News

Weather Blahs: Following a stretch of fairly nice weather over the holiday period, the start of a new week brought lots of rain starting on Sunday and continuing through at least Wednesday.  The Allegheny, French Creek,Erie tributaries and most inland streams are blown out.  As the open water fishing season draws to a close in December, it appears unusually nasty weather patterns that have plagued our angling all year are determined to be a pain-in-the-you-know-where until ice up.

On a positive, fun note, Juanita Hampton of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau suggests everyone stop by YouTube to the latest CrawfordCountyfishing video:  Fishing Crawford County.mp4

Crawford County Waters

Dave Lefebre with Pymatuning walleye (Darl Black © photo)

Pymatuning Lake

Dave Lefebre (Erie): “Through Thanksgiving week, walleyes continued to bite at Pymatuning.  I have been having a lot of fun doing something other than bass fishing, and it has been productive in terms of fish for dinner.  I’ve been eating a lot of ‘eye in the last few weeks.  Vertical jigging a Heddon Sonar has been the ticket on the southern part of the lake.”

Chub Hornstein (Meadville): “I went to Pymatuning on the day before Thanksgiving.  I fished all afternoon without a bite, but the fish turned on about 4 PM.  I caught about 15 walleye before dark.  All but three of the ‘eyes were sub-legal.  The keepers included two in the 16” to 18” range and a whopper that weighed nine pounds.  All fish came on a ¼-ounce Heddon Sonar in Perch or Shad patterns fished on points at depths from 12’ to 17’ on the lower end of the lake.”

Erie County Waters

Presque Isle Bay

Al Nacopoulos (B.A.C. Bait –Erie): “Crappie catches in the Bay have slowed way down – the fish have moved apparently and only a few small ones are being caught.  Steelheads are being caught at the Waterworks.  One customer stopped with several very nice perch from the North Pier, and I heard that a burbot was caught on the North Pier.”

(First burbot of the season!  Great Lakes Winter water temps are upon us!)

Danny Jones (Northeast): “I went out Thanksgiving Day to PresqueIsleBayfor a couple hours.  I caught 38 largemouth bass – all caught on a spinnerbait with a Zoom Super Fluke trailer.”

Lake Erie tributaries

Andy (B.A.C. Bait – Trout Run): “Creeks are blown out from too much rain.  There will not be any tributary fishing until they begin to recede somewhat – perhaps in time for the first weekend in December.  Good news, the high water should bring some fresh fish in from the lake and push other fish further upstream.  Until streams are fishable, anglers should focus their fishing on the lake shore near the creek mouths.  Power Bait and spoons should produce.  Before the water rose, fly fishermen were catching steelhead to 10 pounds on black and olive Wooly Buggers.”

Steelhead anglers at mouth of Trout Run (Darl Black © photo)

Phil Stern of Pittsburgh with three steelhead taken on lake shore at Trout Run (Darl Black © photo)

Darl Black (Cochranton): “Over the weekend before the rains started, I visited several steelhead fishing sites on the west side, including portions of Elk Creek,Walnut Creekand the mouth of Trout Run.  Lots of fisherpersons (men, women and children) taking advantage of the holiday and good weather, trying their hand at catching steelhead.  Of course I witnessed more “trying” than “catching” – I only saw a couple fish landed plus a few anglers leaving with fish on stringers.  As I shot pictures atWalnut Creek, one angler approached and asked if I had come to town to ‘watch the circus.’  Anglers fishing the lake shore at Trout Run seemed to be doing as well as fishermen in the creeks.”

Terry Farrell (Hook, Line & Stitch –Meadville): “I’ve been tying a big hackle fly with women’s blue eyelashes that has really caught the attention of steelhead.  I demonstrated this fly during the Crawford County Outdoors Expo earlier this fall, and I’ve been having trouble keeping up with the demand from fly fishermen ever since.  Then one individual comes in with a request to make an “Eyelash Jig” – he wanted it all white with a marabou tail.  Said he was catching crappies with it.”

