Super User everythingthatswims Posted October 23, 2017 Super User Posted October 23, 2017 I went to Erie, PA with a couple friends this weekend to experience the steelhead run. We fished Elk Creek, a tributary to Lake Erie that is known for steelhead fishing. Water was extremely low, fish were very skittish, and there were LOTS of anglers. We knew that was how it would be before we went though. My first day, we fished sunup to sundown. I got my first bite at 11am and landed it, I ended up figuring it out a little more, and landed 4 more before sundown. Over half of the fish I saw hooked would break off or pull the hooks, I'm not sure why but everyone would put a ton of pressure on the fish. I'm sure that part of it was good fortune, but I landed every fish I hooked this weekend, and that was on a light action rod with 6lb fluoro. Day two was much better, we found some fish off the beaten path and got on them early, surprisingly we were the only anglers around! I caught 3, and we landed 6 total, with a couple others pulling the hooks. I definitely plan to return when water levels are better, pools were almost stagnant and there was no drift, I saw thousands of steelhead this weekend but 90% of them wouldn't even think about eating! This fish was kept if anyone was wondering about the vertical hold/gilling. 9 Quote
BassB8Caster Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 wow those are some awesome fish! they have some crazy coloring. Very rainbow like. That big one would look pretty sweet mounted. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 23, 2017 Super User Posted October 23, 2017 1 hour ago, BassB8Caster said: Very rainbow like. Technically, a steelhead is a rainbow trout. It's just gone into the lake or ocean and lived a pelagic lifestyle, eating fish, and getting huge. @everythingthatswims, nice job! They have barely started running up here. Need rain, badly. 1 Quote
BassB8Caster Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 25 minutes ago, J Francho said: Technically, a steelhead is a rainbow trout. It's just gone into the lake or ocean and lived a pelagic lifestyle, eating fish, and getting huge. Good to know. Thank you for the education. They look like some stout fish either way. 1 Quote
UPSmallie Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Great work! The fall run is a thing of beauty. 1 Quote
Looch Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 Gill em to kill em then Rope em and smoke em! Come next year and catch the humpys, and watch the humpys attack the steelbows. Biggest racket this state has. What did they charge you guys for a non-resident erie stamp and trout stamp? Are you Russian? lol 1 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 25, 2017 Super User Posted October 25, 2017 10 hours ago, Looch said: Are you Russian? lol OMG, LMAO! 1 1 Quote
Super User fishballer06 Posted October 25, 2017 Super User Posted October 25, 2017 11 hours ago, Looch said: Are you Russian? lol 44 minutes ago, J Francho said: OMG, LMAO! Glad I'm not the only one who gets this joke 1 2 Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted October 25, 2017 Author Super User Posted October 25, 2017 19 hours ago, Looch said: Gill em to kill em then Rope em and smoke em! Come next year and catch the humpys, and watch the humpys attack the steelbows. Biggest racket this state has. What did they charge you guys for a non-resident erie stamp and trout stamp? Are you Russian? lol I already had a PA license and trout stamp as WVU is minutes from the PA border, lots of good fishing! Erie permit was less than $10, a minute cost in comparison than the rest of the trip. You bet I gilled them and bled them out on a stringer! Got them on ice shortly thereafter though, a crucial step that many miss. Tell me more about these humpys lol. If you wanna hear the story about my encounter with some Russians I will gladly tell you about it, it involves 2/0 treble hooks, yarn, and 15lb solar green trilene big game. 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 25, 2017 Super User Posted October 25, 2017 47 minutes ago, everythingthatswims said: If you wanna hear the story about my encounter with some Russians I will gladly tell you about it, it involves 2/0 treble hooks, yarn, and 15lb solar green trilene big game. I can tell you a story about 7 dudes, an sack of poles never used and HUGE nets. They emptied a stretch of trib that used to have hundreds Browns. With some help, they were eventually caught, though the fish were lost. 1 Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted October 25, 2017 Author Super User Posted October 25, 2017 1 hour ago, J Francho said: I can tell you a story about 7 dudes, an sack of poles never used and HUGE nets. They emptied a stretch of trib that used to have hundreds Browns. With some help, they were eventually caught, though the fish were lost. Woah! The two guys I saw were talking in a typical accent for that area in perfect English. We saw what they were doing and told a DNR guy who was standing in the parking lot. When the DNR officer got close, one of the guys turned to the other and instantly they were speaking Russian. At that point they changed from the 2/0 trebles to normal egg hooks with spawn bags etc before continuing to "fish", with their 15lb line and no leader. Quote
Looch Posted October 26, 2017 Posted October 26, 2017 Humpy's are pink salmon, most of the time they only run every other year. Nobody has seen any running in the Erie tribs this year that I know of. They have a hump, and are real aggressive. Elk Creek will be full of pinks(humpys) and steelbows next year. You guys see any browns or chinooks? Yeah the "Russians" are bad. I've see them do some crazy illegal stuff both in PA and NY, imagine Ohio and Michigan too. The Straw Hat Army/Navy is another group that are a problem in PA on other species. They pretty much follow the rules but no such thing as catch&release with them. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 26, 2017 Super User Posted October 26, 2017 Kings are done, only dead mud sharks here and there for the bald eagles. I imagine Coho are done too. Browns are stacking up in the lake, waiting for rains and flows. The chromers will be right behind them, looting the redds for an easy meal. Should be anytime now. Quote
Super User fishballer06 Posted October 27, 2017 Super User Posted October 27, 2017 This was last year on one of the creeks we fish in New York. Quote A total of 69 salmon ranging in size from 5 to 35 pounds had been poached from the creek, the subjects using a weighted treble hook and net to snag the fish. The three men – Sergey Yatchuk, 41, of 55 Applewood Ln., Getzville, Petro Parfenyk, 29, of 2204 Prospect Ave., Erie, Penn., and Mikhail F. Sakalosh, 39, of 8322 Taylor Colquitt Rd., Spartanburg, S.C. – were charged with 32 violations, including fishing without a license, possessing foul-hooked fish, taking fish by snatching, taking fish in excess of daily limit, and illegal fishing at night. 1 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted October 27, 2017 Super User Posted October 27, 2017 Those guys hit a bunch of creeks. I think that's Maxwell Creek where they caught them. Quote
UPSmallie Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 Yes, sadly it seems to be pretty common these days. DNR caught some guys netting at the Webber Dam here in MI earlier this season. Lots of cohos gone to waste. Quote
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