Emsworth Back Channel Dam

Emsworth Back Channel Dam

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Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/22/2008 12:49:48 PM

Fisherman31

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Any info on the walleye action at the BC Dam? Looking to head down there Saturday evening.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/22/2008 4:08:22 PM

WartHog

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Sorry, no info. I haven't fished the BC for several years.

Can you still access the south shore of the BC dam along the railroad tracks? Or does the RR run you off?

(in reply to Fisherman31)

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/22/2008 4:45:00 PM

Hammerdown

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We have been catching good size cats but that is what we were fishing for as for the shore I see people walking down the tracks and fishing.

(in reply to WartHog)

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/25/2008 2:13:24 PM

Porktown

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This place is worthless! I have my boat stored out there. Just about every time that I make it out, the conditions are horrible. The times that they are good, I still don't do all that well. It seems like the flood about 5+ years ago changed my results in that area. Maybe, I was just spoiled with multiple wipers, walleyes, as many white bass and sauger that you could shake a stick at evenings (in 2-3 hours) when the poopy pipe was there. Ever since then, there have been ocassional schools of white bass and strays of other fish for me. I have heard of some nice fish being caught by some of the other regulars at the marina, but not for me. Not sure about the shore crowd, as I haven't fished the shore in the past year there. It seems from reports on this site for the past year or so, I'm not the only one that has had a decline in production. Hopefully the onset of Autumn will change things.

(in reply to Fisherman31)

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 1:39:15 PM

fisherofmen376

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I don't own a boat so I fish from shore, but I have not had nearly the success there that I did in the late 90s and early 2000s. Before 9/11, you could shore fish the neville island side of the bc dam, oh those were the days....

I never caught so many fish, and so many diff variety as I did back then...

_____________________________

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 2:28:27 PM

joebaker79

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Fisher you are not kidding. I fished the Island side from 2001-2003 and I never caught so many fish and so many trophies in one spot ever. 100 fish days of white bass and sauger. 10 lb eyes and hybrids, 30+ lb flatheads that would hit cranks, some even lying on the concrete in high water, and a few 4 lb smallies to make it interesting once in a while. I would use a Rapala Taildancer in black and green and a few other cranks and jerkbaits. One lure would catch them all. Remember the schools of drums that would be all 5-10 lbs? 29" was my biggest, about 12 lbs. Never knew what you would catch. The higher water the better. Those were the days.

I used to climb the fence and hop over the barbed wire that's how good it was. Until security took my info and told me they would prosecute me the next time I came back. I look at as it was great while it lasted and gave me many memories, but it was too good to last forever.

So many citation fish were there in that eddy. 20" sauger and an 18" white bass (not a hybrid) mean just as much as the trophy eyes I caught. Proud to say my 31" 10 lb walleye from 2003 was from there and not from Erie.

Those who fished it like me know that the other side is just not even worth it. Pales in comparison and it is painful to look across at that spot and know you cant go near it.

Even with a boat unless you go past the bouys close enough to cast into the wash its still not as good.

(in reply to fisherofmen376)

Post #: 6

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 2:52:45 PM

D-nymph

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quote:

ORIGINAL: joebaker79

Those who fished it like me know that the other side is just not even worth it. Pales in comparison and it is painful to look across at that spot and know you cant go near it.

yep.

(in reply to joebaker79)

Post #: 7

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 3:00:14 PM

SmallieKiller

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Yeah, once Ivan ran through here, the back channel has never been the same. The discharge would school baitfish and draw in everything else. I have never seen so many trophy fish in one area has I have down there. Now it's almost a distant memory. It's just not the same anymore. I've had decent luck at the dam, but nothing more than I would be able to get at any other dam in the area.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 4:21:51 PM

penn_artist

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Seems Ivan mucked up a lot of places. !0th Dam between New Brighton was unreal years ago. It was nothing to catch 150-200 Smallmouth down there. I went there the other day and caught 12 and all were little (maybe 10").