Mercer County Waters

Shenango Lake crappies caught by Ken Smith (Smith photo)

Shenango Lake

Ken Smith (Sharon): “Now I have to share spots with goose hunters this week on Shenango, thereby limiting the big fish spots I can fish.  I didn’t do nearly as well as the last five trips on the lake.  Still, I was able to enjoy some good days on the lake.  Between hunters and high winds, I still put some quality fish in the boat.  Blakemore Road Runners fished slowly over shallow wood collected the most crappies for the livewell. Lake level is still dropping and the shoreline is really muddy.  Plastic on the boat floor will help keep it cleaner but expect some mud on the floor.  Hope everyone had a good Turkey Day!”

Neshannock Creek

Bob Shuey (Neshannock Creek Outfitters) – Bob’s report was received before the rains started:  “Neshannock right now is in great shape.  Should be OK for the next week unless we get heavy rain.  It will be a nice week to fish, as most guys will be in the woods after deer.  Dress warm and wear a little orange to be seen!”

Venango County Waters

Dale Black with Allegheny pike (Darl Black © photo)

Marilyn Black with Bronzeback Friday smallmouth taken on live shiner (Darl Black © photo)

Allegheny River

Marilyn Black (Cochranton): “Dale Black, Darl and myself headed to the Allegheny Riveron Bronzeback Friday – our annual smallmouth trip…an alternative to that crazy Black Friday shopping.  Even though the river was dirtier than we like, we oozed confidence that some bass would be taken on jigs.  Just in case, my back-up was a bucket of live creek bait that I had personally trapped the day before.  The only other boat on the OilCitypool was another friend, Ernie Pate from Butler.  Dale and Darl fished only artificial baits.  Dale boated one northern pike on a Yum Tube, but Darl never connected with a single fish.  I had three or four pick ups on live shiners, hooking two smallmouths.  One 15-incher was landed, but a much larger one was lost at the side of the boat.  With additional rain fall this week, the river has shot up to nine feet; unlikely it will be fishable for at least a week.”

Ernie Pate (Butler): “We didn’t catch a fish on Friday – only had two bites.  I think the fast, muddy water has them off their feed.  Once the water clears and current slows a little, the fish will bite.  It was a bad combination of cold water and 20 mph wind over the weekend.”

Mike Martin (Cochranton): “My buddy John and I kayaked fromOilCitytoFranklinthis past Saturday.  It was a very comfortable day for kayaking, but the smallmouth fishing was not good.  Matter of fact we got skunked.  We fished mostly hair jigs and jerkbaits.  There were a number of boats on the water but they were targeting walleyes; we observed a walleye being boated in the K-Mart eddy.”

Kahle Lake

Dale Black (OilCity): “I headed over toKahleLakeon Saturday after Bronzeback Friday on the river.  I figured to catch some largemouth, because I normally do well there in the late fall.  I never had a hit.  I tried a variety of baits and various deep & shallow spots on the lake without success.  There were half-dozen boats on the lake; most were catching yellow perch.  Launching is difficult due to the draw down.”

Dustin Shay with Woodcock Creek walleye (Shay photo)

French Creek (Erie, Crawford, Mercer andVenangoCounties)

Dustin Shay (Meadville) – Due to heavy rains the last couple days, French Creek is blown out for the foreseeable future.  The Creek was high from previous rains, but now fishing is impossible.  However, with the higher water in French Creek tributaries, Dustin says fishermen should look to these feeder creeks as a fishing opportunity – especially as water in the tribs first begin to clear.  High water often encourages walleyes to move into some tribs to the first hole or beaver dam.  Or perhaps in the case of Woodcock Creek, high water pushes some of the Woodcock Dam tailrace fish downstream towards French Creek.  The day before Thanksgiving, Dustin caught three legal walleye in Woodcock Creek on a Sebile Hard Swimmer.

Bulletin Board

Bulletin Board: Jetcraft boat for sale.

ForSale: 2001 Jetcraft Kokanee 1625 with 90/65 hp jet outboard on a King galvanized trailer; asking $13,500; phone 814-758-3836.  “Boat is in great shape,” says owner Jeff Brunton ofFranklin.

Gamma Salutes

The spool of Gamma Line is awarded to Dustin Shay for his Woodcock Creek walleye photo.

Weekly Drawing

Ernie Pate was the contributor’s name drawn for the Yum/PRADCO lure pack.

