Elk/Walnut Creeks, Erie County, 10/10/2008,10/11/2008

[salmonoid]

Fished Elk on Friday, 10/10 and Walnut on Saturday 10/11. TOUGH conditions; low, clear water, hundreds of fisherman, first cast of the day may catch a fish, but the next hundred spooked the heck out of them. Definitely need rain and a more sustained flow to have good fishing. Managed 5 hookups Friday; landed 3. Managed 3 hookups Saturday; landed 1, with two torn lines. Would have been disappointed if I was only in the area for fishing, but had job and family related items too, so the fishing was a bonus.

Wait for the rain before wasting the gas, or be prepared to walk, far, far away from the crowds.

 

[albatross]

I was up today to fish with my son. We fished Elk for about 3.5 hours and decided it wasn't going to happen there ( I had one hook-up that I lost quickly). We went over to the mouth of Trout Run for about 2 hours after Elk. Folks were hooking up when we arrived, but the action died down pretty quickly.

Conditions are tough. Wait for rain.

 

[JackM]

Fished with TomGamber Sunday and Monday and Greg and son joined us Monday. I smell like two day old skunk-- Tom got a few. I took some pics:


Somewhere between Routes 5 and 20 on Elk (I count about 40 trout in the picture and this was just the back quarter of a long deep section of creek filled with fish):

The October spectacle just up from the mouth on Trout Run:

Ending the day on fishing the lake near Trout Run:

 

[jayL]

Come on Jack! Stow the ethics and line a few of em! 😛

 

[Fishidiot]

Wow - awesome photos.

 

[tomgamber]

This is what it looked like on the other side of the wall at Trout Run...this was monday...the slow day.

The second is one of the fish I managed to land before two eager young lads came over to fish the hole...

 

[JackM]

Jay, I did have one hooked in the back for about 10 seconds, try to wrestle it quickly onto shore to save my fly and save the trout from a fashionable peircing, but he wanted to fight too hard and I broke him off.

By the way, Erie is always a learning experience and what I learned this time is that low and clear conditions are as difficult to catch fish under as you have heard many people say. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I have had at Erie and I've been skunked more times than not.

Also, sorry for highjacking the thread, but I thought it made sense to keep both Erie reports together.

 

[wgmiller]

Is fishing elbow-to-elbow like that even fun? How do you keep from tangling lines and making a complete mess of things? I'm sure that fishing for steelies is an incredible experience, but to me part of the allure of fishing is being to get away from it all (people and civilization in general).

It appears the PFBC is marketing the steelie run pretty heavily, so it's no wonder the masses show up.

 

[tomgamber]

wgmiller wrote:
Is fishing elbow-to-elbow like that even fun? How do you keep from tangling lines and making a complete mess of things? I'm sure that fishing for steelies is an incredible experience, but to me part of the allure of fishing is being to get away from it all (people and civilization in general).

It appears the PFBC is marketing the steelie run pretty heavily, so it's no wonder the masses show up.

It wasn't that bad...we spent the better part of two afternoons fishing that way...most of the first was spent on the side Jack took the sunset from which we had all to ourselves. It beat the heck out of starting at 500 fish with lockjaw in a pool. The other fishermen are pretty cooperative when someone hooks up they show surprising consideration. I wouldn't go all the way up there just fish that way but the creeks were futile so what the heck. There were people there from as far a Tennessee just to do this.

 

[Acristickid]

The lake seems calm as ever. Nice sunset.

 

[AmishOutlaw]

We are headed up Wed. night to fish untill Tues. Saw that there may be some rain in the forcast. Perhaps a rain dance would help! Anyways can't wait. Fun will be had by all no matter what the conditions. It has been low and clear other years but still productive. The annual Texas Hold em tournament with a 30 fly buy in is always a highlight! As far as the crowds, if you are willing to walk you will find fish with less people

 

[JackM]

Both Sunday and Monday, the lake was almost completely calm, just as the pictures show.

