ll be stalking fish on. Make those first strikes count this week as you might find it tough to get many more when you get on a pack of fish. It’s easy to hook those first 2-3 fish but then they will start to spook easy and downsizing your offerings and being extremely stealthy will help get more fish. Rain is in the forecast later this week and we will need it. Good luck and have fun out there. -JB

10/4/11

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:22:58 +0000

Creeks were brown, all of them, and didn’t clear much later in the day. The lake has been rough so no good reports from the mouths. Good numbers of fish came in Sunday and were on the move low and high on larger streams. When the water clears today you will be able to find fish in some capacity about anywhere you want on larger streams, but good numbers will be in the middle sections for sure. As for the smaller streams some have more than others and I know of one getting good numbers of Browns as of Sunday. I’ll be on the streams later this week for 3 days and will have a full report East to West as far as numbers. Water will most likely be low and clear by tomorrow with not much rain in the forecast. If the lake calms down we should see more fish staging at the mouths and with 70 degree temps coming back the mouths will fish best early and late.

Fishing Report 9-26-11

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:53:16 +0000

Fished West and East on Monday covering lower sections, mouths, and even a middle section of a larger stream finding a surprising amount of fish. With the hot weather fish were not very active but using Flatfish lures drove a few fish crazy enough to strike out of anger. A black leach fly on a beadhead also took some fish that couldn’t leave well enough alone. Fish nearest the lake were the most aggressive. You can bet with the upcoming rain Thursday through Saturday and colder temps that fish will come in from the lake to almost every stream. Some will see a big run while others just a few fish, but it will happen. Fish that are in will have a chance to move to the middle sections of the larger tributaries and hopefully the lower stretches see a new push. Pick your poison this week and fish according to conditions. Streams too high? Fish the lake if it’s fishable. Lake too rough but lower sections too crowded? Go further up than everyone else and you’ll find fish. They move in a hurry with good water. Much farther than most give them credit for. And if one trib is too high go to the smaller ones. Shoreline fishing in the lake, fishing the lower sections for fresh fish, or going higher up for fish on the move that came in weeks ago, you’ll find fish in a lot of places in the next few days. Enjoy.

-JB

9/19/11 Report

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:56:17 +0000

Hit 5 streams all across Erie to throw hardware into the lake and Flatfish lures and jigs in the streams. Many streams on the East side do not even have an opening for fish to get into yet as of yesterday. Some fish are staging off the mouths but few hookups were had by myself and others. The West side is seeing more fish in the streams and in the lake but still not the numbers we can have at this time of year. I was able to get on a nice pack of fish in a larger trib and they went through periods of varied activity through the day. I was able to land quite a few fish and miss a few others and it was a good day considering the slow start we are having. I released a few nice fish and roped up a few chromers for some football games this season. For me a smoked fish spread and some fish kabobs on the grill are perfect for Sundays. All of my fish took Flatfish lures in various colors and sizes. It was tough to do much else with the strong breeze. Jigging and float fishing anything are tough with strong winds, but using these lures in wind is never a problem and at times a little chop on the water can help the bite. I did lose 1 fish on a trout magnet, and it continues to amaze me how violently fish will dart at these lures. Another angler next to me did well floating single eggs in the morning. Hopefully a calm lake, cool temps, and some rain this week will bring in many more silver bullets. I’d say the season has begun, and a new bottle of Macallan Cask Strengh Single Malt was opened last night. Perfect end to each and every day of fishing in Erie. Good luck and have fun on the streams this season, and take a kid with you! -JB

They Will Be Here Soon…

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:23:41 +0000

I will be on the streams and lakeshore soon looking for early fish. No doubt some are already around looking for a stream to enter at night or early morning and disappearing shortly after sunrise. I will be on the streams on a limited basis this season as I have 2 twin boys on the way in late October or early November. My wife and I have been blessed. I will be on the streams as much as possible up to that point but even after they are born I will still be fishing. I’m running the same pattern as always….September- spoons and spinners in the lake, Flatfish lures in the streams, and some jigs and single eggs if we have deep enough water to float to weary early runners. October to freeze-up in the streams I will be fishing jigs, Flatfish lures in pools, runs, and drifts, and float fishing single eggs, sacs, skein, and various fly patterns from egg patterns to nymphs. Bottom line is wherever I am fishing from the lake shoreline to the upper most sections of our streams, I am prepared to catch fish using the best presentation possible according to water conditions and fish behavior. No situation is unfishable outside of a blown out river of mud. Even low water fish can be caught. I look forward to another season on the Erie tributaries and as always meeting new faces and fishing with old friends. Hope to see you on the streams and if you’d like to spend a day with me learning water or technique, please give me a call.

Have fun and be safe this year,

Joe Baker

Erie Steelhead Experience

Annual Delaware River Striper Trip

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:16:13 +0000

Highlights this year include a personal best for me, a 40″, 30 lb fish, my nephew landing his biggest fish at 37″, 23 lbs, and my best friend and fishing buddy landing his fish of a lifetime, a 46″, 51 lb near state record river monster! Unbelievable trip. Here is a public gallery to view the pics.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.2008474698429.122812.1440563397&l=b27341c0fe