Outdoor Calendar of Events

Monthly          Free Fly-Tying Classes                               814-590-1366

Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch (At the Bank Mall),Meadville

2^nd Tuesday of each month;6 PM to 7:30 PM

Information contributed by:

-       Chris’ Tackle Box, Jamestown, PA

-       Maurer’s Trading Post, Franklin, PA

-       Oil Creek Outfitters, Titusville, PA

-       John’s Bait & Tackle, Meadville, PA

-       Van Tassel’s Timberland Bait, Canadohta Lake, PA

-       Fergie’s Bait & Tackle, Sandy Lake, PA

-       R & L Bait & Tackle, Greenville, PA

-       B.A.C. Bait & Tackle, Erie, PA

-       Poor Richards Bait & Tackle, Fairview, PA

-       Presque Isle Angler, Erie, PA

-       Neshannock Creek Fly Shop, Volant, PA

-       Erie Sports Store, Erie, PA

-       CLTackle.com

-       Espyville Outdoors, Espyville, PA

-       Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch, Meadville, PA

-       Consumer Direct Sports, Grove City, PA

-       Jigger Wholesale Tackle, Franklin, PA

-       Area anglers

Note: The information in the NW PA Weekly Fishing Report is based on the observations and opinions of individuals at the reporting tackle shops and expert area anglers.  Although the information is reliable, it is not independently verified.

If you have fishing information or a picture of your catch from one of the waters in the following counties, please contact Darl Black at darlblack@windstream.net

In providing a picture, you are agreeing to it being posted on the Fishing Report.

Keep Up with More NW PA Fishing at http://darlblack.blogspot.com

News

-       The weather is looking pretty good through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  After you fill your tummy on Thursday, many of you will have three days to fish before gun season for deer arrives on Monday, November 28.  According to our regular contributors, here are the current hotspots in NW PA

• PymatuningLake(Crawford Co.) for walleye
• ShenangoLake(Mercer County Co.) for crappie
• Allegheny River(Venango Co.) for walleye and some smallmouth action
• Lake Erietributary streams (Erie Co.) for steelhead – primarily Elk.
• French Creek (all counties) for walleye

Venango County Waters

River walleye on live bait (Lou Letterle photo)

Allegheny River

Mike Horrobin (CLTackle.com & Jigger Wholesale): “It’s been a good week of fishing – when we didn’t get some ungodly downpours.  The Allegheny and French Creek are both producing walleye on live bait.  I look for good fishing this coming week as well, but with the holiday and deer season, fishermen may be a rare commodity on our local waters.”

Bill Logan (Pleasantville): “I fished the river at OilCitytoday, Monday, November 21.  I had five hook-ups with fish, landing four smallmouth bass.  Two bass came on Berkley Gulp! Minnow and two on a Sweet Beaver soft plastic fished on a jighead.  It was slow, but I’m going again this week.  Fishing is addicting and I need more before ice-up.”

Dale Black (OilCity): “I slipped out to the river on Sunday afternoon for a couple hours.  Only landed two bass, but both were quality fish.  One was just shy of 16 inches, while the other was 19-inches long and weighed exactly 4 pounds.  What a chunky river bass!  Both came on Yum tubes fished on 8-pound Gamma Polyflex line.”

Kneal Wiegel (Wiegel Bros. Marine): “There have been three ‘locals’ on the river out of the Franklin ramp almost every day this past week, and they tell me they are catching walleye like crazy.”

Corey Letterle with Allegheny smallmouth (Letterle photo)

Brandi Letterle with Allegheny double (Letterle photo)

Lou Letterle (Franklin): “I took my two kids, Brandi and Corey, fishing on the Allegheny for just two hours last weekend, November 13.  They caught 7 walleye and 4 smallmouth bass, and lost quite a few other fish.  The biggest walleye was 22 inches, while the largest bass was 17 inches.  All fish were caught on live creek chubs and white suckers.  The wind was wild but the fishing was good.”

Justus Lake

No report, but trout catches should be good with the low water temperatures and fairly pleasant days.

Oil Creek rainbow trout (Bill Logan photo)

Oil Creek

Bill Logan (Pleasantville) fished Oil Creek earlier in the week.  He reports catching four nice rainbow trout by “twitching a streamer cross current.”

Little Sandy

Mike Horrobin says Little Sandy remains fishable and trout catches are pretty good on this stream and other trout streams.  Fish are being caught on nymphs and streamers.

