Steelhead 2016

E

edhank

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Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
108
Been thinking a lot about steelhead lately. Anyone else?
 
I'm getting my fix here in 3 days when I leave for Alaska.

I was just thinking of great lakes steel yesterday. I have a bad feeling we are going to have a rough fall in terms of water levels. Not that it's usually very good, but I think it might be particularly bad this year. I hope I'm wrong.
 
Farmers almanac says higher than average temps and precipitation.

I have 11/9 - 11/11 planned for the DSR & Pulaski.

This is my first trip up there after cancelling 2 years due to family illness.
 
Im starting to get trib fishing on the brain. Only a month and a half away from my annual pilgrimage to NY to chase trout and salmon. Hoping things start to cool down and the rain gods are with us here in September
 
Ive never steelhead fished before, but I think this is gonna be year I finally make the trip to Erie.
 
I've been thinking about it a lot lately as well. That, and archery hunting for deer. I'm ready for fall.
 
Once the triaxle load of logs is cut, split, and stacked, it is time to get ready for the fall fishing.
 
Steelhead Jam is posted in Events
 
I get excited about steelhead until I go once or twice and there's no water, or chocolate milk, and there's 6000 guys shoulder to shoulder, etc. After that my enthusiasm is pretty tempered. I enjoy it more after the new year starts and the crowds thin out.

I've always want to hit up a steelhead jam though. Somehow I'm always working.
 
turkey wrote:
I get excited about steelhead until I go once or twice and there's no water, or chocolate milk, and there's 6000 guys shoulder to shoulder, etc. After that my enthusiasm is pretty tempered.
Click to expand...

Pretty much why I lost my enthusiasm long ago. haven't been to Erie in probably five years. Couple of 8 weights, boxes of glo bugs, sucker spawn and other flies and assorted cold weather gear just gathering dust.
 
I've had a similar mentality. I get all pumped for the season and head out right when the run starts. It's warm outside, hunting season hasn't come in yet and the fish aren't that far into the tribs and the water level is low. There's more people than fish, and no one catches much. I do it all the time and just hate it. Then the weather cools down, I sometimes squeeze in a weekday trip when the weather sucks and all the glory of Erie steelhead returns.
 
Yeah, don't even bother till the fish are pretty far upstream. Then chase them upstream.

Still very crowded by any other standard. Get there early and stake out a pool away from an access point, be the first guy on them. After a while the initial flurry is over and there's now a guy or three in each pool. But the pools are separated by a hundred yards or more with no one in between, so you start walking and search the riffs hard for those fish that everyone else missed. Which do exist. And are catchable.

Still sort of combat fishing, but not that shoulder to shoulder deal over a single pod of fish like the early season nearer the mouths.
 
pro4mance wrote:
Moon "No" ?
Click to expand...

I like that answer.

I assumed he was answering the question in the OP. In other words, he hasn't been thinking about it ... at least until he decided to open this thread. ;-)

I'll be honest, I don't think about it very often. Not one of my favorite forms of fishing. But I have been thinking about it. Great getting out there with guys like you and that old guy from Florida and a few others.

Been through Erie several times over the past few weeks and can't help looking when crossing one of the streams. Even stopped at a few just to get out and stretch my legs.

Besides the low water, also been hotter than ...

I have caught steelhead up there as early as late august, but it aint gonna happen this year.

We've been getting some rain recently though. Much of it moved through Erie County too. But need a lot more, and colder. Not complaining though.

My sweet corn is 8 feet high, and heavy duty mater cages are collapsing under the weight of maters.

Likely won't "bee" heading to Erie this weekend because too much work around the farm. But if the weather kind of sucks, I might.
 
I'm waiting for Pcrays Long Range forecast for precipitation in October/november. GG
 
Ok, now I'm thinking about it a little. Even though I won't be fishing the salmon river this year I'm going to go on a limb and predict a strong salmon and steelhead run there (and most ontario tribs). Maybe not like 2012, but much better than the past three years. This is based on how I've heard lake ontario has fished this year.

I don't know anyone who targets steelhead from lake Erie so not sure there. Good luck to everyone targeting salmon and steelhead (except centerpinners lol).
 
Since the returns aren't what they were in the early 2000's and the water chute above the Manchester hole prevents more fish moving up into upper Walnut, I haven't been that jazzed for steelhead. I used to wade through shoals full of redds and spawning fish, looking for active specimens. I guess I'm spoiled now.

Syl
 
Yea, they aren't getting up Elk Creek anymore either. Everyone should stick to fishing North of Rt 5. ;-)
 
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