Has anyone been out?

[Red Childress]

With the river being opened up for several days, I was wondering if anyone has been out?? Any luck??

[cband]

Was out on Sunday on the Lower Allegheny. Trying to get that 15+lb Walleye(To break my pb of 12.5lb) There was another gentleman on the river in a pontoon boat. Other than that, not much activity.

[R Findlan]

At the beginning of last week when the water was dropping I caught a 32" muskie, 42" muskie and a 25" Pike all in about 2 hours but then the temp dropped and the spots I fish froze over again. Didn't get out last weekend because I was at the Ohio show with my dad and my wife. Great show and lots of vendors.

Reed

[HBmusky]

Me and brain G was out on fri. no catches but a couple of followers It was nice to get out

[Red Childress]

This weekend is shaping up to be a "fishing weekend", if the weatherman is correct.

[RapRunR]

River is trying to freeze up again here. Like you said the weather is looking good with the warm up coming. Probably thaw out thursday and should be good to go here.

[Red Childress]

We are pretty open around here but the edges were looking a little hard this morning.........

[jah1317]

I have been out two times as of late and missed one on the "8" and had a really lazy follow the next time I was out. I was pushing chunks of shore ice the were the size of 2 cars on down french creek which was pretty cool and suprisingly easy. I am planning on hitting a couple of creek mouths today to see whats up hopefully get to get the new rod slimed.......

Good luck!

Take care,

Jacob

[jah1317]

No luck in my endeavors..... I had hard water everywhere I went. The ice is so clear I could see the bottom. Can't wait for it to go away.... I already have the OK from the wife to go fishing I just need the water to co-operate. In the mean time, I am painting a believer they need to be brighter!

Take care,

Jacob

[allegheny river kid]

I was out last friday for 2 hours, saturday for 5 and sunday for 2 on the lower allegheny wading some stream mouths. Friday i got a 24in northern, saturday the river came up about 3 ft over night but stayed green, got nothing. Sunday river stayed about the same height but turned very off color. Nothing again.

[Red Childress]

How far South (on the Lower Allegheny) can you still catch decent pike??

[allegheny river kid]

well i'm fishing the lower navigable pools of 5, 6 and 7. Not alot of pike down this way but get a handful every year. Last year i heard of two over 40" taken in the springtime down this way. No pics but came from a fairly reliable source. The ones i got down here last year were 34" and 30"

[NitroMusky]

whats the Res looking like? hard water or no? you guys are so far south, I figure it never ices over! LOL

doesn't look like open water before the tiger/pike season closes for a couple months on the 15th, so I will have to head your way and at get some practice on the real thing to tide me over.

...3rd Saturday in June just can't come fast enough

[RapRunR]

Was out on the creek side of the Tionesta island from 8 to 11am to no avail. Talked to several fellows on shore and 1 boat and nothing. Everything seemed right except for that east wind. Blowing west this morning. I hear the birds starting to sing so i'm out again earlier today.

[allegheny river kid]

Out again today(3-7) hitting some of the creek mouths i could fish and wade. I hooked into what i thought was a good fish about an hour in the day, closer it got to the bank the more i saw it a smallmouth buffalo foul hooked that was giving me a quite the battle. Water temps i was getting were warmer than what i thought. The one stream dumping in came in at 45deg which i found hard to beleive the others were around 40 to 42deg. Talked to one guy i knew and said a nice fish missed his bait twice in the one spot we hit. We never moved a fish.

[muskie24/7]

I've been out a few times over the last week or so. I managed to get out with my new friend Doug Pavick yesterday. I caught a real fat 43 incher! Doug didn't get much action, but we had a great time with alot of laughs together. Doug is a great stick and I'm sure he'll get his share of action this year. The water temps went up 10 degrees in 2 days on "The Yough" (50 degree water temp at the end of the day yesterday)

Talk Soon, Brian

[BeaverCountyMusky]

Went out last weekend after some house hunting on the Beaver. Beautiful day. Cloudy with a nice wind. Had a chunky lady sluggishly follow my 8, but like most women in my life left me uninterested without an explanation....haha...j/k. My partner did land a respectable 38" while we were shortlining mid day. Just glad to be back on the water!!!

