| Erie Times-News
Philadelphia native Klayd Chernovskiy spent Saturday morning savoring his first taste of Erie steelhead fishing.
The 29-year-old angler staked out a spot at about 5 a.m. near the Walnut Creek Marina in Fairview Township. He wasn’t disappointed.
Early in the afternoon, he trudged back to his vehicle carrying a 29-inch-long steelhead and two 21-inch steelhead.
“This is my first time fishing here. I heard about this area being good for steelhead,” Chernovskiy said. “We used to come here not to fish but just to hang out with friends. All in all, it was a pretty good day since we were here for seven or eight hours.”
Heavy rainfall at the end of the week raised water levels and allowed steelhead staged in Lake Erie to enter the creeks and start in earnest the annual run that draws anglers from around not just the state but the country.
“We finally got the precipitation events we needed,” said Millcreek Township angler Karl Weixlmann, 58. “Two or three days ago, we had flood-stage conditions. The tributaries were the highest I’ve ever seen this early in the season. We had very low water up until the past week.”
Weixlmann has been a steelhead fishing guide on Erie-area streams and tributaries for more than 20 years and has written three books on fishing around Erie.
“The water conditions change daily, and a simple rule of thumb is when the small streams are low and clear, get on the larger tributaries like Elk Creek or Conneaut Creek, and when the larger tributaries are high and dirty, get on the smaller tributaries that have shorter drainages,” Weixlmann said. “A good rule in Erie is that if the west side tributaries are blown out, get on the east side tributaries. which have shorter drainages and improved water conditions than the large tributaries.”
David Gionfriddo, 51, of Dysart, Cambria County, arrived at Walnut Creek near the marina early Saturday afternoon.
It was his first return steelhead trip to the Erie region in nine years.
“I used to come up here two or three times a year for 30-some years,” Gionfriddo said. “My son was nagging me and saying we need to get back to Erie for steelhead. We love the fishing and it’s beautiful up here in the fall. We’re die-hard fishermen. You get bad days and you get those days where it’s exciting and you’re catching them left and right.”
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and its co-operative partners heavily stock steelhead trout in Lake Erie and its tributaries.
Steelhead — a coldwater species — migrate upstream in autumn. The average weight of a steelhead is 6 pounds to 7 pounds, and a trophy steelhead might weigh about 10 pounds or more.
Butler resident Derek Collins, 43, a lifelong fisherman, drove to Erie on Friday intent on learning as much as he can about steelhead fishing, which he tried for the first time.
“I’ve fished all over the United States and this is my first time here,” Collins said. “I’m doing a lot of studying, watching people how they walk up and down the streams and how it works. People have been really helpful to me with tips and tackle.”
Collins owns a bait and tackle shop in Butler. He made the trip with his 3-year-old diabetic alert dog, Freya, a female German Shepherd.
At some spots on Walnut Creek on Saturday, anglers were nearly shoulder-to-shoulder.
“I love this atmosphere,” Collins said of his Walnut Creek spot. “I feel safe here. I’ve been all over the United States and this is a clean environment. Very little trash.”
Some of the region’s top autumn steelhead hot spots are Elk Creek, Walnut Creek, Twenty Mile Creek, Sixteen Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek, Seven Mile Creek, Presque Isle Bay and Cascade Creek.
Mid-October through November is the peak fair-weather window for the region’s steelhead fishing season, which also draws visitors from abroad.
“I have people who fly in from Vail, Colorado, every year for a week,” Weixlmann said. “I have people who come here every year from Denmark.”
Steelhead fishing has become a shot in the economic arm for regional bait shops, outdoor stores, hotels, motels, restaurants and convenience stores.
A study released in 2018 by the Pennsylvania State University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management estimated that as much as $11 million per year is added to the Erie County economy through steelhead fishing.
The study, “Assessing the Economic Impact and Significance of Recreational Angling on Lake Erie Waters,” reported that fishing’s overall annual economic impact in Erie County is $40.6 million, with the steelhead fishing season accounting for about 27%of th at total.
Erie’s reputation enticed Jeff Smith, 53, of Homer City, Indiana County, to visit this weekend.
“My friends told me about this and said if you catch these steelhead, you’ll want to keep coming back because it’s that much fun,” Smith said.
Smith was on the water at 7:30 a.m. Saturday on Walnut Creek.
“This is the first time I’ve tried steelhead fishing,” he said. “I’m thinking about coming back here next weekend. I’ll stay on this creek. I like this area.”
Contact Ron Leonardi at rleonardi@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNLeonardi.
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