Jack and I had a nice outing on Elk yesterday. Water was cloudy in the AM, but clear and dropping by evening. The fish we caught took egg patterns. All the fish were fresh and hot. I had one fish absolutely explode when I set the hook. It quickly threw the hook, but ended up jumping on shore before flopping back into the water.

My new Allen Alpha reel worked very well.

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It was a pleasure. The fish seem to be pretty well upstream, but in smaller numbers than we would have liked. I think it is still a bit early in the season and think that maybe the runs that have come in have spread well upstream, but there are more fish that have yet to come in to the streams. I think it is safe to admit we were on Elk as it flows under Rte 20 and spent most of our time a good distance downstream from there.

The water was not high, but it was moving pretty well, allowing good drifts. As Alby mentioned, the murk dissipated as the day wore on.

I have video too, but I need to get it up on youtube to share it. Will post when I get that together.

Here's a pic Jack snapped of me...

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Thanks for the update on Elk! Tomorrow, my friend and I are heading up to Erie for our first steelhead trip. Hopefully our luck is as good as yours! Did you guys happen to see the condition of any of the other streams, or just Elk?

Just saw Elk, but I would bet that all others (except possibly Conneat and 20 mile) had less flow just knowing the watersheds as little as I do. If no rain fell Sunday or prior to your trip, the water is likely to be back to low and clear so fish the faster water and concentrate in the early or late periods of daylight.

By the way, check this out:

http://forums.fishusa.com/New_Perspec ... Sign_Hole/m_349110/tm.htm

Nice job Jack! There you go again Ably, with a great looking fish in your pic...you are the man!

PaulG

Jack, that is ridiculous! I couldn't see how that would be any fun being should-to-shoulder like that. Hopefully, we'll have a quiet day tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!

Awesome report guys! I hope to make it back to Erie this weekend, Oct 22-24, or maybe even the Salmon. I can't decide. I guess if the water levels are good I my hit Erie, if not I'll probably just stay here in Central PA.

I was hoping you guys might share what color egg patterns you were using? Last weekend, Oct 8-10, they seemed to like Peach, Light Pink, and Light Yellow, mostly all muted colors. I had a few on a Blue Egg, right before dark. We also did very well on lighter colored nymphs: Hare's Ear, a Gray Stonefly imitation, and a Light Yellow Bodied Prince nymph. It's great that you guys did so well.

I tried every color I had, but the only thing that got me a fish was a white crystal flash style egg. I typically use tandem eggs just a foot or less apart and will vary the colors until something works. Those lighter colors such as white, peach, pale yellow and even blue seemed to get more attention than red, purple, orange and chartreuse, but tomorrow it could be totally different. Good luck.

Nice job & report guys...Alby gives away his fly of choice if you enlarge the last picture!

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Well, I'll be darned!

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No wonder Alby catches so many fish...he's using live bait!!!

I had takes on baby blue egg, white crystal meth, white blood dot egg, white egg. Don't know that I sorted the pattern out while I was fishing, but it does seem they were all pale egg patterns. I imagine a light pink, peach or yellow might have worked as well.

We were fortunate to find a cluster of fish that others had overlooked. I think between Jack and I we hooked 5 fish from my "secret hole". This was over half our hook-ups for the day.

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Just out of curiosity, why is that? Don't people want to walk for fish or are there just so few open access areas that conditions look like this? I hope it's the former because by the grace of god, both my legs still work fine!

Nice job yinz guys.
Although you seem to take it on the chin during the hatches, when steelies start up your area of the state is prime real estate.
Gonna have to get them movies goin' sooner or later. Neat footage.