CAPTAIN HOOK
This is one of the best fishing and pristine scenic spots on Elk Creek years back. We had permission along with others to fish it but sadly it's posted and taken over by private fishermen through a lease. I'm sure it's still a beautiful area to fish. It was known as the Beckman area. To bad others and their children won't have that great experience me and my son and friends had there. This was true Steelhead fishing at it's best!  Lots of fish no crowds and you can walk from hole to hole and actually fish. I used 2lb. test line many a day and caught and released about 99%. It was the best of the best !

Not really expecting confirmation, but Some of these look like the area downstream from Folly's. Is this that stretch or further down?

fish12

Loomis
I wasn't being a smart alec, I really want you to post more pix from the earlier times.

I would like to see some also.

No digital cameras back then and most people didn't carry around their Kodak Instamatics.
 The old man across the street who was in his 90's, passed away a few years back. He had a stack of photo albums he used to show me from the earlier years. Glen and Bob sure have aged well. Those albums brought back a lot of my own memories from the earlier years.
 Anyways, even in prime conditions, there was always good to great water to fish. What we see mid week is what used to be on Sat or Sun and only when the fishing was on. By December, you could have longs stretches to yourself. Back then, if I saw two cars parked at the "patch", I'd get ****ed and  move on up to I-90 or the snake pit and above. Back then, there were a lot less fish. I think it just seemed there were more fish because of the lack of angler pressure.
 Nowdays, fishing in Erie is more like a social event and less like the old traditional way of trout fishing.
I don't have any pictures but picture this. It's Thanksgiving Morning and at daylight, you pull up to Rt. 5 on 20-Mile creek and there are no cars parked anywhere near the creek. The creek is prime.

Great to hear the way it was with you guys because that's what I experienced for many years . Man the crowds are just unreal today and areas are becoming so packed and limited. Also the creeks don't seem to hold winter water like years back . I guess saying Erie Steelheading sucks was a little strong it's still what you make of it. Your right Dano all my old photos are 35 mm and that camera was heavy but I'm glad I lugged it around when I did. These spots I posted I'll never get to fish again and the memories and photos are whats left. It's always sad to see areas posted up and know that others will not have the opportunities we had. Dano just like you said imagine late October and I arrive at Trout Run at daylight and I'm the only one there and Trout are rippling all along the shoreline feeding. I guess we were spoiled big time !

Early 90's  I-90 hole

Beckman area......Big Hole area .............usual crowd

80's at Trout Run

Another Fall Beckman Steelhead on Elk Creek / Early 2000's /  Lots of room still here

Even the late 90's and into 2000's there was plenty of room on upper elk during the week,if I saw 2-3 people a day that was normal.Now everyday is a weekend!

Like many of you, I remember the "Glory Days" for Steelhead fishing. Back then I always went in December and distinctly remember looking at the substrate. For ~ 8'  the water was crystal clear and one could see every rock and pebble, but then the water went absolutely black from fish stacked up upon fish. It was exciting to see and looked like something one would see on National Geographic. No, it's not the same and there have been many changes, but for me it's still so exciting to fish for Steelhead at Erie despite all of the variances over time. There are some days when my relatively young son and I not only don't land a fish, we don't get so much as a hit, but as others have written in so many words, it's time well worth spent. I very much appreciate the time we spend together now and they will be so much more appreciated in the near future as he is currently in the ROTC. His plan is to serve this great country in 4 years in the Air Force and make it his career. Hopefully he'll return home often enough that we can share time on the streams again.

Thanks for the photo Capt. Hook! Even with refraction, it looks like there are quality fish in that pod. I remember days when there were 10 times that many fish and I didn't bother taking any pictures back then because it was the same thing year after year. I never considered it would change someday, lol. As I posted, the water was absolutely black with fish. It does make for great memories though, doesn't it?!?!

is that the real dream catcher?

Glenn and co. , I along with others always enjoy seeing and showing fishing photos. We started a photo post on the Northwest site that is filled with photos. Would be nice to start one on the Erie site like you said. Old photos, or new , big ,small, whatever works ! Go ahead and start it anytime you guys are ready to start.............if you can't fish you got to enjoy seeing photos. Critics not welcome.
 
A few Winter oldies # 1 The Elk Access area..aka..The Mud Hole....Yea those are huge ice flows behind me !

# 2 The Follies honey hole behind the fly shop.