2007 Spring Steelhead Report

 

Nice spring Little Manistte Strain steelhead about to be released on an Ohio tributary stream. The hen steelie took a a black-n-blue stonefly nymph (John Nagy Photo).

     After a brutal late January and February, March has come in like a lamb indeed with mild/spring like weather which has begun the thaw of the Lake Erie tributaries and Lake Shore. As of March 18 the Lake Erie surface water temperature off the City of Erie was 33 degrees. Good numbers of wintered over steelhead exist in all the tribs particularly the upper portions. These fish have a dark coloration (especially the males) and have battle scars from shale, ice flows and angling pressure. They are a mixture of pre-spawn and post-spawn fish with fresh steelies about to join the group. 

     As of April 13 the Lake Erie surface water temperature off the City of Erie was 42 degrees. A surprisingly cold, snowy and wet early April has kept the big tributaries like the Grand River in OH and Cattaraugus Creek in NY high and stained. More than likely they will continue that way for most of April with potentially good steelhead fishing (as well as smallmouth fishing) existing in May once they drop to fishable levels. Steelheaders should be aware that there are good numbers of smolts in the tribs right now (particularly in PA) and should take the necessary precautions when releasing them. Some steelheaders avoid these areas entirely on the tributaries and find smolt-free areas.

     Several factors help to initiate the spring movement of steelhead from Lake Erie including melting of ice near the tributary mouths and lake shore (which results in rising lake shore temperatures) and also warm spring rains which melt snow, increase run-off and increase tributary temperatures. Pennsylvania gets a smaller number of fresh spring run fish versus Ohio (since most PA strain steelhead run in the fall and winter). Ohio's Little Manistee strain steelhead don't really start running in great numbers until mid to late march with the peak in April and early May.

News

     The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association is now offering maps to steelhead fisherman showing public fishing easements that had been obtained through the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission's Lake Erie Access Improvement Program.

     The Lake Erie Access Improvement Program (which is funded by the Lake Erie Permit Fishing Program begun in 2005) acquires streamside properties as well as public fishing easements in exchange for monetary compensation. The easements will allow landowners to maintain title to their properties while providing permanent public fishing corridors for anglers. Other incentives to the landowners include state liability protection for allowing anglers to fish their land (Pennsylvania Landowner Liability Act), help with stream bank and in-stream improvements and "prioritized" law enforcement (24/7) from the state's waterways conservation officers.

     The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is considering a similar land acquisition/easement program based on funds obtained from a future fishing permit sales program. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has had a program in place since 1935 called Public Fishing Rights (PFR). PFR lands are permanent public easements purchased by the NYSDEC from landowners giving anglers the right to fish a stream and walk along the bank (usually a 33 foot strip on one or both banks of the stream). This right is for the purpose of fishing only and may require adjacent landowner permission to access these lands. The NYSDEC website http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/pfr/  has more information on PFR lands and specific PFR lands on some of NY's Lake Erie tributaries.