Horseshoe Falls

If you went 3 miles below Foleys you were on Posted private property.
 

I agree, blow up the falls. Fish do get above there on walnut, but not that many. Spread em ahht.

Fisrmn- That sounds like an awesome plan if they go through with it.

Silverbullet_11
bingsbaits- I never saw any signs, but isn't Elk considered a navigable stream so as long as you stay in the water, you are legally allowed to fish? I will definitely look into this prior to doing that again so thank you for the heads up.

 
elk is not navigable. if its posted, its posted.

Silverbullet_11
bingsbaits- I never saw any signs, but isn't Elk considered a navigable stream so as long as you stay in the water, you are legally allowed to fish? I will definitely look into this prior to doing that again so thank you for the heads up.

No, it is not.  You were trespassing.

fishrmn
Ain't gonna happen, landowner likes the falls the way they are.
 
PSA proposed a project to net fish and release them them above the falls, not sure when this will happen.

They have the permission to do this now but the technicalities of doing it are not so easy. They are hoping to organize a group to do it before the winter weather gets too bad. If they can't they hope to in the spring. Netting the fish in groups of volunteers is a bit awkward to tell you the truth. However, there is an idea floating around to one day invest in a salmon cannon for those falls. If that were to one day occur these problems would cease. As for reconstructing the falls, that is a zoning nightmare. Imagine the research needed regarding how it would affect water levels, local wildlife, land erosion, etc. Then the clearances - private land owners affected, EPA, township boards, construction permits, and so forth. All of this boils down to the fact that actually reconstructing the falls to accommodate the steelies is completely impossible. It's all about the salmon cannon. 

Salmon cannon is not a ladder. Google it its crazy. And way overkill IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICS32kady4
 
I'm taking it you were joking about the fish cannon.  Although the name itself made me google it.  You'd still need volunteers to net the fish to load the cannon.  It looks like it is made more for transporting over dams, without having to truck, ect.  Also, I'd hope these are relatively easy to disassemble and move.  If not, then you are replacing it every March when the ice lets loose.  Would be pretty cool if they make big enough for humans, put one in Splash Lagoon.
 
Fish ladder sounds more practical.

I still think a bottom release dam and the importing of gravel is the only way to solve this mess

SCaveNJ

bingsbaits
To this wire across the whole stream. Can't be much over a mile and a half.

Thanks for the reply - that's very helpful.  Sitting here in South Carolina trying to plan the annual trip to Erie, I can only gather so much intel from Google Earth and the FishErie maps.  I appreciate the help.

It's not even that far.  It's just slightly over 1/2 mile from Folly's to the wire.

Porktown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICS32kady4
 
I'm taking it you were joking about the fish cannon.  Although the name itself made me google it.  You'd still need volunteers to net the fish to load the cannon.  It looks like it is made more for transporting over dams, without having to truck, ect.  Also, I'd hope these are relatively easy to disassemble and move.  If not, then you are replacing it every March when the ice lets loose.  Would be pretty cool if they make big enough for humans, put one in Splash Lagoon.
 
Fish ladder sounds more practical.

No, actually. I was not joking. The cannon does not require manual fish loading and can run automatically. It can be used over any waterway obstruction, not just large dams. Indeed it is relatively easy to disassemble and move so it could be used seasonally. This invention is owned by a company called Whoosh. Their website explains all the features of the cannon and can be visited at http://whooshh.com/ Apparently the cost of this machine is less than the costs of fish ladders and other fish transportation techniques. 
 
Still, I don't expect this to come to Erie because it seems so far-fetched but the practicalities of it are real and many. The idea of using it at Walnut has been at least entertained by the PSA. 

This woosh system, if deployed on posted sections of the tribs, could solve a lot of problems. Especially for landowners who "didn't want the fish there to begin with".  Anglers would ignore the posted sections devoid of steelhead resulting in less fines and landowners could rest easy knowing their barren water isn't being fished or trespassed on. If there was only a way to make it practical...

Maybe the landowner should put out a little more effort to make his sign more visible.
 
Obviously it is hard to see.

bingsbaits

SCaveNJ

bingsbaits
If you went 3 miles below Foleys you were on Posted private property. 

Roughly speaking, how far can you go downstream from Foleys before you run into posted property?

To this wire across the whole stream. Can't be much over a mile and a half.
 

Agreed. Ignorance of the law is supposed to be no excuse, but it can be.

We were in the house we were having built the other evening and some deer came out in the yard. They hung around for a few minutes and then bolted for the woods. It was not long until four people, all wearing head lamps (it was that close to dark), came walking through the yard and continued to the woods where the deer had entered.

When they disappeared into the woods, we started down that way. As we approached the woods, we could see a light going up the steps to our treehouse.

As the light came down, I started down the path through the woods. When I saw the lights coming, I stepped off the path until the group was 10 yards away. I then stepped out and asked them if I could help them.

After the screams from the women died out, they told me they were considering buying the parcel of land and since there buddy (the person who climbed into our tree house) was a deer hunter, they wanted to show him the neat tree house that he could hunt out of.

They then asked who the h@ll I was and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot I was doing there in the dark.

I explained tact we were building the house they walked past. They then asked what part of the area comprised our lot. I think they were a little stunned when I told them that we owned every square inch of ground that they had been on from the moment they stepped out of their vehicle and around my No Trespassing signs -- including OUR treehouse.

I said that I could understand the confusion since it was dark (it wasn't that dark when they headed down there, we could see deer at 300 yards, but I was trying to be nice).

They then told me they were there at a previous time and could not figure out the property line. So I started at the lower marker which, in addition to the iron pin and the stake in the ground with three orange ribbons on it, is marked by a tree with an 8 foot orange ribbon blowing in the breeze. We the walked along a straight line, just like on the 4X8 foot plot map at the beginning of the entry road depicts, until we reached the upper boundary where they parked at the end of paved private drive. There I pointed out the 6 foot orange paint mark on the paving that shows the surveyed property line.

I further explained tat if that paint mark and the tree ribbon are used to create a straight line like on the map, that would be the property line between what we own (12.5 acres) and the property (10 acres) they are considering. I also helped them by showing how all of the open ground down to the woods (both properties extend into the woods about 75 yards) on our side of the property line is either mowed field or new growth grass and everything on the lot that was for sale is overgrown to at least waist if not head height.

They said they didn't know that ( but no apology for trespassing or trampling our just peaking out new grass) and they were so sure they really understood the property line.

Maybe I need that red flashing strobe light and audio warning.

freshwaterdrumR
Can't wait to see the people who follow the guys with nets.  As soon as they release the fish from the nets above the falls I bet there are people standing over top of them trying to catch them. It will be just like the guys casting for trout as soon as they come out of the truck lol  

sounds like most of the people who post on PAflyfish.
 
 
technically... the only public fishing locations are the ones in the yellow on the the map here http://fishandboat.com/steelhead.htm
direct link to map - http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=ea013d06224f4f618dbf42ead8a42812
 
anywhere else and you are on private property and can be asked to leave at anytime