The weekly fishing report from Randy Leighton, West Erie County deputy waterways conservation officer, and Brook Tolbert, waterways conservation officer:
The Erie area has had plenty of rain and wet snow to keep the tribs at good fishing levels although we are seeing winter daytime temperatures in the low 30s and dropping into the low 20s at night. Early morning anglers are finding some slush and ice in the slower moving pools, but in general conditions are good to excellent. The crowds are starting to thin out as deer season approaches allowing plenty of elbow room. If you are new to fly fishing, the thinner crowds make it a good time to start. Anglers fishing the Walnut Basin are doing fair and anglers fishing the wall at Walnut have seen a fair number of fresh fish.
Good cold-weather baits for the drift anglers include egg sacs, single eggs, skein, shiners, plastic worms in pink, white, and chartreuse, and small jigs tipped with a maggot or a wax worm. Fly anglers will often use single-egg patterns and sucker spawn patterns in white, pink, orange, cream, and peach. Woolly buggers and minnow-imitating patterns are also popular.