French Creek (Erie, Crawford, Mercer andVenangoCounties)

Mike Horrobin (Franklin) and Dustin Shay (Meadville) report their contacts say the walleye bite is pretty good on the Creek right now, and will only get better over the next couple weeks.  Fish are being caught on mainly on indigenous live bait or hair jigs.  Walleyes may be caught anywhere in French Creek fromFranklinall the way toUnion City.

Crawford County Waters

Pymatuning Lake

Dave Richter (Richter’s General Store): “Walleye continues to be the drawing card this month.  Two fishermen stopped by the shop on Saturday; both had a nice limit of walleye.  They caught over 45 walleye in one day – not bad!  Most fishermen are catching their fish with blade baits.  A handful of anglers fishing the Jamestown Marina docks are catching crappies, and there are reports that the deep water crappies are also biting – but on the south end of the lake most guys are focused on walleye right now.”

Chris Hall (Espyville Outdoors): “Not may fishermen out this past week, so not much to report.  The few guys I did talk to were still catching 10” to 13” perch along the causeway on live minnows.  Crappie and bluegill are being caught aroundFries Roadand at Red Cross.  No reports of walleye on the north end.”

Dave Lefebre with Pymatuning walleye on blade bait (Darl Black © photo)

Dave Lefebre (Erie): “On Sunday, November 20, Barry Hohn (Saegertown) and I each took a limit of walleye at Pymatuning on the south end.  Our biggest ‘eye was 25 inches and the average size was about 19 inches.  The fish came on Heddon Sonar blade baits in 26 feet of water.  We were down earlier in the week, and took limits of walleye on that day as well – on blade baits.”

Darl Black with Conneaut Lake smallmouth bass (Marilyn Black © photo)

Conneaut Lake

Marilyn Black (Cochranton): “Darl and I made a final run at Conneaut in search of a six-pound smallmouth.  The water temperature was 48 degrees – perfect for late fall smallmouth.  Our first pass down a favorite smallmouth bank yielded nothing.  But when we dropped anchor to cast a blade bait on a quick-dropping point, Darl hooked something heavy on his first cast into 25 feet of water.  There was a lot of resistance, it moved left and right, and he had difficulty in reeling it up from deep water – however he said it didn’t feel like a fish unless it was tail-snagged walleye or musky.  Finally, it came into view.  I was able to slide the Frabill Net under it and lift it aboard.  The catch was a porous rock about the size of a super large softball.  It was a “keeper”, and now adorns our rock garden at home!  Several casts later, Darl hooked and landed a 3 pound smallmouth on a gold & orange Cicada Blade Bait.  He lost another smallie at the boat and I missed a northern pike.  That was our total catch for four hours on the water.  No really big smallies like in past years.  Nor could we find any deepwater white bass or deep crappies.  It would seem our Conneaut Lake season went out as a sparkler rather a big bang – a bright moment with a good brown bass but not the grand fireworks hoped for.”

Erie County Waters

Presque Isle Bay

Al Nacopoulos (B.A.C. Bait –Erie): “A customer stopped in on Sunday with 28 nice perch he had taken off the North pier.  Another customer had 3 steelhead at the Water Works, while another customer reported a mess of crappies.”

Lake Erie tributaries

Mike Tome (B.A.C. Bait – Trout Run): “Considering how low and how clear the streams are, anglers are catching a fair number of steelhead.  More fish moved into the streams with the rain earlier in the week, but the run may be dwindling down.  Anglers are still catching steelhead at the mouth of the creeks in the lake – when Mother Nature cooperates with a favorable south wind.  We are expecting a good rain on Tuesday, and if we get that 2 inches as predicted, streams should be in good shape for Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Black Friday is always one of our busiest days of the fall season. Oh yes, I weighed a 9.5 pound brown trout this week taken at the mouth of Trout Run.”

Steelhead anglers on Elk Creek (Darl Black © photo)

Jeff Staaf (Poor Richards): “Low and clear – sounding like a broken record.  The last good rain brought some more fish into the streams, and pushed some fish further inland.  Think small and light – single eggs, Mini Foo Jig with live wax worm or floating a live minnow.   Small black nymphs and light colored Sucker Spawn are being used by fly fishermen.  Best bite is early and late in day.  Fish riffles during mid day.  Starting next week, we will close at2 PMon weekdays.”

