Archive for November, 2009

Not even close to enough but I’ll take it. On the streams all weekend. Next rain forecasted next week.

Postponed a few trips this week due to conditions. We’ll see what this rain does in the later half of the week. Could be a good weekend if we get enough but right now it’s not looking like it will be. If it is I’ll be guiding some anglers Saturday and Sunday and I’ll have some reports up. If I was going to be out this week I would do what I had guys doing last week. Try triggering fish first with jigs and small Flatfish lures, if that does not see action go to a float rig with a clear Blackbird float and a single egg and nymph combination. Find any water you can that has some movement to it, and work slow drifts through holding water. If it has to be a lower access area so be it. Finding fish further up is becoming more and more difficult. They are there but so are other fishermen, and very spooky fish in low water. If you do walk get out early. The holding water upstream on the larger tribs is shrinking by the day so any fish found will see plenty of other guys.

It’s obviously tough conditions but if you must go out good luck. Be patient and persistant and the fish you catch will always be rewarding. -JB

Guided Greg, Greg, and Bryan to their first trip for Erie Steelhead from the Philadelphia area. With less than ideal conditions all 3 were able to land their first Erie Steelhead from 6-8 lbs. Fish on both days were hooked on Flatfish, skein, and jigs. Again there is very little water and fishing pressure remains high whether it is at the lower access points or higher sections that require walking. Seems inch of every stream in Erie is being fished even with extremely tough conditions. Pool fishing in front of hundreds of fish is seeing few legal hookups. Many snaggers were witnessed in the more crowded areas that were pretending to be hooking up legitimately. Calls were made to Water Conservation Officers to report them. In the higher up sections many stretches were void of fish and when they were found so were other fishermen who walked just as far before we did. It was a frustrating couple of days but fish were landed and there were some hookups on a variety of options. Did I mention we need rain? It will happen soon enough and we will have plenty of water and fish in our streams. With just a few fish landed it was still a pleasure to fish with these 3 anglers for a few days. I know they are hooked for life on Erie Steelhead.