The fishing sure has changed around here from when I last fished a lot. They're still here just have to look in different spots. So far since I have gotten into fishing heavy again I have caught 4 citation and never left an area without some decent action. Just have to put in the work all over again I suppose.

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Post #: 9

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/27/2008 4:36:25 PM

D-nymph

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I caught my first respectable Flathead on the Island side of the dam around 1997.

sniff.

(in reply to penn_artist)

Post #: 10

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 11:24:40 AM

Iron City

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I fished here again on Monday night. Did terrible as usual. This is the 5th time out to the Back Channel this year and none of them have been worth even speaking of. As posted above this place was DYNOMITE back in the late 90's early 00's. It was nothing to go down there and hammer out 20 or 30 fish in a couple hours. It seems now that the ACE keeps the gate closest to the fishing area open alot more than the other gates. It just sucks down there now, sad i tell you f***ing sad.

(in reply to D-nymph)

Post #: 11

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 12:38:47 PM

joebaker79

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I dont think Ivan messed it up, I think its a fact that the other side is just better. Deeper holes and the stretch in front of the sloping concrete is probably the best eddy in the world to fish. Cant do it now. That's why you dont hear about as many trophy fish being pulled out.

(in reply to Iron City)

Post #: 12

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 1:51:46 PM

Porktown

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Ivan messed up the mouth of Montour for sure.

I think you can blame the dam access on the ACE / Homeland Security. That area may have been filled in with debris as well? I'm not sure if they would redredge the area past the barges.

I always see people ignore the bouy there. I'll pull up to it and fish the rocks, but isn't all that great. Although, it seems to be the best part of that stretch for me... The barge tie off towers usually hold some fish too. Same as the bridge pilings.

(in reply to joebaker79)

Post #: 13

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 5:17:56 PM

luvinbluegills

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Porktown

This place is worthless! I have my boat stored out there. Just about every time that I make it out, the conditions are horrible. The times that they are good, I still don't do all that well. It seems like the flood about 5+ years ago changed my results in that area. Maybe, I was just spoiled with multiple wipers, walleyes, as many white bass and sauger that you could shake a stick at evenings (in 2-3 hours) when the poopy pipe was there. Ever since then, there have been ocassional schools of white bass and strays of other fish for me. I have heard of some nice fish being caught by some of the other regulars at the marina, but not for me. Not sure about the shore crowd, as I haven't fished the shore in the past year there. It seems from reports on this site for the past year or so, I'm not the only one that has had a decline in production. Hopefully the onset of Autumn will change things.

Yeah, that one's a heartbreaker. That was one of my favorite places to fish anywhere, but these days unless you fish very specifically, it's hit or miss most of the time. Early in the year (Feb through early April) you can get nice Wipers pretty consistently at the mouth of Montour if you fish right, but I haven't seen a decent Walleye there in over a year.

Granted, I don't night fish, but before Ivan you didn't have to.

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Post #: 14

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 5:55:07 PM

Porktown

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This talk is making me feel much better about my fishing skills... That place has really been sucking my fishing confidence down the shoot for the past year. I think that I am done with the place until something changes down there. There is a hurricane that might be on it's way here next week...

(in reply to luvinbluegills)

Post #: 15

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 6:27:53 PM

gizmos

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You have to love also that the marker bouys are about 10 miles lower than regs call for. I would be tempted to ignore them also being as they are no where near where they are suppose to be. But who would want to fight the fish commision,when they would say " STAY OUT means

STAY OUT"

quote:

ORIGINAL: Porktown

Ivan messed up the mouth of Montour for sure.

I think you can blame the dam access on the ACE / Homeland Security. That area may have been filled in with debris as well? I'm not sure if they would redredge the area past the barges.

I always see people ignore the bouy there. I'll pull up to it and fish the rocks, but isn't all that great. Although, it seems to be the best part of that stretch for me... The barge tie off towers usually hold some fish too. Same as the bridge pilings.