Mercer County Waters

Lake Wilhelm

Bob Mohra (Fergies): “The report from Wilhelm this week is the same as last week: crappies and bluegills being caught off the docks of the marina.  Not many fishermen on the lake…not like years gone by.”

Ken Smith with November crappies (Smith photo)

Smith’s Shenango crappies (Smith photo)

Shenango Lake

Ken Smith (Sharon): “I had four days of fantastic crappie fishing this past week on Shenango.  Tuesday was probably my best big fish day this fall.  Wednesday was a great day for numbers.  Saturday was another day for good-size fish, but the wind was brutal, forcing me to fish spots out of the wind.  Still had a good day for numbers by casting Road Runner heads with Southern Pro Triple Tails to shallow brush in 10 feet of water or less; the bigger fish came by hang-gliding a 1/8 ounce plain jighead with a Southern Pro Hot Grub over stumps in 17 feet of water.  No doubt about it – November is the best BIG crappie month on this lake.  I’ve caught many over 12 inches with the biggest one going 16 inches.  Time is winding down so I’ll have to put the boat away next weekend, but I’ve had a great season on Shenango.  Hope everyone enjoyed the reports and put the info to good use.  Take care and have a happy holiday season.  PS: Darl, that was a good article you wrote for CRAPPIE NOW online (www.crappienow.com).”

Neshannock Creek

Bob Shuey (Neshannock Creek Outfitters): “Neshannock Creek is in good shape and not getting much angling pressure.  Most guys are in the woods hunting or up atEriefor steelhead.  Great time to be out on the inland trout streams!”

Scott Kinard’s search of Wild Brown Trout (Scott Kinard photo)

In search of Wild Brown Trout (Kinard photo)

In search of Wild Brown Trout (Kinard photo)

Special Trout Report

Scott Kinard (EllwoodCity): “With the steelhead run in full swing, I took the opportunity to avoid the crowds and hike into a small wild brown trout stream inNorthwest PA.  Small native streams can yield numbers of “Wild Trout” (non-hatchery raised).  Places such as these hold trout that survive through natural reproduction and the definition of success is measured in “quality” rather than size.  Matt Steffler and I took a four hour hike in search of these colorful species of brown trout and brookies.  We had a good day – landing 15 plus wild browns with the biggest one around 18 inches.  It’s important to remember that our human footprint in places such as this should always be at minimum to ensure these fisheries will survive for generations to come…a true case for catch-and-release at all times.  It was a great day!  It’s nice to see that waters such as these do still exist in this part of the state.”  (See Photos #10, #11, #12)

Bulletin Board – Notes from Contributors

(Post a note about selling a boat or fishing equipment, or if looking for a fishing partner.)

Rich Conlon (Wexford): “No fishing this weekend – winterizing the boats…boohoo”

Grady Codd (Mars): “I haven’t been out fishing in awhile what with school and work.  I hope to possibly get out to Woodcock or Conneaut sometime before first ice – but I don’t have a boat.  If anyone is looking for a fishing partner for day, I can be reached at grcodd@gmail.com.”

Gamma Salutes

The photo contributor drawn for a spool of Gamma Line is Lou Letterle.

Weekly Drawing

The report contributor drawn for a packet of PRADCO baits is Scott Kinnard

Outdoor Calendar of Events

Monthly          Free Fly-Tying Classes                               814-590-1366

Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch (At the Bank Mall),Meadville

2^nd Tuesday of each month;6 PM to 7:30 PM

Information contributed by:

-       Chris’ Tackle Box, Jamestown, PA

-       Maurer’s Trading Post, Franklin, PA

-       Oil Creek Outfitters, Titusville, PA

-       John’s Bait & Tackle, Meadville, PA

-       Van Tassel’s Timberland Bait, Canadohta Lake, PA

-       Fergie’s Bait & Tackle, Sandy Lake, PA

-       R & L Bait & Tackle, Greenville, PA

-       B.A.C. Bait & Tackle, Erie, PA

-       Poor Richards Bait & Tackle, Fairview, PA

-       Presque Isle Angler, Erie, PA

-       Neshannock Creek Fly Shop, Volant, PA

-       Erie Sports Store, Erie, PA

-       CLTackle.com

-       Espyville Outdoors, Espyville, PA

-       Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch, Meadville, PA

-       Consumer Direct Sports, Grove City, PA

-       Jigger Wholesale Tackle, Franklin, PA

-       Area anglers

Note: The information in the NW PA Weekly Fishing Report is based on the observations and opinions of individuals at the reporting tackle shops and expert area anglers.  Although the information is reliable, it is not independently verified.

