Northwestern Pennsylvania fishing report....FishOn!
The Times-News fishing report is published Fridays. To access it online, visit NWPAoutdoors.com and click on Fishing Reports. The Times-News cannot verify ice conditions. Anglers should always check with authorities before venturing onto the ice.
Creeks are solidly locked in ice, so standard steelhead fishing is only available at Sixteen Mile Creek. With only one creek open, you can imagine what the fishing situation is. The only decent fishing happens when a few fresh steelhead move into the creek. That is worth checking if you live nearby, but if it is a long drive, wait for better times. They will come, but probably only after some nasty ice jams.
Ice fishing for steelhead in the tributaries or by the creek mouths has been quite good lately, the best so far this winter. On the west side of Erie, ice fishing at lower Walnut Creek was very good this week on the strength of fish returned to the creek from a hatchery. But the fishing was decent even before that. Most of these steelhead are dark, but a few smaller, silver fish have come in. Ice fishing off the mouths of Godfrey Run and Trout Run has been poor. On the east side of Erie, I heard reports of steelhead through the ice at the mouth of Four Mile Run. I have been wondering if anything could be happening at North East Marina? It is about time for it, as I recall.
Ice fishing in Presque Isle Bay has been relatively slow, but considering that it is midwinter, it has not been so bad. Respectable perch, along with some crappie, have been caught near the Stink Hole. Bluegill and perch have been hitting near the head of the bay. Off the Bayfront Convention Center, the catch has been mostly perch, nearly half of which have been keepers in the 8-inch to 9-inch class. Anglers still are complaining about too many gizzard shad in Misery Bay and Horseshoe Pond; however, I have heard reports of fair catches of bluegill and a few perch. Try shiners for perch, or a jig tipped with a maggot for bluegill.
The midwinter blues have hit most inland lakes. An exception might be, unless reports are a bit inflated, that ice fishing for bluegill and modest-size crappie is still good at Lake Wilhelm. There are reports from Pymatuning Lake of some very nice walleye off the docks at Jamestown, along with crappie and perch at Manning and Tuttle Point up to the beach. The crappie are smaller, but still in the 10-inch to 12-inch class. Action has slowed at Chautauqua Lake, but you can still expect to catch some nice perch and bluegill if you put in your time and if you are willing to drill a few holes to find them. There is still good ice-fishing at Lake Pleasant. Trout are numerous at Chapman Lake.
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