Smallmouth Bass
April 22, 2008 - 2:57pm — JYork
On Sunday, April 20, Erie set a high temperature record of 85 degrees. The fishing in Erie is changing. Anglers were focused on fishing for coldwater species like trout. Now, they must concentrate on warmwater species like bass.
In this angling paradise, the Steelhead fishing is coming to a close as the trout are drifting back into the lake to find cooler waters. That is the bad news. The good news is that the Smallmouth Bass are entering the shoreline shallows, and some have found their way into Elk Creek.
We were waiting.
For everyone who likes to fish, but seldom succeeds, I have one word of advice - ERIE.
At this time of the year, fishing pressure on the streams is light. You will have plenty of room to fish, and plenty of fish to catch. Most anglers fish the shallows and bays from a boat. The ability to move quickly from spot to spot and find the fish is the advantage of boat angling.
Bass season does not begin until June 13, but you can still have great fun by practicing the" catch and release" method. Erie waters annually produce plenty of trophy-sized bass. In Erie, a 20 inch, 4 pound Smallmouth is not a rare catch; and five and six pound fish are caught frequently.
Today, about ten anglers spent several hours catching and releasing scores of 12-18 inch Smallmouth. We were using twister-tail jigs, and "fishing" them slowly on the bottom. You just cast the lure out, wait until it sinks to the bottom, and then hop the jig and retrieve it slowly. The fish would hit the lure on the "hop"! Just watch the video to see the technique.
Day two of the Smallmouth action on Elk Creek was much like the previous day. There were only a few people fishing and plenty of nice bass to catch.
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