_____________________________

Eat what you catch,troll for cows.

(in reply to Porktown)

Post #: 16

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/28/2008 11:18:06 PM

Iron City

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I remember skipping school to go down there. As much as a fish tale as this sounds I once saw a muskie swim up the dam into the little pool right when it dumps out. Hell we used to catch fish even in that tiny pool.

Where montour dumps in definately got screwed up by something. I remember fishing to the left of where it dumps in and that giant sand bar was never there. How things change.......

(in reply to gizmos)

Post #: 17

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/29/2008 8:17:40 AM

joebaker79

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Few other memories...

I hooked a large musky on a crank on 8 lb test....had no chance in the current there. Almost spooled me before cutting the line.

Once fought what would have been my biggest flathead for 45 minutes flat that hit a 6" swimbait on a heavy jighead I was throwing for hybrids. Did everything I could including walking back on top of the wall to get leverage then tried to land it on the rocks. Finally got close to bank and took one last dive back into the current and snapped my line. From head to tail it looked 45-50". No telling how much it would have weighed but I caught a few pushing 35 lbs and this one would have gone much more. So heartbreaking I didnt fish for 2 weeks after that.

As far as Montour I remember in the spring if the water was high you could catch more saugers and walleyes in the tube then you could possibly count. I would go through entire packs of Berkeley curly tail grubs in orange/yellow and chartreuse. Tube jigs and lipless cranks up and down on the bottom also worked.

One thing about the eddy on the other side is that on different days you had waves of one species of fish show up depending on the time of year. White bass by the thousands, then saugers, sometimes big schools of eyes one after another, flurries of 5-6 hybrids in a row, big drums every cast, even flatheads would come in droves and they would hit your crank every time. Even in the dead of summer when it was too low and clear for anything to be there you'd see hundreds of carp. When times got tough I chummed with corn and would have a hookup every few minutes for hours. And then there was the gar..... it was like saltwater fishing on an oil rig.

(in reply to Iron City)

Post #: 18

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/29/2008 10:18:46 AM

Porktown

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My largest walleye ever was caught at the mouth of Montour, 29" on a clouser minnow.

I wish that I would have known about that eddy. I tried accessing there a few times, just because it looked like a good place, but was fenced off (early 00's). If I would have known it was that good, I would have my name and liscense number on file too!

(in reply to joebaker79)

Post #: 19

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/29/2008 10:25:24 AM

Iron City

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that eddy by the dam was amazing. Now its filled up with rocks from when they replaced the lock houses and really is not even worth fishing. there are still some fish in there but its nothing like it used to be. It was the most perfect scenario, minnows would dump in from the dam and fish would sit right where slow meets fast... man I miss that place producing. I will look for some of my old pics to scan and post from down there

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/29/2008 11:25:32 AM

SmallieKiller

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I guess the big thing to keep in mind here is that the fish are still there, just elsewhere. One day you'll find that nice underwater dropoff or sandbar that's holding all these relocated fish. They're all still in there somewhere.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 8/31/2008 6:24:44 PM

fisherofmen376

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No, no it will NEVER BE THE SAME... never...never...(as a depressed, skinny man hangs his head in the despair)

Misery does love company, so it's at least a bit therapeutic for me to hear you all talk about the old glory days as well!! Thanks for feeling my pain!
Im actually off to fish the emsworth dam right now, but alas, it's the route 65 side. I'm gonna climb down that wall near the r.r. tracks which is ridiculously steep. Never fallen in though! I'll let yins know if catch anything decent, but it is a beautiful night, so i'd be happy with even just one! Happy Labor day!

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"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/1/2008 12:12:13 PM

Deadbolt401

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Are we talking about the BackChannel behind neville island? Between Montour and Neville island?

If so, I've done well there, with walleye, and smallmouth. Lost some nice Kittys, but landed some lower end 10 lbers. I'll be down there tonite with some buddies, and creek chubbs and hopefully some bastard bluegill!

