FISHING REPORT
Many trout streams, particularly those in the north and higher elevations, still were running cold when the statewide season opened two weeks early Saturday. Scheduled to avoid the transfer of COVID-19 among separate opening weekend crowds, the single statewide opening found many trout to be sluggish due to slow metabolism in waters in the 40-degree range. Many anglers reported light strikes “like [the hook] touching leaves or grass,” said one angler. Despite the Thursday snowfall in some parts of the state, skies were generally clear or partly cloudy on opening day. No rain fell and by about 11 a.m. temperatures had warmed to 50-55 degrees. Sunday’s weather reached a comfortable 5560 degrees.
Lake Erie and tributaries (Erie County): Good-sized brown trout were taken near the mouth of Twentymile Creek, while fly and spin anglers took a few steelhead at Twentymile and Sixteenmile creeks.
Conneaut Lake (Crawford County): Panfish took tipped jigs and live minnows in the canal and northern shallows.
Canadohta Lake (Crawford County): Catches of muskies, walleye and panfish were reported.
Sugar Lake (Crawford County): Largemouth bass, chain pickerel, panfish and bowfin were taken.
Ohio, Beaver rivers (Beaver County): Muskellunge, walleye and catfish were caught in cool but warming waters.
Raccoon Lake (Beaver County): Two days after an April 1 stocking of rainbows and golden rainbows, opening day anglers reported good fishing under sunny skies. Fish and Boat returns Thursday for the first of two April in-season stockings.
North Park Lake (Allegheny County): Warm weather brought many opening day anglers, including Julie Morgan, 10, of Gibsonia, who landed her first fish, a 12-inch rainbow trout taken on a corn kernel under a bobber.
Allegheny River (Allegheny County): Fishing was slow with water temperatures in the 45-degree range.
Big Sewickley Creek, Montour Run (Allegheny County): Browns, rainbows and golden rainbows scheduled to be stocked Thursday.
Deer, Bull, Pine creeks (Allegheny County): Fly and spin anglers reported good fishing in Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only areas. Steven Shie of Wexford reported that he and two friends released four rainbow trout and two browns, both over 14 inches, taken with nymphs on Pine Creek.
Peters Creek (Allegheny County): The first opening day with state-stocked trout drew anglers who parked bumper-to-bumper at some sections of the 5.4-mile stocking area. Jason Stepich of Pleasant Hills said crowds lined the pools for the 8 a.m opening, but by noon anglers were more spread out and a lot of fish were caught following stockings by Fish and Boat and Tri-Community Anglers Association, which has been privately stocking the waters for years. Ron Willard of Clairton reported landing an 18-inch golden rainbow near the Large park and ride lot. The state returns Monday with another batch of browns, rainbows and golden rainbows.
Turtle Creek (Allegheny, Westmoreland counties): Favorable weather and a Thursday stocking of brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout attracted big opening day crowds at Saunders Station Road and B-Y Park.
Loyalhanna Creek (Westmoreland County): Douglas Lossette, 8, of Greensburg, caught his first trout, a 13-inch brown, on salmon eggs at Sleepy Hollow. Trout were generally lethargic in cold water, particularly in the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section where few trophy-size fish from Keystone Select stockings were reported.
Blue Spruce Lake (Indiana County): Trout took live minnows and waxworms.
Youghiogheny River Lake, Youghiogheny River (Fayette, Somerset counties): Smallmouth bass were caught in the lake, while trout anglers took rainbows from the tailrace to the Casselman River and Laurel Hill Creek turkeyfoot at Confluence.
High Point Lake (Somerset county): Anglers reported catching largemouths, smallmouths and panfish.
Post-Gazette Trout Photo Contest: Through May 23, file your fishing report and high-resolution digital photos (1MB minimum) at fishingreport@post-gazette.com. Include name, age (for under 18), town, species, size, body of water, details of the catch and photographer’s name and town. Winners in the Big Fish, Kidstuff and Artsy Shots categories will be interviewed for a feature article published May 30.