Lake Erie (Erie County) “Another amazing walleye season” was predicted by Erie Walleye Charters following a successful week trolling Pirate spoons and Wormburner harnesses at 45-60 feet in waters east of Shades Beach. Another two-man limit was reported July 5 straight out of Walnut in 35 feet of water. Perch-colored harnesses and blue Berkley Flicker Shad on riggers and dipsies did the trick. Under a bumpy, wavy surface, walleye hugged the bottom at 55 feet July 6 when clients of the Perch Pirate headboat pulled 37 keepers over the rail. The drop-count-and-reel drift fishing method was enhanced by custom-made, gold-bladed crawler harnesses.

Dan Morey, a kayak angler from Erie, celebrated the Fourth of July by wrangling a 22-pound channel catfish while jigging deadbait in 10 feet east of the peninsula. With waters approaching 70 degrees and cats migrating to their nesting areas, big females were in prespawn mode.

Saturday’s lunch is on the PA Steelhead Association when members pass out free hot dogs and cold water at the Walnut Creek Access Area. The promotion is intended to remind anglers of the group’s Great Lakes conservation work and steadfast support of the steelhead fishery.

Friday was expected to be a scorcher with dry skies and a sluggish breeze from the north-northeast, followed by a dark night for trolling under a waning crescent. Thunderstorms were predicted Saturday and Sunday.

Pymatuning Reservoir (Crawford County) Trolling for walleye at night was productive east of Linesville in about 15 feet of water off Tuttle Point. By day, crawler harnesses and Flicker Shad were hot in waters off the Red Cross Boat Launch.

Lake Arthur (Butler County) Largemouth bass took surface lures at dusk over the steep shoreline dropoff on the east side of Baird Point. Slab crappies went for live minnows under floats in 11 feet of water off the Davis Hollow launch.

Connoquenessing Creek (Butler County) Kayak angler Roger Stevens of Evans City released a 22-inch muskellunge caught on a jointed Creek Chub Pikie in waters off Zelienople Sunday.

Ohio, Beaver rivers (Beaver County) Flathead hunters boated shovelheads in the 18- to 25-inch range that took cut bait in waters from Butterfly Beach to the Monaca-East Rochester Bridge. Kids got in on the action: Bobby Matich of Monaca caught a channel cat near Monaca. At New Brighton Dam on the Beaver River, stepsisters Peyton Nagy and Lilya Miller of Monaca wrangled in a flathead, walleye and common carp, while Ben Nagy landed a muskellunge and walleye.

North Park Lake (Allegheny County) A Wexford fisherman said experienced Allegheny County anglers are missing out on a valuable fishing resource close to home. After a $21 million dredging and rehabilitation project ended in 2011, the lake grew rich with nutrients and a food chain rooted in a robust macroinvertebrate population. “Serious fishermen don’t fish there – they think it’s for kids,” he said. “No one’s drop-shotting in the creek channels. No one’s anchoring below the upper dam or fishing over the man-made habitat structures they put in.” So far this year he’s caught and released four rainbow trout in the 20-inch range, a half-dozen big channel catfish and “more bass than I can count.”

Carnegie Lake (Allegheny County) The urban anglers at Let’s Go Fishing, in conjunction with Pittsburgh CitiParks, offer instructional fishing for kids age 5-15 accompanied by parents or guardians 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through summer. It’s free, includes loaner rods and live bait, and license requirements are waived for participating adults. The 2-acre pond is near Pittsburgh Zoo on Lake Drive in Highland Park. Pre-registration is recommended.

Allegheny River (Allegheny County) At around 5 p.m. June 30, Don Whaley of Oakmont and a friend were trolling between Aspinwall and Blawnox when Whaley boated an 8½-pound walleye. The fish took a jointed Berkley Flicker Shad on 6-pound test line and a medium-light spinning rod. The walleye was released.

Under hot and sunny skies, fish weren’t feeding Wednesday during Venture Outdoors’ Lunchtime Fishing program near the North Shore Water Steps in the shadow of Acrisure Stadium. One 18½-inch channel catfish took a bite of chicken liver and was brought to the wharf by Tommy Lippert of Spring Garden. Supervised fishing with free loaner rods and bait are available 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays through summer, and fishing license requirements are waived. Learn more at ventureoutdoors.org, 412-255-0564.

Ohio River (Allegheny County) A fat flathead took a frozen trout fished from shore Sunday night in the tailwaters below Dashields Dam. Stephen Bessemer of Squirrel Hill said he couldn’t get the catfish’s length – before release the brute trashed his landing net and tape measure.

Twin Lakes (Westmoreland County) Panfish and perch took live bait and soft plastics. An 18½-inch largemouth bass was caught on a Texas rigged purple plastic worm on the lower lake July 2.

Post-Gazette outdoors writer John Hayes returns to the Moraine State Park Regatta as host of the Family Fishing Area Aug. 5-6. The program includes free loaner rods and live bait. Fishing license requirements will be waived.

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: July 13, 2023, 7:37 p.m.
Updated: July 13, 2023, 8:45 p.m.