Erie tributaries saw low water, big steelhead this fall. Winter packs plenty of promise.
Steelhead are deep into Pennsylvania's Lake Erie tributaries even after a low-water-level fall, just in time for anglers who enjoy fishing in winter when streams are under far less pressure.
“This was driest fall I’ve seen, or can even remember,” said Josh Feltenberger, assistant manager of FishUSA, a fishing tackle shop in Fairview Township. However, some anglers have been catching steelhead reaching more than 30 inches.
The main variance in rain occurred in November. The National Weather Service recorded 3.08 inches of rain this past November, but 7.4 inches of rain in November 2022. The average rainfall for the month is 3.77 inches.
“October has been fairly similar to what last year has been, but for November it’s a completely different story. We are almost 5 inches below what we had for precipitation last year,” said Sonya Lewis, a weather service meteorologist. Erie had 4.3 inches of rain in October. In October 2022, 4.79 inches was recorded.
Steelhead need high-water events to migrate into the shallow and smal creeks to spawn in the fall and winter. “Early in the season we had a pile of fish come in, they were just in the lower sections. They were kind of stuck,” Feltenberger said about the mouths of the creeks.
“They couldn’t really move,” he said about fish being found in pockets and pools. And those large groups of fish attracted the attention of anglers.
“This was the busiest year I’ve ever seen with congestion of anglers because of the low water,” he said.
“There was a pile of fish, but there was a pile of people.”
“We still had a good run, it just put a lot of pressure on the low sections of the tributaries,” he said.
Anglers also fared well in the lake at the mouths of the creeks like Trout Run. “People were fishing the surf more than the tributaries,” Feltenberger said.
Marty Grzasko, 76, past president of the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association and a Fairview resident, agreed about the early low-water levels. “It’s been pretty much low water all fall, with certain times where you get a day or two of rain and it allows the fish to move. It’s been a problem.”
He’s been fishing for steelhead in Erie since 1970. “By and large the fishing has been good. There have been plenty of fish,” he said.
Some anglers have been catching pink salmon. Grzasko explained the salmon usually are in a three-year cycle of swimming out of the lake into the creeks. “We’ve also had more coho salmon than I’ve seen in 10 years. They tend to be pretty good-size fish; you’ll see them average about 8 pounds, and some are bigger.”
Grzasko said steelhead also are heavier. “I would say, in typical years, you’re probably looking at 5 or 6 pounds. This year, it’s probably 7 or 8,” he said.
“There have been a fairly large number of steelheads that were in the teens. I’m talking 17 pounds-plus,” he said.
Anglers are also catching brown trout. “The brown trout have been a big surprise this year, too. In my estimation, I’ve seen more brown trout this year than we’ve seen in a long time in all of the streams,” Grzasko said.
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Feltenberger said recent rain events have allowed the fish to reach more miles of streams to give winter anglers more places to find steelhead. Fish that would have dropped their eggs earlier in the fall are now just getting into the creeks. “I’m seeing fish that are still tight with eggs,” he said.
The steelhead are finding plenty of small fish in Lake Erie to eat, and they’re growing. “Our lake is fertile with bait,” Feltenberger said. “They are just eating and eating for two to three years before they come back in (the creeks.) I’ve seen more 12-plus-pound fish caught this year than I can ever remember. Plus, they caught one that almost tipped the scale at 18 pounds over in Ohio, so it’s just not us. Ohio is seeing big fish, too. Pennsylvania is seeing big fish. I’m seeing a big size class in New York, too.
“The lake is so loaded with bait, they are just eating and getting big out there,” he said.
New livestream at Walnut Creek Marina
Anglers who want to check on water conditions can view livestreams of Trout Run, Elk Creek and now Walnut Creek.
FishUSA, Save our Native Species of Lake Erie and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission have partnered on installing a streaming video camera at the Walnut Creek Marina. The camera went live online Monday and can be viewed at FishUSA.com.
FishUSA has been hosting a live video camera at Trout Run on Avonia Beach in a partnership with Fairview Township and the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association and S.O.N.S. Of Lake Erie for about three years. “We wanted a camera there (Walnut Creek), too, because of how helpful the camera is at Trout Run in seeing the lake conditions and angler pressure. Having a camera on Walnut Creek will allow guys to go online and look and see how much angling pressure is there and see during the winter months if stuff is iced up,” Feltenberger said.
It will help people know if they should plan a trip. “It will give them a chance to see Walnut Creek before they get there regarding angling pressure and the conditions the tributary,” he said.
Jerry Skrypzak, president of S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie, said they received an $11,000 grant from the Fish and Boat Commission’s Lake Erie Access Fund for the Walnut Creek project. “It will scan the launch ramp, the parking lot, the 'wall' and the lake,” he said. "Hopefully it will give people an idea of how busy it is and second of all how the lake conditions will look,” Skrypzak said.
Feltenberger said the cameras on Elk Creek provided by Uncle John’s Elk Creek Campground are another resource to help anglers. “I know I check them quite religiously before I go out and fish,” he said. “It gives me a live-time feed to let me know what kind of shape everything’s in,” he said. With the camera now available on Walnut Creek, he said anglers will have all the major bases covered for live cameras of the three fishing hot spots on the west side of Erie County.
Fishing advice for winter steelhead in Pa.
Feltenberger said anglers fishing with eggs, both single and sacks, and egg imitations like beads have been doing well this time of year. He said it’s an unusual year as by most Decembers the hens have dropped their eggs, moving him to start fishing with jigs. “This year there’s been an incredible bead bite,” he said about egg beads that are orange, pink or apricot colored.
“If we get a cold snap, the jig bite should turn on,” he said.
Grzasko recommends using jigs, minnows and minnow imitation lures. “The fishing can be really good,” he said.
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Feltenberger pointed out you don’t need to stay in a crowded area to find fish this winter.
“I’ve been noticing fish are hiding in nooks and crannies. If it’s a dark spot, throw into it, you might be surprised,” he said. He looks for dark spots in the water as he walks from hole to hole and has been catching fish that are moving through the creek. “Those fish blend into the slate better than you think,” he said.
With people pondering if they should be soon making a trip to Erie, including over the holidays, Feltenberger offers this advice:
“You’ll never know if you stay on the couch. This year you may have to do more walking than you’re used to,” but you’ll find fish. “No matter if your bobber goes down, if your inline spinner becomes tight as you’re throwing Rooster Tails, or if your fly indicator goes down, there’s nothing like it. The heart stops when the float drops."
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: What are Erie PA steelhead fishing conditions like for winter 2023-24?
