After a mild winter, could these be the first days of an early spring?

With no snow melt to cool the Ohio River on Monday evening, Josh Watt of New Sewickley hauled in a plump, pregnant walleye exceeding 30 inches. The fish was caught, photographed and released across from downtown Beaver.

“The fishing was slower than normal,” he said. “That was my sixth walleye of the evening and that particular fish hit just after nightfall. The other fish ranged from 15 to 20 inches.”

Mr. Watt was rigged with white paddletail swimbaits on ¼-ounce chartreuse jig heads. “The key to fishing tonight was very slow bounces and long pauses directly on the bottom.”

Native to the Ohio River system, walleye are among the first fish to spawn in early spring when waters reach 45-50 degrees. Mr. Watt’s whopper may have been attempting a run up the Beaver River to drop her nearly half million eggs onto the rocks and gravel below the New Brighton Dam.

Lake Erie and tributaries (Erie County) Presque Isle Bay has begun warming weeks earlier than usual. Anglers reported no movement of panfish and perch to shallower water. Lots of steelheaders were on the tributaries Saturday.

Allegheny River (Forest County) Boat anglers had hookups drifting from the Route 36 bridge to Sherman Island. Northern pike, muskies and walleye were taken near the Sand and Gravel launch.

Tionesta outflow (Forest County) With favorable discharge from Tionesta Lake, muskellunge and walleye were taken near the wall and campground.

Lake Arthur (Butler County) Muskellunge went for large, light-colored tube baits. Anglers fished the dam outflow at Muddy Creek.

Cascade Quarry (Lawrence County) Enrolled in the Stocked Trout Open for Year-Round Fishing program, trout may not be “taken, killed or possessed” through April 17. A trout stamp is recommended but not required. Rainbows were expected to be stocked in season.

Neshannock Creek (Lawrence County) Good flow and clarity were reported in the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only area. Fish and Boat stocked browns, rainbows and golden rainbows Saturday. Neshannock Creek Fly Shop requested stocking volunteers to help with its independent lunker stocking at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Raccoon Lake (Beaver County) Rainbows and golden rainbows were expected to be stocked April 16.

Beaver River (Beaver County) A muskie pushing legal size was caught and released.

North Park Lake (Allegheny County) Fishing is legal in the runup to the trout opener, but under Stocked Trout Open for Year-Round Fishing regulations, trout may not be “taken, killed or possessed” through April 17. From March 1 through Sunday, Bob Segal of Gibsonia released six rainbows and golden rainbows using Twister Tail jigs tipped with Gulp maggots. “In winter the streams coming in are warmer than the rest of the lake,” he said. “The rainbows are making a big circle just off the tributary here — you can see when the goldens go by — and the brown trout stay in one spot facing the incoming water.” The lake is scheduled for a big state stocking of rainbows and golden rainbows March 26.

Pine Creek (Allegheny County) Scott Karavlan of McCandless caught a 22-inch rainbow trout, his largest, in the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only stretch Sunday. “I was fly fishing and drifting a white Squirmy Wormy. It was my only hit in three hours of fishing, and she fought a good fight,” he said. “She was released healthy and strong and is out there waiting for another lucky angler.” The special-regulation section was stocked March 6.

Loyalhanna Creek (Westmoreland County) Following a March 2 stocking that included large numbers of 14- to 20-inch trout under the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters program, spin anglers caught and released trophy-sized trout on stick baits and spinners.

Laurel Hill Lake (Somerset County) Rainbows and golden rainbows were expected to be stocked April 9.

Laurel Hill Creek (Somerset County) Lake, brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout, including Keystone Select program lunkers in the 14- to 20-inch range, are to be stocked Saturday in the upper Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only area, from below Jimtown Road. The lower Delayed Harvest stretch, from the Humbert Road access to Paddytown Hollow Run, was scheduled to get browns and rainbows Saturday.

Youghiogheny River (Somerset, Fayette counties. The dam tailrace from the outflow to the Casselman River was scheduled for a stocking of browns, rainbows and golden rainbows Friday.

Enter your digital photos in the Post-Gazette Trout Photo Contest. Attach high-resolution images (1 MB minimum) to your fishing report submission. Include photographer’s name and town, as well as the angler’s name, age (for children), town, species, size, body of water and details of the catch. Send to fishingreport@post-gazette.com. Contest continues through May 17. 

First Published: March 12, 2020, 9:29 p.m.