WCO Report for Erie County 11/15/2006: Erie area, PA,
WCO Report Posted: November 15, 206

Brought to you by FishLakeErie.com


[FishLakeErie.com] [ PA Fish Reports ] [ News/Articles ] [ More WCO Reports & Photos ] [ Recent WCO ]

Posted by DWCO Randy Leighton on November 15, 206 at 08:28:18:

November 15th, 2006

West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, WCO Brook Tolbert:

Conditions: Trib conditions have been as good as it gets in most areas with enough rain to keep water levels good and flowing with some color. Anglers have been doing well in most all areas with additional fish moving in with each rainfall. Upper Elk has been a hot area giving up many limits from the Folly's End area south to the Mckean Hole. A good number of fish have moved in to lower Walnut with angling pressure there still on the light side from what we've seen over the past few years. There have been a good number of calm days on Lake Erie allowing good shoreline fishing at Trout and Godfrey Runs. The West County tribs were flowing with nice color as of Tuesday afternoon.

Why Are the Steelhead Allowed to Stack Up at Trout Run: We were asked this past week about the steelhead trout that collect at Trout Run where it enters Lake Erie in Fairview. This is a common question with many people wondering what happens to all these fish and why are they blocked from their upstream run. Trout Run is marked as Nursery waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and as most anglers know, it is off limits to angling and highly protected. Trout Run is heavily stocked and controlled through out the Fall months. A gate or "weir" as it is called is used to control fish migration on the trib. The weir is typically closed through late fall which confines the migrating fish in a small area easily accessible area. Typically fish are netted and trucked out of this area in the late fall by the Commission with most going to the Fairview Hatchery for sorting and milking. The spawned out fish then are released back in other trib areas and occasionally the Walnut Basin and the Mckean Hole. Once this process is complete the weir is normally opened to allow the fish to move upstream. Although many of these fish do not survive the winter, there are a good number that actually return to the lake. Trout Run is a very small trib that is perfect for this process. If The Nursery waters have an over abundance of fish the Commission will often move the fish from Trout Run to other areas, a process that has often been assisted with by local sportsmen's clubs.

Law Enforcement: With the good conditions and increasing numbers of anglers, area officers and their deputies along with assistance from other district officers have had their hands full. Over 40 citations were issued last week alone. A number of citations were issued for snagging, exceeding the daily creel limit, fishing in State controlled nursery waters, disturbing State controlled nursery waters, fleeing and eluding officers, illegal fish disposition, interfering with an officer in the performance of his duty, littering, guiding without a PFBC guide license, blocking gates, fishing without license, lending and borrowing a license...the list goes on and on.

Anglers are again reminded to stay on the road side of the Doberman Hole on Elk Creek. This has become a real problem area and as the problem continues, so does the likely hood of additional posted access.

We are looking for information regarding a large pile of used roof shingles that were illegally dumped on the road down to the tubes on Walnut Creek off the CSX tracks sometime between Thursday evening and Friday evening. If anyone has information or saw anything, please contact WCO Brook Tolbert at (814)-566-7869 or drop an email to wco14@msn.com

Night Time Temps Will Be Hitting the Freezing Mark All Too Soon:
Freezing temperatures at night can make day break fishing tough, but with a little preparation all can go smoothly. The most common problem is rod eyes freezing up. There are many tricks and products to prevent this, however I have found that a small amount of Blistex or a similar petroleum jelly product (found in small tubes, usually at the check out counter in any drugstore) applied sparingly to each eyelet does a good job of repelling water on the eyelets and hence stopping ice build up. A few dry heat packs in the pockets can help keep the hands warm however, they are useless if they get wet. Gloves and most of all a good warm hat to prevent heat loss should be worn. I have a preference for the rag wool fingerless gloves. They are in inexpensive and work well. Waders that fit like spandex often do not provide the desired warmth (and for the fashion conscious really don't look all that good ). Some air space in the legs and boots will normally keep you warmer than an overly tight fit. Keeping your hands, face, and equipment as dry as possible will prevent ice build up and keep the wind chill down.

Local Weather:

Wednesday Night Rain. Lows around 50. Temperature rising into the upper 50s after midnight. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Thursday Periods of showers with a chance of thunderstorms. Breezy with highs around 60. Temperatures falling into the lower 50s in the afternoon. Southeast winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Thursday Night Showers likely. Snow showers likely after midnight. Cooler with lows in the upper 30s. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Friday Cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers. Much cooler with highs in the lower 40s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Friday Night Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers. Lows in the lower 30s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Saturday Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and rain showers. Highs in the lower 40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

Saturday Night Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers. Lows in the lower 30s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Sunday Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the mid 30s.

Sunday Night Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Cold with lows in the upper 20s.

Monday Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers. Highs around 40. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Monday Night Mostly cloudy in the evening...Then becoming partly cloudy. Cold with lows in the mid 20s.

Tuesday Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.




[FishLakeErie.com] [ PA Fish Reports ] [ News/Articles ] [ More WCO Reports & Photos ] [ Recent WCO ]


(71.116.55.92)