I am disheartened to say our Spring steelhead season has come to a close however the last few weeks have been spectacular fishing for fresh lake run fish with no pressure around . We have been spanking the spring run Ohio strays in PA waters in our past few outings .
On April 22nd Joe & his son Drew brought a bunch of fish in and left grinning with an action packed day on the tribs . A beautiful 20 " lake run Brown was brought to hand .
On April 26th Shawn joined me for a day of non stop rod bending action with over a dozen Steelhead finding the net . The company and weather has been excellent with many memories made .
On April 27th Shane joined me on Conneaut creek with 6 Steelhead to hand and he caught one of the biggest suckers I've ever seen !
Our attention is now locally shifting to nite Walleye trips to be offered by the middle of this month . Our water temperature is slightly behind on the big lake 49 degrees and should begin to get good in the next week or so when it hits 50 + degrees .
Well I am happy to report the fresh spring fish continue to come in with each rain event we recieve . The initial hook up is an eye level thrash that leaves one in awe and the runs to follow are jaw dropping ! Below are some pictures and videos from recent Lake Erie Tributary trips. Two fish recently were sent to the taxidermist one at 11 lb 6 ounces and one just over 10 lb
I expect with the below normal water temperatures we will see good steelhead fishing into early May . I am thankful to have shared in many anglers landing thier first steelhead and our shared experience is just as memorable for me as they have been for you : ) Call me soon to get your spring trip in before it's done .....
Tight lines .....
Captain Don
Looking back into our winter steelhead experiences it has been an awesome year with above average returns of brown trout . Our average is one of every 15 fish is a Brown in comparison to Steelhead numbers which have been excellent for January - February . I do not like to get into numbers and we usually do not keep track but between 5 anglers we brought 60 fish ( steelhead / browns ) to the net one February day which to date is our best February day I can remember in the last few years . In short the fish are here and tributary fishing should remain steady until the middle of April . The annual sucker migaration has started and can make for a fun day with the fly rod . The pods of suckers can number into the thousands and provided steady all day action !
For fly fishing buffs & gear heads we have great news for you .
We have upgraded our equipment the new Orvis Helios 2 rods are here along with , sage , 1st generation helios rods , if you want to test run some upper end equipment we have you covered .
Below are some pictures and videos of recent trips . Thanks to everyone who paid us a visit thus far and the commradere we shared .
Tight lines Capt Don
After a few epic days of catching it was inevitable for the creeks to recede back to low & clear conditions and let the fishing begin . Tremendous pressure was to be had on these fish but we managed to catch fish right on through !
Tues October 30th fished Walnut access from 2:30 - 6 PM hooked up 25 brought 8 to hand including 2 brown trout in heavy rain and windy conditions .
Creeks went back to blown out conditions until Friday November 2nd fished the access again with 7 fish to hand . Saturday & Sunday were epic days of catching with each of us averaging 20 + hook ups with 10-15 to hand a
piece in the " greened up " flows .
Monday I had the opportunity to fish with Kris & his father Brian . Both anglers fished hard on a day with tough ( low & clear ) conditions bringing 6 fish to hand and hooking up about a dozen times . Most fish in the lower portions of tributaries are dime bright fresh fish brought in by the rains from Hurricane Sandy .
A recent adventure with Scott , Randy , & Tom lead us to some cooperative steel head in faster runs . The water temperature was a warm 56 degrees and spawning time for steel head . The warmer than normal March lead to some acrobatic fights from these fish .
Six fish were brought to hand ; while a dozen or better were hooked . A good day on the tribs given the low & clear water conditions and tough bite . A great time was had by all on our leisurely journey in the North Western PA wilds . The guys took home some smoked fillets from a local bait shop to reward their efforts .
The title refers to friction from our rod guides in the chilly February air and the adrenaline rush these fish provide . Fishing has been nothing short of spectacular for late winter steel head trout . Over the past couple weeks you will find a compilation of videos and photos from our weekend ventures below . The fish in the first video is a male over 10 lbs and a respectable fish in any Great Lakes tributary . March is going to be a busy month so if you want to get on the water with me call me ASAP . Enjoy and tight lines .
Each year January brings a feeling of solitude in fishing some of the most popular Great Lakes Steelhead waters on the East Coast . This being said the change of pace is a welcomed one .Using a little persistence will yield fish for the savvy angler . The numbers of fish in the tributaries are usually lower but the rewards are sacred . Here's a few January fish from my last two outings on Friday Jan6th and Sunday Jan.8th. It looks as the weather is still allowing some time on ice free water due to our mild winter we've experienced thus far . Tight lines
The title was inspired by a tree filled with many early " Christmas Ornaments " . The amount of flies and indicators that have accumulated in this poor tree is laughable ( pictured below ) .
Friday 12/16/11
Fished Walnut Creek with perfect water conditions that were set up by the previous days rainfall . Six fish were brought to hand . Two of the six were acrobatic fresh fish from Lake Erie .
Saturday 12/17/11
Fished Elk Creek with 8 fish to hand some fresh fish mixed with the old tatered & torn leftovers from the October run . Egg patterns continue to consistently take fish . There are still plenty of fish to be had ; although expect icing of your equipment and dress appropriately .
Well it is now December and the weather feels like October ; boy are we spoiled here . Fishing has remained consistent with the each new rain bringing in some more fresh runs of "jacks" from the lake . Expect more of the same this upcoming week as snow/rain is in the forecast once again. Overall pressure on the tribs has been slowing in comparison to October & November. Fish holding patterns are changing with the drop in water temperatures and fish are becoming a little more lethargic . The best bite is usually after 10 AM when the water warms a little ; it seems to stimulate these fish .
Wednesday Nov. 30th
Fished Walnut Creek in murky water ( 10inches of visibility on average ) from 3-5 pm with 6 fish to hand .
Friday December 2nd
Fished Elk Creek from 2pm-5pm with good green tint to water and great flow. 5 steelhead and one 18inch brown trout were brought to hand .
Saturday December 3rd
Fished Elk Creek from 7 AM - 2Pm with water being low & clear with exception to flows deeper than 4feet that showed a nice green tint to water . 7 fish were brought to hand a couple being fresh and a few that have been in there a while .
Friday December 9th
Fished Elk Creek from noon to dark with 4 fish to hand water flow is back to low & clear with some green water to be had over 4 ft deep . The snow flakes are now starting to fall with 3-5 inches in the forecast of the coming weekend. .
On Friday I was joined by Mark , Sam , and Stan from Youngstown , OH for a nice day of angling on Elk Creek . The one & a half inches of rain from Tuesday night brought good flow to the stream in the morning and a tough bite ensued in the afternoon when the water cleared up . We hooked around a dozen fish and landed 6 . Two of the six fish were over 8 lbs and were hard fighting fresh fish ; just out of Lake Erie . Excellent November weather has been the story here with mid day temps in the 50's . A splendid day with excellent company .
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