Before I fished Erie Creeks and before I ever fished the mouth, I also thought that it couldn't be "that fun." Now, however, I realize it is. Later in the year, you can get more room on the creeks easily and as Tom noted, we walked down the beach a bit from the mouth proper and had plenty of room. The reason people crowd like that at the mouth is that, generally, that is where the fish are. It really isn't as bad as it looks.

It is all a matter of context. Erie Steelhead fishing is not usually or predominately about wilderness, peace and quiet, but rather about powerful fish that somehow get a hold of you and keep you coming back. Despite my two day skunking, I would not be surprised to see myself up there again next weekend, pending rain and a traveling companion or two.

 

[Squaretail]

Well then, heres my version from my friends site. I wonder if I did see you men there as I was at the hole with the trout in. It sure looked like the one below the one train bridge anyway.

http://wolftracksproductions.yuku.com/topic/2755

 

[tomgamber]

Looks like your buddy had fun. Some of those pics look like where we were the first day but none look like the big trestle bridge we were at until about noon on mon.

If you were there when we were there you got skunked too because only the guy next to me right before I left caught anything besides me.

There was no shortage of fish...hundreds seen, maybe thousands over two days. But still only caught 2 and that was pretty early in the morning.

 

[Squaretail]

Yeah, it was the same spot, just different days. Its amazing how a little footpower took away a big chunk of the crowds, but only a little chunk of the fish.
But then again, compared to Salmon river, Eries crowds are downright hospitable!

 

[jayL]

I've never had bad crowding problems at the Salmon.

It's well worth the $30 to fish the DSR, for sure.

 

[albatross]

Squaretail,

I think I recognize the pool in your first two pics and the muskrat hole in your second two. My son and I made it up that far and a little beyond maybe another 6-800 yards upstream of the high trestle. There were a lot of fish up there, but they were spooky. I spoke to one kind gentleman who had just caught and released one fish and was inviting my son and I to fish with him. He was using a light line (maybe a 5-weight), a dry fly as a stike indicator, and a small nymph or egg as the point fly. My son is not yet ready for subtle presentations, so we thanked him and went on our way (off to Trout Run).

So I think fish could be had if you found them where others were not harassing them and you were extremely careful in your presentation (long leaders, lighter tippets, small flies, and no big ugly indicator). Even so, your cast to hook-up ratio would not be very exciting.

 

[Acristickid]

Nothing a big rain storm or two can't take care of up there.

It will rain again someday, right?

 

[salmonoid]

So I think fish could be had if you found them where others were not harassing them and you were extremely careful in your presentation (long leaders, lighter tippets, small flies, and no big ugly indicator). Even so, your cast to hook-up ratio would not be very exciting.

Agreed on a number of accounts. Just after daybreak, my brother caught a fish on his first cast. Everyone had walked by the rapids where the fish was.

On Saturday, I walked upstream on Walnut. Had one the huge railroad hole to myself, with about 3 dozen fish, except for the father and son in blaze orange who were scampering all around pointing at the fish. The fish wouldn't hit on anything. However, on the other side of the tubes, there were at least half a dozen fish laying in the current or under the submerged boulders. I spotted one at the head of the pool and cast to it. I didn't see the other one laying right beside him, and he absolutely crushed my cast and tore me off. I had to turn around there, but I think I would have continued to get into unmolested fish had I time to continue walking upstream.

And some of it is just persistence. On Friday, around high noon, in broad daylight, in about a foot of water, I was casting over a dozen or so fish in a pod, for at least an hour. Some would move directly out of the path of the presentation, but I had two chase the cast down, and several suck in and spit out. And I wasn't standing more then ten feet away. Landed one and lost one out of that pod.

That being said, I'll take murky green and another foot or two of depth anyday 🙂

 

[Acristickid]

Erie looking good this weekend. Was there Thursday and Friday.

Good luck all.