I'll let you guys know and happy holiday.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/3/2008 6:23:29 PM

Hammerdown

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Its not just the back channel, seem like all the dams on the ohio and the allegheny are not that good anymore. I was amazed at the fish i caught below the eastvale dam on the beaver, now you are lucky to catch a couple although i did get a two foot striper a week ago.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/3/2008 9:32:33 PM

griffon

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Guys blame Ivan and 9/11 for the fishing, and I tend to agree with them. I find it ironic that many of the same guys are the ones who said "I could have won the BASS Master Classic" when the pros were here. My arguement then as it is now remains the same. #1- Ivan and 9/11 destroyed the rivers' fisheries and they are just beginning to recover. #2- No you can't nor would you have beat the BASS Pros in the circuit during that tournament. That would be like saying that because you are a pro at a local golf club that you could beat Tiger in a 3 day tournament on your home course or perhaps you could beat Mike Phelps down at the Kiwanis because you grew up swimming with the guppy club there... Anyways, the rivers do seem to be recovering as does the average size and quantity of the fish. I am sure we have a few more years to go, but they will come back with time.

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/3/2008 10:47:26 PM

luvinbluegills

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I would've beat them all... :P

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/4/2008 8:16:14 AM

Porktown

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quote:

ORIGINAL: griffon

#2- No you can't nor would you have beat the BASS Pros in the circuit during that tournament. That would be like saying that because you are a pro at a local golf club that you could beat Tiger in a 3 day tournament on your home course or perhaps you could beat Mike Phelps down at the Kiwanis because you grew up swimming with the guppy club there...

So, these guys are atheletes? Yeah... I don't follow...

They are kick ass fishermen, know the ins and outs of what fish are thinking, habitat, seasonal patterns, climate affects, ect. I'd put them more in line with a fisheries biologist than an athelete.

There are a few old timers that know every little hole of their fishing grounds. Know the ins and outs of water flow, seasonal patterns, climate affects, ect. better to that specific water than any pro. This is something that time and dedication to that stretch of water can provide. I do, think that these guys that put 20+ years into a specific water, would out fish 99% of the pros comming in. Granted, that eliminates about 99% of us that post here, but those guys do exist.

Those pros are the all around best bass fishermen in the world, but not on specific waters. Why is it, (for the most part) the southern guys struggle on northern waters, and the northern guys struggle on southern waters? If they are so good, simple geography wouldn't make a difference, and neither would the "home water" advantage that many of them have in tournements.

(in reply to griffon)

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/4/2008 8:31:45 AM

griffon

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I'll tell you what... If you ever get the chance to fish with Ike, KVD, Scroggins,Martens or any of these other top notch guys let me know, I would be willing to put down $50 per keepable fish (or per pound) on the pro. I will win that bet 99 out of 100 times, even on your home waters. Fishing and being successful at the level these guys are goes way beyond pitching a lure into the water and retrieving it. Boat control, map and location analysis, reading waters, inventory control, and absolute ability to perform every cast in any situation are all equal parts to their success.

By your reasoning, NASCAR and Golf are not sports... so a local pro at Oakmont should be able to beat Tiger or Phil on his home course simply because the pro knows all of the lies on the course. I would also guess that the local race track champs at Lernerville could beat Tony Stewart also just because they have local track knowledge...

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RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/4/2008 10:14:05 AM

D-nymph

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Ivan definitely change the river's structure. Dramaticalyl in some places.

I'm not sure what 9/11 had to do with a decline of a fishery as a whole?

What it did do is cut off access below the dams, making fishes that were previously catchable, currently unreachable. Is that what you meant?

(in reply to griffon)

Post #: 29

RE: Emsworth Back Channel Dam - 9/4/2008 10:44:59 AM

aranbp

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I think alot has changed there. Once the papers started writing about all the fish being caught more crowds came down. I think there are a ton of fish still there,but the pressure is what has happened. Also with not being able to fish the island side it put more on the land side. Have to agree about missing the old days down there.

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