As thousands of anglers make plansto go steelhead fishing in the coming weeks, volunteer groups in Erie County have been busy making sure everyone has opportunities for catching trout.
Steelhead fishing swells in popularity every September and autumn as the fish swim out of Lake Erie and into Pennsylvania's tributaries. It’s common for people to catch steelhead measuring more than 25 inches.
Groups like the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association and S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie have been working for decades to improve angling opportunities along the lake and streams of the area.
This year, thanks to their efforts, as well as those of Fairview Township and tackle retailerFishUSA, there’s webcam in operation atfishusa.com/avonia-webcam carrying an image ofTrout Run where it flows into Lake Erie at Avonia Beach. You can see the shallow stream where the fish will soon school and see how many people are fishing at the mouth. It’s also a good place to view lake conditions.
Top fish:53-inch musky among the biggest fish caught in Pennsylvania
“Our main goal is angler access,” said Marty Grzasko, president of the steelhead association.
The group started 27 years ago and the members saw a need to work with private property owners to allow anglers to walk along the streams.
The Pennsylvania Fish Commission sells a Lake Erie permit for $9.97 or a combination Trout and Lake Erie permit for $15.97 that is added to general fishing licenses. The money from the Erie permits is used to enhancefishing opportunities in the area.
This year a fish cleaning station is being built at at the heavily-used Walnut Creek Access Area.
Money is also used for obtaining perpetual easem*nts along the streams on private property, primarily on Elk and Walnut creeks.
“The bottom line is we’ve been working hand in glove with the Fish and Boat Commission,”Grzasko said.
Trout Unlimited:Pa. Trout Unlimited volunteers improve, protect waterways
The volunteer groups combine their efforts and give fruit baskets as a thank-you each December to about 130 landowners who allowanglers to access streams on their properties. They also provide a phone number for a property owner to call if there’s a problem and they work to resolve the matter. Some problems have included crop damage by vehicles and littering. “We’re all about owner relations,” Grzaskosaid.
The groups also help 3C.U., the largest Fish and BoatCommissioncooperative nursery, raise steelhead to be stocked in streams each spring. The steelhead association donates money for fish feed and also volunteers labor to clean and repair the raceways.
Don Clayton volunteers to feed fish daily. “We have 30,000 we feed every day,” he said about the Mission Fish Raceway in Fairview Township. Grzasko said in all the 3C.U. co-op raises 100,000 to 150,000 trout across several properties to supplement what’s stocked by the state.
Some of the raceways have been built along springs in residential areas where the property owners have graciously allowedthe groups to use the cold water to raise trout for the public to enjoy.
S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie, which is an acronym for Save Our Native Species, also has been focused on angler access. Jerry Skrypzak, president, and Ed Kissel, vice president, are among the volunteers who have fought for decades for angling opportunities.
They pushed for the ordinance that requires a 12-foot public right-of-way access along lakeshore properties in Erie.
Dan Pastore, First District commissioner with the Fish and Boat Commission, and chairman and co-founder of FishUSA, said the groups have been instrumental in acquiring rights to access properties along the lake.
More:Online retailer FishUSA in Fairview Township celebrates its 20th anniversary
“It’s some of the best fishing, at least in the Great Lakes,” Pastore said about anglers' attraction to Erie County and its 15tributaries.Pennsylvania stocks more steelhead per mile than any other state along Lake Erie, he explained.
Fall 2020:Rains flood Erie tributaries with steelhead, anglers
The steelhead volunteers are now looking into pen rearing stations for the streams. Karl Weixlmann, vice president of the steelhead association, said there are fewer fish coming back out of the lake and the group feels the rearing pens would be a good approach to improvereturn rates. He’s been a fly fishing guide in the area for more than 20 years.
The fish would be placed in a holding pen to help imprint a home location. Right now, the fish are put in the streams and they swim out to Lake Erie. When it’s time to spawn in the fall they are not always finding their way back.
“Our runs have diminished,” Grzasko said. He believes the rearing pens will help the fish know where to return and reduce predation.
Another effort of the groupinvolves pending legislation with the Fish and Boat Commission to conserve the steelhead population. The agency will consider for final adoption in October a measure that would make the creel limit for steelhead in Lake Erie tributaries three a day throughout the year. Right now anglers can keep three trout in the fall season. When trout season opens in April, the limit is five.
More:Brown trout caught by Erie man now officially a state record
A third project involves a pushfor an electronic angler survey.Grzasko said thecumbersome paper version needs to be modernized. He said they would like to see a digital version that includes text alert reminders. With the voluntary surveysbeing connected to each person's license information, there could be a lot more information gleaned from fishermen including how often they are fishing and from how far away they are traveling.
He pointed out a large portion, 70%, of the steelhead’s membership is from the Greater Pittsburgh area, not Erie.
Stay safe:Snakes help control rodent populations — here's how to coexist with them
The volunteer members from the different groups also work to keep the public areas free from litter. They participate in Coastal Cleanups and have planned days where people pick up and document the amounts of litter they find.
Last fall in Erie County, 753 volunteers at 19 locations picked up 2,119 pounds of trash.
A project is planned the morning of Sept. 18 at the Walnut Creek Access Area. “It’s a good bonding day,” Grzasko said about the camaraderie of the group members.
New board member Ariadne Capotis said the cleanup projects are why she joined the steelhead association. But she’s also passionate about fishing, “It’s my go-to activity in the fall to spring when I’m not skiing.”She enjoys fishing as a way to enjoy wildlife noting that it’s common to see eagles, deer and turkey during her outings.
More:Learn more about black bears in PA
Pay attention to water temperature
When deciding when to go fishing, you should be watching the water temperatures. Weixlmann said that when the water temperature drops to the mid-60s, the steelhead start their migration out of the lakes. He said the smaller tributaries with cold water attract the fish earlier than larger streams. “Catching a fish on a flyrod is the most exciting when you catch one in the lake,” he said, explaining the steelhead have plenty of room to take line than when they are in some of the narrow streams. “They are not confined to a pool.”
Brian Whipkey is the outdoor columnist for USA Today Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weeklyOutdoors Newsletter emailon your website's homepage under your login name.
