Fishing Report: Pre-season trout caught, released on special regulation waters
Take a kid fishing. Saturday is the statewide Mentored Youth Fishing Day. In 49 counties, anglers age 15 and under can fish on trout waters when they have a free Mentored Youth Fishing Permit or Voluntary Youth Fishing License ($2.90) available where fishing licenses are sold. Kids must be accompanied by a properly licensed mentor age 16 or older, who must immediately release their trout catches. Kids can harvest up to two combined species, 7-inch minimum. Get details at fishandboat.com.
Lake Erie and tributaries (Erie County) Steelhead smolts were stocked and anglers were reminded to watch where they step. Lake Erie tributaries will close at midnight April 11 and reopen 8 a.m. April 13 for trout season.
Pymatuning Reservoir (Crawford County) The annual spring open house at the Linesville State Fish Hatchery runs 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday. It is at 13300 Hartstown Road, Linesville, 16424. Details at 1-814-6834451.
Allegheny River (Clarion County) Catches of out-of-season walleye and prespawn smallmouths were reported up and down the river.
Piney Creek (Clarion County) Fly and spin anglers on the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only stretch released good numbers of trout following the stocking of the waterway in early March.
Neshannock Creek (Lawrence County) With an ongoing hatch on the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section, the hot flies were dries in bright and dark greens. Some anglers released trout taken on spinners.
Bradys Run Lake (Beaver County) Trout caught on tipped jigs soft plastics were released under Stocked Trout Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing regulations.
Beaver River (Beaver County) Waters were calm and clear and sizable walleye were released.
Allegheny River (Armstrong County) Near the Freeport Bridge a smallmouth bass took a crankbait thrown by Julian Rankin of Natrona Heights. At Lock and Dam No. 5, the river dropped nearly a foot from Tuesday to Thursday and water temperatures remained low.
North Park Lake (Allegheny County) Taking advantage of the lake’s Approved Trout Waters Open to YearRound Fishing regulations, Logan Karavlan, 11, of McCandless released a 14inch rainbow trout while fishing with PowerBait Floating Mice Tails on April 3.
Quemahoning Reservoir (Somerset County) Northerns took smelt and shiners.
Laurel Hill Creek (Somerset County) Conditions were perfect on both Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only sections. Anglers on the upper stretch reported hookups with brown trout in the 20inch range stocked March 15 in the Keystone Select program.