Western Bradford and Sullivan County
Water conditions continue to be very low on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Anglers are having great success targeting bass with dark and green colored tube jigs. Make sure to target deeper holes and sections of the river, as it seems the deeper waters are producing the nicest bass.
Lackawanna County
The Roaring Brook in Scranton and Dunmore was stocked with some nice trout this past week. Merli Sarnowski Lake and Lackawanna Lake also received a trout stocking as well. Anglers using flies did very well, having little trouble catching their limits of fish.
It was an incredible week of fishing at Elmhurst & Curtis Reservoirs this past week. Anglers caught some large pickerel (several in the 26-28” range), some beautiful large yellow perch (13” range) and some nice bass. Live minnows and rubber worms seemed to do the trick. If you put away your fishing gear, you made a huge mistake!
Fall Stockings for North Central PA
Anglers, check out our Fall stocking sites and dates! Many of the Northcentral Region lakes and streams will be receiving a Fall stocking of trout either this week or within the next few weeks.
Fall Stocking link: (Click on FALL STOCKINGS STATEWIDE)
http://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/TroutStockingDetails_GIS.aspx
Lake Habitat Maps: http://fishandboat.com/lakeplans.htm
Looking for ways to target fish in PA lakes any time of year? Check out our Lake Habitat Maps! All of our habitat improvement structures have GPS coordinates, making it easy to know where to fish!
Potter County
Streams are low and clear, but fishing is still good across the County!
Kettle Creek – Trout are feeding and anglers are catching them on the streams! Be sure to sneak up on the areas you want to fish because the trout are easily spooked with the low water flows.
Bead head pheasant tails, bead head Prince Nymphs are working well. On the surface, small caddis and ant patterns are still working.
The Special Regulations Catch and Release section will be stocked this week with trout.
USGS water levels on Kettle Creek at Westport: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv?site_no=01545000.
First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek (between Costello and Prouty) – Blue Wing Olives (BWOs); caddis, slate drakes and stoneflies are still coming off. Long casts and long leaders and size 16 beadhead pheasant tail nymphs set 18” under a royal wulff dry fly size 10 is catching lots of trout! Several wild Brown Trout ranging from 16” – 18” in length are being caught using the above recipe of flies!
Lyman Run Lake – PA Fish and Boat Commission will be stocking the lake this week!! Come on out and catch a few, there will be plenty of trout for everyone.
Tioga County
Cowanesque Lake – Anglers are catching Largemouth Bass using live and artificial bait. A few anglers caught 14 bass, Yellow Perch and Bluegill on upper Cowanesque Lake recently!!
Cameron County
George B. Stevenson Dam – Trout will be stocked on October 8, 2014. Come out and catch a few!
Lycoming County
Little Pine Lake – Anglers are catching Chain Pickerel using rapalas. Lots of trout were just recently stocked and there are plenty left to catch!
Lycoming Creek – The Delayed Harvest Section was stocked on October 3, 2014. Come out and catch a few!!
Pine Creek – Anglers are catching Brown Trout on upper Pine Creek. Flies producing the most success are size 14 Beadhead pheasant tails; size 18 blue wing olive nymphs;size 18 golden stone fly nymphs; blue wing olive dry flies; slate drakes and tan caddis are also working.
Best times to fish are early morning and late evening.
Rose Valley Lake – Anglers are catching Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel and lots of pan fish using live minnows, night crawlers and butterworms.
West Branch Susquehanna River – Anglers are catching Smallmouth Bass on a variety of baits.
Jefferson County
Northfork Redbank Creek (Catch and Release Section) – Lots of trout!! PA Fish and Boat Commission recently stocked trout. So come on out and catch a few!
Anglers are catching trout on streamers. Olive or white Woolybuggers are working best when stripped in fast causing aggressive takes!
Redbank Creek – Water levels are at “seasonable” low levels. The cold nights are keeping the water cool and keeping fish active. Anglers are catching trout by covering lots of water and targeting deep, fast runs. The trout seem to be holding in the deep, fast runs and under cover (e.g. logs, rocks and undercut banks).
Flies that are working are bead head Pheasant Tails and Hares Ear patterns. Be sure to sneak up on your target waters. If you don’t spook the trout first, you have a good chance at catching them.
Sandy Lick Creek – Anglers are approaching target fishing waters with lots of stealth and are catching trout using bead head Pheasant Tails. Carefully approaching the target waters is more important than the fly pattern at times.
Some size 18 Blue Wing Olives, Light Cahills and midges were seen coming off sporadically. Griffiths Gnat is always a great choice if you prefer to dry fly fish.
Elk County
East Branch Dam – As of October 5, 2014, the main boat launch at the dam was closed for the year. See you next Spring!
Clearfield County
Curwensville Dam – Anglers are catching bass using a variety of baits and lures. Best time for fishing is early morning and late evening.
Waters are low, so boaters need to be aware of possible snags in the mud flats upriver of the viaduct and outside the channel.
Janesville Dam – Come out and catch some trout!! There will be plenty for everyone! PFBC will be stocking trout October 8, 2014 at 10:15a.m.
Parker Dam – PFBC will be stocking more trout in December due to the planned draw down that the lake will be undergoing for repairs to the causeway. Keep checking PA Fish and Boat Commission’s website for updates on fall stocking of trout: http://fbweb.pa.gov/stocking/TroutStockingDetails_GIS.aspx .
Clinton County
Fishing Creek – Water levels are low and clear. Anglers who are catching trout are catching them in the early morning and late evening hours. Live minnows, streamers and nymphs are working well. Target the deeper runs and be sure whatever you are fishing with is close to or on the bottom. In the late early morning hours, especially after rain, target the banks. You just might get an aggressive take!!
