PA Steelhead Club Meeting / PA F&BC Commissioner speaking

Thanks for the headsup.
 
I hear some not so promising data on returns will be released.

Keep roping fish and returns will continue to worsen.

1 fish limit would help the situation and by situation I mean fishing lower Elk 3 days in a row and only catching 1 and it was small.
No one else catching.
Water was clear today I searched couple miles of stream they are just not there.
By far the worst I have seen it!
I still enjoy getting outdoors but fishing has been terrible.
Plenty of trash in the parking lot thanks slobs I cleaned up after you again!!!
I might make it to the meeting never attended b4 but curious about the PFBC stance on things.
Rant over...WCW

I will agree for whatever reason the smolts were not a nuisance last spring on elk when I was around.
 
I am local and will continue to fish tribs for steel as something to do in down time when conditions allow it but talking to a lot guys who drive long distances who are not coming back until next fall or at all.
 
I believe the 2 cold winters have caused problems for the runs Lake Ontario tribs are seeing less steel too but there is an additional problem here in Erie tribs in my opinion just not sure what.
 
I had some conversations with other fishermen this week everyone seems to be shaking their head.
 
Here comes WINTER... maybe when things thaw out we will have an EPIC spring runs that surprises us all...WCW
 

Yeah I hear u H3F I think I am going just 2 hear more from PFBC or others its currently my home waters.
I doubt it will change anything but I should get up there to see what these meetings have to offer.
 
I and others moan and groan on here but is there anything else we could do to help turn things around???
 
WCW

Personally wont be able to make it. I hope some people who care can and speak up at the meeting. I have yet to come across anyone who has not complained this year. Leaving now... Trout run had nothing but moldy fish in it and very few. Creeks are blown. Personally i believe there is still a decent amount of fish. Low water and warm weather has the fish staying out in the lake. New york had terrible runs this year. Its not just erie.. But i cant stand seeing 18 inch ja ks roped up anymore. A size limit needs placed big time.. A 2 fish limit would help as well and get people off the creeks faster who are there to eat and not fish all day. Not enough fish for the amount of fisherman anymore.

joebaker79
The stocking numbers are not even close tp what they claim. Ive seen the creeks in the spring. A few hundred smolts where they claim 14000 were put. Recently a guy who drives one of the trucks has been on other forums supporting this....saying the fish they put in erie creeks is about a tenth of what they are saying they put. Just some more wood on the fire on this subject.

its about time. Honestly, is 100 fish in every hole anywhere close to natural? I'd prefer to walk to find just a few fish. Just gonna take a few seasons for the crowds to thin out to rational levels.

If the issue is simply that they're just stocking less, I'd be OK with that. Would you? A bigger size limit would be fine by me. A man made unnatural put and take fishery is pointless without the take part of the equation imo.

Stock whatever the number is...just dont say its a million when it might be 100k.

And I totally agree-If they aint stockin a bajillion, just say so, so we can adjust our expectations. And then yes, MAYBE adjust the limit.

Like fisherofmen376 said, it's still not all that hard to go up and catch a few. Heck, even on the REALLY good days there's still people that get skunked. Not because of very low numbers of fish, but their fishing ability.
 
There's still fish to catch if you know what you're doing and know where to go. Locating fish to yourself that haven't been thoroughly worked over just isn't as easy as it used to be.

^I would be all for that if they can successfully pull it off. Just not realistic. We can dream though!

fisherofmen,
 
You think just because the people next to you caught 5 or 6 fish that means there is fish through the entire creek? When you have 500 fisherman and 500 fish it makes for a terrible experience.
 
Simply look into holes during lower water flows. Steelhead are easy to see. They are not there. Its simple. Everyone who has been doing this a long time knows it and that's why the commissioner is giving a speech.
 
Hooking 5 or 6 fish a day is not good. Sorry to say if you are pulling numbers like this you either have no idea what you are doing, you are new to it, or the fish are not there.
 
troutguy,
 
You do not need to fish at daylight to catch steelhead. They actively feed non stop in the tribs. The food source is too low for them not to. You can hook fish from daylight till dark. You probably stopped catching fish because you hooked the 5 that were in front of you and struggled to find anything the rest of the day.
 
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Everyone on this forum,
 
If your idea of going up and finding fish is hooking 5 all day you have no idea how fun it used to be.
 
Going up with a group of 3-4 people and only hooking 10 fish in holes you used to hook over 100 in? Ya not cool. 2 fish a piece is totally worth a 3 hour drive. "WORLD CLASS ERIE"
 
There are people who have been doing this 20 plus years like I have.. We know how to catch these. Ask any local how awful the tribs are now and they will tell you.
 
Until there are 400 fisherman and 10000 fish its going to be frustrating.
 
Ohio is stocking 90k smolt a year per creek. Erie probably stocked 9k per creek last year.

Mike, that's not what I said. Are you capable of discussion without trying to demean or condescend? Cause it seems like you believe you are the authority on everything from Alaskan salmon to Erie steelhead. Maybe you are. But guess what? The most brilliant or experienced people in the world don't have to tell everyone how much they know or rattle off credentials and experience every two seconds.
I come to this forum to talk fishing with people I respect. I've met some cool dudes over the years here. I hope that continues.

Glen,
 
My idea of "fishing" is not having to walk 3 miles from your car to find any sort of decent water because there are so many people. Then when you find that decent water you might hook 3 to 5 fish. So we just walked 3 miles and are dead tired to hook 3-5 fish? Ill pass.
 
fisherofmen,
 
For years the c&r guys or even the guys who suggested limit change were shredded to pieces on here. Don't cry about me demeaning people when 80 percent of you on this forum would jump all over anyone with an opinion on the health of the fishery in the past.
 
A lot of cool people on here for sure. But a lot of them just want to gang up on people with an opposite opinion. Just returning the favor to all of those that felt the need to run everyone down with a c&r or limit change state of mind.
 
Don't see much of the limit change guys getting bashed now do we? Wonder why.