If you have fishing information or a picture of your catch from one of the waters in the following counties, please contact Darl Black at darlblack@windstream.net

In providing a picture, you are agreeing to it being posted on the Fishing Report.

Keep Up with More NW PA Fishing at http://darlblack.blogspot.com

News

Current NW PA Hotspots

-      MercerCounty: The crappie bite at Shenango remains strong!

-      CrawfordCounty: Pymatuning is pumping out the walleyes – including some hawgs!

-      VenangoCounty: Smallmouth bass on the Allegheny are on the late fall feed, along with walleyes!

-      ErieCounty: The tribs are filled with steelhead, and filled with anglers looking for some rain to stain the too clear water to improve catch rate.

Mercer County Waters

Lake Wilhelm

Bob Mohra (Fergies Bait): “Anglers fishing from the docks at theMarinaare catching a mix bag of crappie and bluegill.  I also had reports of walleye being caught off the causeway.”

Shenango crappie caught by Ken Smith (Smith photo)

Shenango Lake

Ken Smith (Sharon): Thursday, Nov 10 “Another good day atShenangoLake.  The crappie bite was consistent.  Fish are shallow in blow-downs, as well as deep on the drops and on brushpiles.  Big numbers and good size, too.  Took a young friend, Kevin Austin, out on Monday and show him my hang glide method.  He caught on quickly and helped put 35 quality fish in the boat that day.  I went back out on Tuesday to try some different spots, and did well that day, too.  I caught well over a limit but only kept 20 fish to fry up for my friend’s family who lost their mother last weekend.  Prayers go out to the Cannon family.”

Saturday, Nov 12: “The bite was tough today.  I caught over 40 crappies but not a lot of keepers.  The wind was blowing pretty strong so I had to fish my secondary spots.  Fished heavy jighead with Southern Pro twister tails on deep points to produce all the fish today.”

Shenango crappie caught in late fall on Charlie Brewer Whirly Bee

Editor’s Note: I’ve caught nice crappie at Shenango this time of year on a Charlie Brewer Whirly Bee.  Typically white is the only color they want.

Shenango River (Upper section)

Dave Richter (Richter’s General Store): “They have been letting water out of Pymatuning and its put good flow in theShenangoRiver.  Anglers have been catching walleye in the river below the dam, including a 28-incher over the weekend.”

Neshannock Creek

Bob Shuey (Neshannock Creek Fly Shop): “The stream is in great shape and fishing is okay.  Late mornings and afternoons seem to be better than daylight.  Look’s like temps will not be too bad this coming week.”

Venango County Waters

Allegheny River

Bill Logan (Pleasantville): “On Monday, November 7, I caught 9 chunky bass in the river.  Tube jigs, Gulp! Minnows and flipping jigs fished at depths from 4 to 20 feet.  I was back on the river the next day, but wind was so strong it was hard to detect bites, and I landed only 3 bass.”

Lou Letterle with Allegheny River pike (Letterle photo)

Lou Letterle with very nice Allegheny River walleye (Letterle photo)

Ken Dudash with Allegheny River redhorse sucker (Letterle photo)

Lou Letterle (Franklin): “Ken Dudash (Pittsburgh) and I fished the river on Wednesday, November 9.  We had a decent day, but fought the wind all afternoon – boat control and strike detection were difficult.  We ended up catching and releasing a total of 12 fish – 6 walleye, 3 pike, a redhorse sucker and a couple bass.  Very nice variety!  Just like last week, all our fish were caught either on live creek chubs or hair jigs.  One of the walleyes measured 26 inches and weighed 6.5 pounds.”

Rich Conlon (Wexford): “I fished the Allegheny with Ernie Pate (Butler) on Saturday, November 12.  The smallies wanted to bite but we struggled to keep baits in front of them.  Gusting winds made it difficult to keep the baits in the feeding zone without snagging in the rocks.  We did manage to catch about 20 smallmouth bass in four hours of fishing.  We lost maybe another 10 fish.  Water temp was 44 to 45 degrees.”