Centre County
Spring Creek – Anglers are catching trout using small, olive Woolybuggers in the early morning hours. Cast to the bank and swing, you’ll love the take!!
Size 14 Bead head Pheasant Tails, Walts Worms, Prince Nymphs are working best in the late afternoon hours. Late evening, streamers are working well if fished just off of the banks.
Spinners, live minnows and streamers are still working well on lower Spring Creek.
The will be some good fishing just before, during and just after the rain storms on the way!
Keep an eye on the USGS water flows for Spring Creek:
Upper Spring Creek at Houserville, PA:
Lower Spring Creek near Milesburg, PA:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01547100&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010.
Mercer County
Shenango Reservoir – On Sept 25, 2014 Area One biologists electrofished the lake for Young-Of-Year (YOY) Walleye. In two hours of effort, 60 YOY were collected for a catch rate of 0.5 YOY Walleye per minute; just under the long range average. Also noted were a few adult Walleye, some pike, bass and many small White Bass.
Boating traffic has been down. Fall is a beautiful time to go boating on the reservoir. The lake levels are still up but slowly receding. Use caution when boating around the sandbars and shoals that are just under the water’s surface. Crappie are starting to pick up around the reservoir. Anglers report that they are thickening up for the winter. A large number of fillet sized bluegills are being caught as well. Catfish and Largemouth Bass fishing is also progressing very well.
Shenango River – Water levels on the river are up and down. Boaters using the Shenango River Water Trail can still enjoy the trail with the changing foliage. Make use of the new boat launch in the Village of Hamburg. The Shenango River Watchers have done an outstanding job providing access to the river at this location. The river will be stocked with trout below the Shenango Reservoir outflow. This area is designated as a year round trout fishery, so a current trout/salmon stamp is required to fish the area from the outflow to the Walnut Street Bridge regardless of species of fish that you are targeting or harvesting. The fall creel limit is 3 fish.
Enjoy the last days of nice weather, and as always, make sure your safety equipment is serviceable to prevent a relaxing day on the water from turning into a disaster.
Butler County
Lake Arthur – The lake was sampled for Young-Of-Year (YOY) Walleye the night of September 24, 2014. Six electrofishing runs yielded a total of 58 YOY Walleye for a catch rate of 0.48 fish per minute; double last year’s catch. These fish should reach legal size in 3 years.
Venango County
Allegheny River – The USGS depth gage in Franklin reflects a current water level of +/- 3’-08”. Through August 2014 we have received in excess of 8.9” above normal precipitation. Currently the Allegheny River is just over 0’-06”above normal pool. The water temperature is hovering between 62-64° Fahrenheit. Smallmouth Bass hookups continue, primarily in the Oil City pool. The majority of catches reported were caught using artificial lures and plastics. Walleye harvests continue in the Reno Rapids. Minnow-type stick baits have had the highest catch rates. Catfish are being reported in both the Oil City and Rockmere pools.
French Creek – The USGS depth gage in Utica reflects a current water level of 2’-01”, down about 1‘-0” since last report. Recreational boating traffic (canoes/kayaks) will experience difficulty at this level. Bass and Walleye are the species of choice.
Oil Creek – The USGS depth gage in Rouseville reflects a current water level of +/- 2’-01”, which is down 0’-08” since last report.
Smallmouth Bass continue to be targeted around Rouseville. Walleye are being targeted near Oil City below the White Bridge (Upper Seneca Street). Trout fishing remains viable, due to the summer’s high precipitation and cool temperatures.
Oil Creek State Park is a popular local destination for many trout fishing enthusiasts, and the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Section was stocked with adult trout on October 1, 2014.
Twomile Run Reservoir (Justus Lake) – Crappie were reported as having been caught during both August and September 2014.
Additionally, remember, Twomile Run Reservoir/Justus Lake is governed under Big Bass regulations.
Erie County (central and west)
Lake Erie & Presque Isle Bay – When wave conditions have allowed, boat anglers have had success in deep waters in the lake off Gull Point. Try fishing off of Walnut & Elk Creeks for Walleye as well as Yellow Perch. Bucket anglers have reported success fishing for Steelhead in the Erie Channel in the early morning hours.
Western Erie Tributaries – Shore anglers are having some success catching Steelhead in the lower stretches of Elk & Walnut Creeks. Low water conditions are keeping most of the Steelhead north of State Route 5 on all the western tributaries. Enforcement details have already resulted in numerous snagging, over limits, and litter violations.
Eastern Erie County
Anglers are reporting that pan fish action has picked up at Eaton Reservoir, and trout fishing has picked up at Lake Pleasant. The bait of choice is still grubs and minnows. There are even reports of hold-over trout being taken in the South Branch of French Creek.
Angles are reporting pan fish, perch and bass off of the North & South Piers, Port Authority dock and the Public Dock using minnows and wax worms. The heavy rains and temperatures in the mid 50’s have brought a run of Steelhead into the Mile streams. Plan your trip around the weather. If there is rain in the forecast, that equals steelhead in the streams.
If you’re coming to Erie to fish for Steelhead make sure you have the required permits. A Trout/Salmon stamp & Lake Erie permit are required to catch and keep Steelhead Trout.
The stream temperature is 62°. Edinboro Lake temperature is 62°. Lake Erie Temperature is 63°. Call ahead for current Lake Erie conditions. Call the North East Marina at 814-725-8244.
[Caption for attached Walleye picture:]
Timothy Sabella caught this Walleye September 28, 2014 on the Allegheny River north of Tidioute, PA using a crank bait. The fish was 31″ long and weighed 12.5 pounds.
