Archive for October, 2009

Water was at good flow being clear to tea stained from leaves. Leaves and wind became a problem at times. Pool fishing in morning yielded fish on jigs, single eggs, and drifting skein. Fish seemed to spook from leaves swirling around. A lot of fish in shallow water above pool trying to move. So shallow it was hard to target them with anything and not very sporting.

Moved on to larger trib and walked a 2 mile stretch of stream. Saw about 5 fishermen and found groups of fish every 50 feet or so. Targeted individual fish and groups of 5-30 with one Flatfish lure the entire time. Flow allowed for swinging and holding lure in current when possible. Utilizing every inch of the rod helped to accomplish this and keep it in front of fish to trigger strikes. It quickly became a high number day, catching 1-2 fish per group, and then targeting the same groups of fish on the way back to where I parked. There were no subtle strikes or lipping the lure today. Most fish struck violently and turned back immediately setting the hook for me much of the time. Fish that missed came back again to get it and many fish had the lure deep in their throats. Seemed most fish today averaged on the heavier side at 8-9 lbs.

Lots of fish have made it to higher sections and there are plenty to fish for if you are willing to walk. You can drift fish all day but if you want to get your blood flowing try triggering fish with Flatfish lures. It’s more of a West Coast tactic that not enough people are doing in Erie or doing correctly. Once you nail down size and color selection you may find that you’d rather catch fish this way than any other. Landed a lot of fish today but here was a nice clean female that out charged another fish to the lure and put up one heck of a fight. She was the garden variety football shape we know and love in PA.

Fished a few hours in the morning at a large pool. Water still a bit darker than expected but very fishable. Fish running everywhere. Shallow water up chutes and falls, deeper runs at top of pool in quick current, and fish holding in slower drifts and in center of pool. Fish landed early on Flatfish and jigs, then single eggs. Rest of day would have been nice but had to head home. Tribs should fish great today. Would be nice to get more rain on Wednesday with the warm temps forecasted later in the week.

Marc from Philadelphia made his yearly trip for Erie Steelhead a memorable one on Saturday. The water was brown and moving in the morning making for difficult conditions. Finding fish in smaller streams was the way to go to look for the clearest water possible. When it did clear the leaves became the number one issue. Finding fish stacked up in a nice cutout below a waterfall Marc started to nail fish on jigs and drifting skein. After losing quite a few fish to a log jam he was able to land his biggest Steelhead ever at 11 lbs and 32″. He followed this with a 9 lb fish and a handful of others. Again a great day despite the conditions. Instead of relying on drift fishing all day, working jigs through a hole and feeling the hit (you could see fish but not necessarily the bite) produced fish in a much more exciting manner. One fish was even lost on a Flatfish when she jumped on the other shoreline, spit the lure, and swam back in the creek. Late in teh day a couple last casts at another stream in a large hole produced 2 more nice fish on a jig and a Flatfish lure. Much of the time we are working these lures in clear water and seeing the strike. It is nice to get a few blind now and then and have to feel the bite. Most often it will feel just like a snag…that starts moving very fast. Quick snap of the wrist is all it takes to set the hook. Conditions were not great for a few days in Erie but fish could still be hooked and landed using a variety of presentations.