Just firing up this thread for any fish talk or photos. Feel free to comment as needed no limits just keep it somewhat related to fishing. Fishing has been slow in our NW area, fished Shenango and it's tough fishing but the weather has been good. A Pymy hog caught and released a few years past. 

King from shore fishing Ontario

Laker from Niagara shore fishing

 
 
 
 

Anybody get any photos from on top Shenango Dam yesterday ? Wish I had known about the open house sooner would have snapped a few.

i started fishing pymy in the early to mid 70s and within ten years i was fishing there up to 100 times a year.  gas was cheap and i had no responsibilities other than to myself.  what a time it was.  i swear i waded every foot of the south end on the ohio side and most of the north.  what a time it was.  we would use size 11 floating raps in silver color, painted with a few coats of clear finger nail polish for walleyes in the spring and fall.  the limits were 8 fish and a minimum of 13 inches back then.  countless nights it was easy to limit out on fish around 20 inches.  as soon as the fish moved back into deeper waters, we pursued them by trolling or drifting with harnesses, homemade of course, as well as cp swings tipped with crawlers.  floating jigs were also on the menu, rigged as a slip rig.  there was an island off of poplar grove picnic grounds back then (now completely eroded away) and the fish would hang off of the shoal.  we pounded them there with a north or south wind.  later we would fish the onion field on the north end and off of clark, harris and whaley islands.  just awesome slab and walleye fishing.
 
as summer waned, the smallmouth fishing would explode. we'd nail really nice fish, up to 22 inches, on size nine floating raps and shallow running shad raps, once they were introduced.  
 
that lake has always been so generous to me.  i know i paid my dues but she never forgot.  such great memories.

Those are some monster fish Hook

Great story on Pymy......thanks.  I too fished Pymy in the 70's every Saturday morning we would load the boat with gear (beer and cigarettes included) we fished the Linesville area then. Wind drifted crawlers and minnows on the bottom for Walleyes. Some of the best days I remember were the windy cloudy days. We never slammed the Eyes steady but we always caught a few keepers every trip. Had a fantastic spot for slab Crappie back then. There was a big Pine tree that fell in the lake on the back side of the one island. It was almost completely submerged in about 6 - 8 ft. of water. We would anchor just about on top of that tree and drop our lines in those fine pine limbs just under the water.....wham! Just filled the cooler up with nice slabs of White and Black Crappies. What was amazing back then was the smaller the minnow the better. We ran out a few times with those tiny minnows and those Crappie would not touch the bigger Walleye Fatheads.   
 
Another midnight hour Pymatuning bull. 

Shenango Lake ,  photos taken............while fishing
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Yes many fond memories of Pymy in to 70's. Limits of eyes where norm year round. Fished the spillway and the waded the rocks in front of the spillway back then a handful of locals where the only guy's fishing it. Fished the outflow below the dam till mid March and caught many limits drifting a minnow on my flyrod or throwing a twister tail on the spinning rod. Wading almost every island shoreline throwing big floating raps and south and north gravel shores. Drifted homemade Colorado blades with leeches or harnesses with crawlers in the spring,then discovered Hot an Tots and really crushed them. Fall fishing was some great times caught two giant eyes one night fishing big chubs off a point in Jamestown park across from the stone building with the water gates. They where my first 30 inch fish 11 and 12 lb,never caught a 10pounder in Erie in the 15 years I was a weekly regular. Snodgrass produced many limit on hasty Oct,Nov days. Colder than a witches you know what and winding but 18flow and a sonar or silver buddy filled the stringer many days. Many surf and turf days,morning duck afternoons and night eyes.Ice fished out off Snodgrass all winter,they where there just like the fall same program .Best day through the ice was 42 eyes to get 6 keepers. I fished just about ever hotspot there was and some you may not know. Ever fish the stream that runs into the propagation side behind the school in linesville ? It was a great producer in the spring  I drift a creek chub on a bobber set just to have the bait tickle the bottm, drift it to the wire and bam. The  Beaver kept a close eye and me and got to know me well. He was a detecated warden that braved the elements just like me. He'd always tell me the lake dropped a foot from all the eyes I caught. It's was my go to lake year-round till we start going to Erie.

Great story Tuna ! Sounds like you had the best of the best. Those were some trophy Eyes you took out in the day. Funny you mention that creek I took my son there many years ago after a tip from an old timer I worked with and we caught several very nice size Largemouth Bass. We too spent many day in the lower outflow and took out many legal size Walleye especially in the dark hours. Best day on the lake was with a friend and my son, we boated somewhere in the high eighties of Walleyes , most being undersize but talk about a lot of action! I had to buy my own boat after that trip . My best Walleye is a 9 lb.er I caught from shore at night up at Erie tossing Rap's. I don't count trolling Eyes where it's your turn, my turn, his turn.  
My son with a couple of Out flow Eyes............
 

Great stories fellas, pictures too.  Any angler that can't see the stories and memories contained in a picture, just does not understand much about "gone fishing".
 
Gotta say though, If I weren't around during the "good ole days", I would be thinkin' like many of today's younger angler.  You guys are "blowing smoke"!!!!!!
 
What ever do you suppose caused such a drastic change from the 70s;  80s; even the 90s?