Participatory outdoor recreation will be the big draw Saturday and Sunday at the Moraine State Park Regatta in Butler County. In addition to boating, biking, paddling, swimming, running, archery and other eco-friendly activities, families can fish on the South Shore of Lake Arthur with Post-Gazette outdoors writer John Hayes, host of the Family Fishing Area. No charge for festival admission, parking, loaner rods, tackle and live bait, and fishing license requirements will be waived. Get details at morainestateparkregatta.org.
Lake Erie (Erie County) Walleye that were stacked at 60-70 feet in the first trench were caught on meat Wednesday. A 29-incher and two above 20 inches were boated in waters north of the peninsula. On Sunday northwest of Walnut Creek, anglers reported many throw-backs and bycatches in 50 feet of water, but as the bottom dropped to 55 feet ’eyes were suspended at about 45 feet and many in the 18-inch range were caught. Anglers picked off smallmouth bass throwing soft plastics in cool waters deeper than 23 feet off the point between Shorewood and Freeport beaches.
Pymatuning Reservoir (Crawford County) Muskellunge in the 35- to 40-inch range were caught and released in recent weeks. Panfish were caught at the lip of dropoffs at weed edges. Largemouths took soft plastic lures, and walleye were caught over wood at night.
Conneaut Lake (Crawford County) Anglers reported that Northern pike took large bucktails at the edges of submerged weed masses. Crappies remained deep in cool water, taking live minnows and jigs at about 15 feet. Steven Stester of Monroeville caught three largemouths between 15 and 18 inches while casting soft plastics into standing weeds Saturday.
Woodcock Creek Lake (Crawford County) Filled to summer pool level, the impoundment gave up muskies, walleye and panfish.
Canadohta Lake (Crawford County) Muskies went for large trolling lures, particularly at dusk. Walleye were caught on crawler harnesses and spoons.
Sugar Lake (Crawford County) Many bowfin were taken on live minnows, and anglers caught chain pickerel and largemouth bass.
Woodcock Creek (Crawford County) Two good-size smallmouths and several panfish were taken near the wall at the outflow. Catches of muskellunge and walleye were reported.
Lake Arthur (Butler County) On a sunny weekend afternoon, an angler motored a pontoon boat in a zig-zag pattern over submerged road beds while trolling several hand-carved lures. In about 15 feet of water, a 42-inch muskellunge attacked a black and white floating/diving plug and was released. Largemouth bass hit soft plastics in dark colors with glitter, and a kayaker released two bass caught on streamers. At night walleye went for worm harnesses, and catfish took harnesses and crawler balls. Crappies escaped the 78-degree surface temperature by dropping to thermocline depth, about 16 feet, said Joe Fazio of Crappie Crushin’ TV and Lake Arthur Crappie Anglers on YouTube and Facebook. The Mount Washington man found a “constant crappie bite” off extended points and “hammered them,” he said, using medium fatheads under floats or ⅛-ounce and 1/16-ounce jigs with black/chartreuse tails.
Neshannock Creek (Lawrence County) Two anglers released four brown and rainbow trout taken on nymphs drifted through a small shady area near the covered bridge.
Raccoon Lake (Beaver County) Melissa Craddock, 5, of Beaver caught her first fish, a bluegill, near the boat launch Saturday.
Ohio River (Beaver, Allegheny counties) As the flathead catfish spawn neared completion, a 22-incher was caught and released near Georgetown Island. Around midnight Wednesday, a married couple from Monroeville boated and released a 28-inch flathead that took cut bait near industrial structure downstream from the West End Bridge.
North Park Lake (Allegheny County) Many panfish and perch were caught under heavy angling pressure on warm weekend afternoons. In waters off the Latham Pavilion, an angler from Gibsonia landed a common carp “about 2 feet long” that took a ball of crawlers.
Loyalhanna Creek (Westmoreland County) An adolescent muskellunge in the 20-inch range took a crankbait fished at night under the eastbound Route 30 bridge.
Monongahela River (Greene County) Two smallish catfish and a 20-inch freshwater drum were caught off Pumpkin Run at Rice’s Landing at about sundown.
Youghiogheny River (Fayette County) On the evening of July 29, an angler from Uniontown was fishing with live bait across the river from the mouth of Dunbar Creek. “Something heavy took it,” he said, and the man fought the fish to the riverbank before seeing it was a legal-range muskellunge. As he attempted to net it, the line snapped.
File your fishing report and high-resolution digital photos (1MB minimum) at fishingreport@post-gazette.com. Include name, age (for under 18 years), town, species, size, body of water and details of the catch.
First Published: August 5, 2022, 12:55 p.m.
