I’ve been trapped in the law library and only manage to fish once or twice a weekend, if I’m lucky. Since my time to fish is so limited, I have to stay close to home. Steelhead have started coming in East of here, but not in numbers yet. I have fished for steelhead a couple of time this year and have not had any luck, nor have I seen any other angler hook up either. It was just too early. So while waiting for the rain and cooler temps I went bass fishing in my usual summer haunts. I caught some smallies, rock bass, a large slab crappie and then there was the surprise catch, I caught a long slender fish with teeth that looked to be a small northern pike. I was shocked and thrilled to catch a pike in these waters (never heard of them being here). I know they naturally occur in other area streams, so it seemed possible. I told the guys at the fly shop about my catch and they suggested it might be a chain pickerel. I was not happy to think my pike was not a pike. I looked it up and sure enough, they were right it was a chin pickerel. They are a member of the pike family and have all the same characteristics, but they have a tear drop marking at the eye and do not have spots on their fins where pike do. So what it’s a chain pickerel, it’s still a cool catch.
First fall steelhead
I went out in search of fresh steel after the latest bout of cool temps and 3-4 days of constant rain. Fish are being caught, I went to one of the Eastern rivers where there are greater numbers of fish and gave it hell. I had two hook ups in about a two hours time and I fished hard, kept moving and worked each run methodically. The first hook up was a solid take and the fish took off downstream making my drag sing. I landed this fish for the first steel of the year! That was a happy moment… The next hook up was just below a drop off, it too was a solid take, I set the hook and the fish shot across current for a nearby bolder, I worked it away from the rock when all of the sudden the line shot back at me and the fish was gone. I got a nice taste of chrome, now I’m chomping at the bit for more. Steelhead season has begun. It’s on like Donky Kong and I’m ready to fish as much as my schedule will permit. Here fishy, fishy…
First Steelhead Fall 2010
Elk Creek
I went to Erie PA and fished Elk Creek for an afternoon. This was my first time to the Elk, I went because I had heard that it was loaded with fish, and it was. The water was low, gin clear and the bottom is all shale bedrock. Fish were congregated in deeper pools and were getting pounded on by hillbillies. These guys stood in same place all day, standing shoulder to shoulder, and beat on these poor fish. Every now and then a fish would be caught, but for the most part the fish would scatter as soon as a line hit the water. These fish were weary; they would part like the red sea when a bait or fly drifted through the pool. I had heard stories of “combat fishing” from friends who fish PA often. I thought they were exaggerating, but I guess not. I kept on the move and fished the fast water where I found some fresh aggressive chrome. I caught six fish that day. All were dime bright and super charged! When hooked, these fish exploded from the water like a ballistic missile shot from a nuclear sub and ran me up and down stream. One fish ran up through a heavy riffle into the pool above where it made a U turn and shot back down river, as it went back through the riffle it snagged the point fly on a branch and broke off. These fish were really aggressive. I had to kick the indicator and fish small flies (size 14). Most fish were caught on an orange nuke egg or roe bead. One fish hammered a white whooly bugger. The fish that hit the bugger was extremely aggressive, after crushing the fly it exploded jumping several times through the run. I tried drifting through a couple more times, but the last fish completely trashed the run. The remaining fish shut down. I moved on downstream and caught a skipper hanging out below a drop off. That rounded out my trip to the Elk. It was a good day on the water, but I can’t wait for the Ohio streams to start fishing better because I don’t like combat fishing or gin clear water.
Fall Colors
It rained hard most of this week and the rivers were blown on Friday. I went out Friday afternoon since i had the chance and don't get to get out often anymore. I did manage to catch a sucker fish, but no steelhead. I went out again this morning for an hour, I went to an area on the upper river, but it was too early in the season to find fish up that far. I did get some excellent picture of fall foilliage on the river. I have also included a shot from the dudes at Dudwater.
Courtesy of the dudes at Dudwater