[Red Childress]

Hey Nitro,

I think the Res is clear now.......if not, the water has risen so much that you can still get in there and work the bays. The NY end has to have some open water with all the run-off coming in on the Allegheny.

I bet the North end is a mud bowl, however.

[NitroMusky]

thanks Red,

probably be a week or two before I get out there but it sounds like I can safely start planning for it now and know it will be good and open by then

NM

[ttabaleulb]

Spent some time chasing Esox, mainly Pike with the flyrod today. I ended up missing 3 because of my usual idiotic reasons. You know the kind "hey look at that Pike flying through the water, how neat" just as it engulfs my fly and I TOTALLY miss the hook set. I did spook a couple of nice ones that I hope to chase again tomorrow.

Water is still pretty cool, low to mid 40's in my neck of the woods. I am just happy to be able to get on the water!!

[Red Childress]

Someone had to have been out over the weekend......c'mon and cough up the catch reports.

[cband]

Hit a local lake on Saturday to try out the new Motor Guide Brute Wireless trolling motor. Man is it nice to have a wireless system and hand held remote. Really a nice day and tons of boats out.

[Red Childress]

I agree, the wireless system is great. I am on my second one and WILL NEVER go without again. For an extra 200 bucks, it seems like a bargain!

[jah1317]

I got out today on Cussewago in the canoe for about 2.5 hours and nailed a fat 41" at the boatside within the first 15 min.... real fat girl, I'm sure full of eggs. Release was a challange, she inhaled my 5" big game twitch and I could only see the bill sticking out between her jaws. I had to cut all my hooks (compelety worth it) and after some praying and alot of working her back and forth she swam away strong. I fished the area for about 2 hours after that and saw no evidence of her not making it. I am hoping that my efforts were sufficient. It was still crazy to have her come from under the canoe and nail my bait! Anyone else have any luck?

Take care,

Jacob

[Joe M]

I fished the lower Yough river yesterday for 6 hrs with one dink follow. Water was 46.

[Red Childress]

We are 10 degrees behind that section of the Yough.....

Does that section see some spawning in April or is this just one of those years when the water is warmer than normal??

[Chris Streich]

I was out over the weekend, but not on open water. We went out jigging walleye on Chautauqua both Saturday and Sunday. Beautiful day to be on the hard water, and the eyes were hungry to boot. I limited out on Saturday night within 1 hour and a buddy got 1. Out of four guys on Sunday, two of us left with limits and the other two got 2 each, all on jigging raps. Sunday i lost two fish at the hole that were definatley over ten pounds. One of them got off as my partner broke my line with the gaff hook. I also lost an 8 pounder 2 minutes later, but my partner got a piece of her with the gaff. Then, moments later landed an 8 pounder that had a fresh gaff mark on its head. Same fish? I'm betting on it. We had crazy action for two hours non stop. Most all keepers were 22 inches +, and fat, even the males. We also caught tons of 14, 15, 16, and 17 inch fish that were also very healthy. The ice was 8 inches most places with a few bad spots. Anyone here ever jig a jigging rapala on the open water? You would have to be stationary, but it would have to work. I can't wait to anchor up and jig some raps on the boat.

[Red Childress]

Chris,

I am guessing you were jigging for big crappie and gills when you "accidentally" got into those walleye on Sunday since walleye season closed early Sunday morning at 12:01. :)

[muskie52]

And he did say that they left with 2 limits (plus 4 additional fish) on Sunday......Yikes!!!!

[Chris Streich]

Walleye was still in all day on Sunday, until Sunday night at mid-night. I was unsure of this as we were fishing on Saturday evening, but was informed that it was indeed over in PA when the clock strikes midnight Sat night, but NY state you can fish all day of the 15th. There were 30 guys all fishing walleye in the same spot i was on Sunday. We were not in violation, i made sure of it. Thanks for looking out for me though! haha

[Red Childress]

For your sake, I am glad I was wrong.........Congrats on the fish.

[Red Childress]

Chased some river trout yesterday and had 2 lightly hooked fish come unbuttoned....The outflow water is very stained/muddy considering it is normally very clear. The Conewango Creek is cleaner than the river.

River temps are 38 degrees........

