ZACKS

When is a good time to come out to erie for steelhead? Also any salmon fishing out there ?

Thank you for a lot of great thoughts & input appreciate it Zack

I am too Rich!

Really, really hope we can share a drift in Erie together this year.

i dont care if nobody agrees with me...... jus my observations over the last 25 yrs on elk im not a  college educated biologist   jus a observant fisherman with common sense 

 I have noticed over the past few years that we catch about 500% more steel-head in the lake while trolling. Usually from mid-August up till ice starts. We do have to change locations in that period, usually progressively working more shallow. Late September/Early October really seem to be hot in the 30-35 foot range off the creek mouths. 
 
 It is funny how much I hear about less fish in the creeks, when I have noticed a huge rise in fish taken while trolling. I don't know if that means anything, but my observation none the less. 

yes john the fisherman i agree   lots of spots have filled in  i rember back in the early 90s when the conrail tunnels on elk creek has both sides flowing and lots of fish  even a decent number of cohos  up until dec.... in fact i had a few trips when i caught almost as many cohos  as steel

i believe 2002 was the last year they stocked them   poor returns and straying  plus since they die after spawning    steelhead gave more bang for the buck   also  forage played a factor in the coho puzzle lol      was fun having them mixed in though   2005 was the last year i caught one in elk creek    so that fish was prob the last of the class of 2002 

Lots of kings caught (atleast for erie) and pinks caught last year for some reason

We lost a reeeeeel good section of upper elk near the doberman house.  I'm still cryin bout it. I think it happened late in the season too so lotta guys gonna be in for a crappy surprise when they go up there and find a buncha signs tellen em ta git ahht. 
Ill go this year, but not as much.  It just ain't the same. 

All the pinks in the Great Lakes originated with an accidental discharge up on Superior.  They are densest as you get closer to the original dump site, and they are much more numerous every other year, as is also the case in the Pacific Northwest. 
 
From the NYSDEC Website:
"Pink Salmon

Pink salmon are the least common of the Pacific salmon found in New York State. They were first introduced into the Great Lakes system in 1956 when they were stocked into Lake Superior. Since then, they have spread to the other Great Lakes on their own. Pink salmon were first reported in lakes Erie and Ontario in 1979. While substantial numbers of pink salmon were observed spawning off the beaches in the Dunkirk area of Lake Erie in 1984, their abundance has declined since then.
Pink salmon are unusual because almost all spawn when they are two years old, with just an occasional three year old specimen noted. During early fall, males develop greatly hooked jaws and a large hump in their back between their head and dorsal fin, giving rise to their nickname, humpies, as they are often called on the west coast. Females do not develop the hump back or hooked jaw. Although sea-run fish on the Pacific coast attain weights of 10 to 14 pounds, pink salmon generally weigh less than four pounds in the Great Lakes.
Pink salmon eat plankton, insects, and small fish when they are young, and shift towards eating more fish as they get larger. Because of their low abundance and relatively small size, they are not highly sought. They eat plankton, insects, and small fish when they are young, and shift towards eating more fish as they get larger. While they could probably be caught on both artificial lures or bait, few catches in New York State have been reported. No pink salmon are stocked by DEC, nor are there plans to stock any in the foreseeable future."
 
From Michigan DNR:
"Pink Salmon For all the salmon stocking that Michigan has done in the Great Lakes for more than 40 years, one of the most unusual salmon fisheries in the state is a result of a happy accident. Back in the 1950s, pink salmon that were being raised in a Canadian hatchery and were destined for Hudson Bay wound up in a Lake Superior tributary. They quickly dispersed throughout the Great Lakes, but they especially established themselves in Lake Huron. 
Pink salmon head upstream like other Pacific salmon to spawn and although they ordinarily spawn every two years, enough pinks migrated upstream either as precocious one-year-olds or as three-year-olds that annual spawning runs have now been established, though the largest runs occur during odd-numbered years. Although they are occasionally taken in the streams inland of Lake Superior, the best runs are in Lake Huron tributaries, in the Carp River in the southeastern Upper Peninsula and the St. Marys River. Unlike other Pacific salmon, the population of pinks does not seem to have been impacted by the decline in alewife numbers in Lake Huron.
Pinks can be taken by the same techniques used to take other Pacific salmon, though in the streams they are typically pursued by casting spoons or spinners or with fly fishing gear. Streamers and nymphs account for the bulk of the pinks taken in the St. Marys rapids, the most outstanding pink salmon fishery this side of Alaska. Anglers trolling with downriggers or jigging with spoons catch appreciable numbers or pink salmon in the deeper waters of the St. Marys in the weeks before the fish make their way into the rapids. 
Male pink salmon develop hooked jaws like other salmon and trout, but also feature distinctive humped backs. The smallest of the Pacific salmon found in the Great Lakes, pinks typically weigh in the three-pound range as adults, though the state record is better than eight pounds. The largest specimens are often caught during even-numbered years."

I've been fishing LO tribs for ~35 years, and I've never seen a pink, but they are supposed to be out there.  Kings in LO are estimated to be 50% supported by natural reproduction, so perhaps a few survivors of earlier Erie introductions had a particularly successful spawn a few years ago, and you are seeing a small "wild" population building of those fish.  Or maybe a biological experiment by one of the State agencies, but they didn't make any noise about it.

its all politics son...pfbc has final say no matter how correct you may be

ZACKS
Thats pretty sad Trout unlimited & groups here work together on making streams better

If you enjoy steelhead fishing in Erie, you certainly can thank at least two sportsmen groups that do a TON of work to enhance the experience - 3CU and the PA Steelhead association.  Might be missing one or two, but these guys do a TON of work from raising and stocking steelhead smolts (and I believe one of them stocks a lot of the browns as well); stream and habitat improvements; and stream cleanups.  They also work behind the scenes with landowners on behalf of sportsmen.  
 
 

ZACKS
Not really new but the last 5-6 years we came out the fishing has gotten worse & worse. heard they do not even stock the mile streams anymore & lots of stories of snagging & netting fish. any clue what going on out there ??? Last year even Elk which was beautiful had  very few fish this was 1st week of november

In the 14 years since I moved back to Erie, last season was the absolute worst for steelhead.   I actually had a few days in October that I was the only one on 20 Mile Creek, because there were so few steelhead in it.  Could be the weather, who knows.  If you are only planning one trip, wait until November, unless you see some solid reports that the streams and steelies are cooperating.