Mike Horrobin (Jigger Tackle/CLTackle.com): “This week we had several good reports of walleye catches in the river.  Everything I heard about was on live bait or jigs tipped with live bait (either shiners or creek bait).

Trout streams

Mike Horrobin: “Trout fishing is still good.  I was out this week but didn’t see anyone else.  I caught 3 trout on streamers.”

Crawford County Waters

Denny Altimus with a 7.5 and 8-pound walleye from Pymatuning. (Darl Black © photo)

Pymatuning Lake

Dave Lefebre (Erie): “On Saturday, November 12, I traveled to Pymatuning with my uncle Denny Altimus (Erie) for a fall walleye trip.  I planned to show him how to catch walleye on blade baits on deep water points, but as it turned out, Denny showed me how to catch huge Pymatuning walleye with bait.  Using regular fathead minnows on a drop-shot rigging, Denny caught a 7.5-pound and an 8-pound walleye (both fish weighed on official scales).  I only came away with a couple 15-inch walleye and several crappies on my Heddon Sonar blade bait.  Denny’s walleyes were two of the largest I’ve ever seen from Pymatuning.”

Dave Richter (Richter’s General Store): “There have been good catches of crappie, perch and bluegill off the docks at the Jamestown Marina.  Guys are still catching walleye on blades during the day in boats out deep in the end near the dam.  Some anglers are throwing crankbaits from shore at night and catching walleye.  Deep crappie catches are sporadic.”

Chris Hall (Espyville Outdoors): “All fishermen must have been in the woods last week!  The few anglers I talked with reported mixed success.  Along the causeway, perch would bite only when the wind was blowing; when the wind died, so did the bite.  They are still pulling 10” to 12” perch, however.

“I had one gentleman buy a pack of the American Freshwater Fisherman Lucky Seven Hooks; when he stopped back later he said ‘All my other hooks are going in the trash.  These hooks are unbelievable!  I caught 32 perch with them on Tuesday.’”

Hall continues, “Walleye off Orchard have been active.  There a lot of anglers are wading the shoreline in the evening, throwing Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogues and Cotton Cordell Wally Divers.  Some walleyes are being caught around the Causeway on Cicadas and Vibra-Maxx.  Bluegill and crappie have been reported in small numbers aroundFries Road area and shoreline north of Spillway.  There is still a lot of time before the water freezes!  Don’t miss out on good fishing!”

Tamarack Lake

Chuck Papinchak (Cochranton): “We continue to catch an assortment of species fishing from shore using live minnows as bait, including keeper size crappies, some nice perch, a few largemouth bass and an occasional walleye.  Best action seems to be late afternoon.”

Woodcock Lake

“I’ve taken a few trips to Woodcock Lak eover the past two weeks, and have hooked three large musky (plus a follow from another fish) – all while fishing for bass.  I lost two of the muskies at the boat when they bit through my line; I was not using a wire leader.  I did manage to land a very nice musky on Saturday, November 12; the fish was approximately 50 inches long – sorry I was fishing alone and could not get a photo of the fish.  The muskies seem to be holding on the breaklines near shore where the water drops quickly.  With the lake drawn-down, there are very few (if any) weedlines left so the fish seem to be positioned around stumps.  I’m sure experienced musky hunters have better equipment to catch these toothy critters than I did.  These muskies ate my All-Terrain Tackle Bass Jigs.”

Erie County Waters

Presque Isle Bay

Al Nacopoulos (B.A.C. Bait –Eriestore): “The crappie bite in the bay has slowed down.  Fishermen are catching steelhead at the Water Works and in Marina Lake.”

John Hall with Conneaut Creek steelhead (Hall photo)

JT Davis with Conneaut Creek steelhead (Hall photo)

Lake Erie tributaries

John Hall (Erie): “The first Great Lakes Steelhead Expo last weekend was a huge success.  We’re already planning for next year.  Of course the perfect antidote to all the pre-Expo work was a day of steelheading on Sunday.  It was a super day even though the water was low and clear.  Here’s a picture of beautiful Conneaut Creek buck I took on a Joe-fly.  I also attached a photo of a steelhead which JT Davis caught on a Joe-fly.”