[allegheny river kid]

Finally got the boat out and all rigged up for the season yesterday and being laid off as of last week i decided to head out today on the lower allegheny.. Fished from 1 to 6 today(3-23). trolled for a while and cast the rest of the time..saw water temps of 42 to 46. Other than a few carp i saw nothing. Was hoping for a little better action but thats musky fishing!!

[allegheny river kid]

Was back out for a few hours again today...same routine trolled behind planer boards in one of the bigger tribs for awhile and casted for a while...water temps were ranging from 41 to 43 today... river looks good but when you compare it to the tribs dumping in its brown compared to the clearer water coming in.... be back out friday...hopefully

[allegheny river kid]

went out for an hour and half tonight after work casting from the shore. water was real off color, threw jerkbaits and some soft plastic. Switched up to a double 10 bucktail and 5 cranks into my first cast nailed a 43incher. Landed it and went for my buddy to take a pic, she slid back into the water unharmed. Real heavy pre spawn female. Water was 50deg even. and it hit at 7:10 pm just before sunset.

[muskie52]

Cool deal!!!!! Congrats on the piggy! That right there is the motivation I needed to get my butt on the water! Cool to hear that you got her on a double 10 too!

Tony

[Red Childress]

Good thing you caught her on the DC's before they become illegal in a few months. :)

[allegheny river kid]

Thanks guys, it felt real good to set the hook on something solid beside the bottom!!! I just wanted to get a few casts in before the double 10s were banned from all PA waters!!!

[Tiller]

Has anyone been to Keystone Power Dam? What are the water levels like? Is the launch clear?

[Red Childress]

I have never been there and have not heard much about it. Sorry.

[cband]

Keystone Power Dam is all clear and all launches have been open for over a month or so.

[Chris Streich]

Thought i would mention that i went out for a couple hours last night wading in the Allegheny River. I caught one fat pike about 30 inches on a skirted spinner bait. I was standing in water about 2 feet deep and the fish hit about a pole length away which was pretty cool to see him blow up and out of the water on it. The fish had little black specs all over it. Has anyone else seen these black specs and is it normal?

[Red Childress]

Chris,

I have seen the specks on River walleye and decided to do a little research on it. Based on what I read, my guesstimation is that the specks are some type of unharmful parasite.

Maybe someone else can shed some light on your question..........

[Chris Streich]

Thanks Red! I am guessing that the black spots on the fish are not harming it either, that fish looked stubby because it was so fat.

[muskie24/7]

I fished the Yough today for about 4 hrs. and ended up catching&releasing 21 Browns and Rainbows ranging from 12 to 20 inches. I haven't given too much time towards trout the last few years! so with me having clients for the first day of trout season tomorrow, I figured I'd better brush up alittle on them. I guess I didn't do too bad!:)


Brian

[tblose]

I fished Shenango reservoir in Mercer county today with the kids, and that lake seems to have some nice places to fish.

[Red Childress]

My partner and I used to chase walleye on Shenango when we were running USFA tournaments on regional PA, NY and OH waters. From what I remember, the lake really gets hot (water temperature) during mid to late-summer.

It was very tough for us to find active "daytime" walleye during that time frame. We hit more bass than anything else.

[Tiller]

Went to Keystone yesterday for the afternoon. Caught a fat 36" musky on a Super Shad Rap walleye pattern.

[ttabaleulb]

Does Keystone have stained or clear water? I am thinking of heading over there in the next week or so. The waters closer to me just won't seem to warm up. Still in the low to mid-40's. And, with this front coming through the next couple of days, I don't see them warming in the near future.

Any info on Keystone would be greatly appreciated. I believe that it is included in the Navionics Chip that I have.

Also, any recommendations for places to stay in the area? I might try to get an evening and morning on the lake.

[Tiller]

Water is pretty clear with a surface temperature of 50 to 52 degrees. The coves were warmer than the main lake. The lake has a 10 hp limit. There is a mid lake island that is about 4 ft under water right now. I had a lot of fish marked around it. Also had fish marked in the coves on the west side of the lake. The western side of the lake is shallower than the 210 side of the lake. The lake gets shallower as you get to the north end. Pretty deep as you get down toward the dam. Not sure about places to stay in the area.

[ttabaleulb]

Thanks for the info!! I had an unfortunate run in with a turkey and the hood of my vehicle over the weekend. So, I probably won't get to try out Keystone until I get that taken care of.