Anglers on Walnut Creek (Darl Black © photo)

Seven year old Jeremiah Barni with a slippery 8 pound steelhead (Darl Black © photo)

Darl Black (Cochranton): “On Saturday, November 12, I visitedWalnut Creekand Elk Creek – not to fish, but to take photos.  Fishing pressure was light on Elk.  The lower section of Walnut had its typical weekend crowd.  However, with extremely clear and extremely low water (and crowded conditions), few anglers were catching fish.  One young lad, Jeremiah Barni (Washington,PA) was battling a steelhead when I arrived at the Basin.  He had drawn a crowd of spectators cheering him on.  After perhaps six or seven minutes, one of the adults in his group finally slid a net under the fish.  As 7-year-old Jeremiah tried to hold the 8 pound steelhead for a photo, the fish wiggled from his grasp.  The steelhead was returned to the water.

Mike Tome (B.A.C. Bait – Trout Run): “We need rain.  We have not had rain in 2-1/2 weeks.  The snowfall to the south did not help.  The tribs are so low and clear, it looks like summer.  Fish are in the stream but spooky.  There are trout in the lake at creek mouths, but they need water to move in.  On days with south wind, anglers are catching them along the lake shore at creek mouths.”

Jeff Staaf (Poor Richards): “To catch steelhead in those low, clear streams right now, you’ve got to think small.  Fly fishing are using black or brown nymphs, and light color sucker spawn flies.  Spin-fishermen are catching fish on single eggs or emerald shiner.  You’ve got to get out of bright conditions – fish early or late, or look for shaded areas to fish during the day.”

Fishing Tip of the Week

John Hall with brown trout taken with “trout bead” last year on Elk Creek (Hall photo)

Recently Top Brass Tackle inquired if steelhead anglers were using “trout beads” onPennsylvaniastreams.  I had no idea what they were, so I asked several of the regular contributors what they knew.  Here is John Hall’s response:

“Some guys are using the trout bead.  The bead can be rigged different ways: (1) pegged, as an attractor 5 or 6 inches ahead of a nymph; (2) pegged, just above a single hook as a single egg; (3) and sometimes I let one sit over my knot when fishing a wooly bugger.  I hooked a nice brown last year on upper Elk Creek using a bead.  See attached photo.”

Gamma Salutes

From among individuals submitting photos, Ken Smith was drawn to receive a spool of Gamma Line.

Weekly Drawing

This week, Fishing Report contributor Bill Logan ofTitusvillewas drawn as winner of the Yum/PRADCO Lure pack.

Outdoor Calendar of Events

Monthly          Free Fly-Tying Classes                               814-590-1366

Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch (At the Bank Mall),Meadville

2^nd Tuesday of each month;6 PM to 7:30 PM

Information contributed by:

-       Chris’ Tackle Box, Jamestown, PA

-       Maurer’s Trading Post, Franklin, PA

-       Oil Creek Outfitters, Titusville, PA

-       John’s Bait & Tackle, Meadville, PA

-       Van Tassel’s Timberland Bait, Canadohta Lake, PA

-       Fergie’s Bait & Tackle, Sandy Lake, PA

-       R & L Bait & Tackle, Greenville, PA

-       B.A.C. Bait & Tackle, Erie, PA

-       Poor Richards Bait & Tackle, Fairview, PA

-       Presque Isle Angler, Erie, PA

-       Neshannock Creek Fly Shop, Volant, PA

-       Erie Sports Store, Erie, PA

-       CLTackle.com

-       Espyville Outdoors, Espyville, PA

-       Farrell’s Hook, Line & Stitch, Meadville, PA

-       Consumer Direct Sports, Grove City, PA

-       Jigger Wholesale Tackle, Franklin, PA

-       Area anglers

Note: The information in the NW PA Weekly Fishing Report is based on the observations and opinions of individuals at the reporting tackle shops and expert area anglers.  Although the information is reliable, it is not independently verified.

If you have fishing information or a picture of your catch from one of the waters in the following counties, please contact Darl Black at darlblack@windstream.net

In providing a picture, you are agreeing to it being posted on the Fishing Report.

Keep Up with More NW PA Fishing at http://darlblack.blogspot.com