On the other hand, this is no secret, and on a warm, calm day in late September or October, you will likely find anglers lined up shoulder to shoulder at the mouth. Fishing along the wall between the marina and the mouth of the lake is popular, especially in the fall. Drive to the very end of Holliday Road to the Virginia's Beach Campground. It is seldom a place for peaceful, solitary fishing. There is limited parking on the northwest end of the bridge here. You can fish from the bridge upstream; downstream is the nursery waters where fishing is prohibited. Many still fish or fish with lures in this area, and very few fly fish here. It is deep and fairly long. However, in 2004 the landowner who owns both sides of the creek south of Route 5 posted this area. Further upstream the creek can be access from the Girard Park. It is an approved trout water only south of Erie County. The first access upstream from the mouth is from Route 5. In fact, Depew labeled this years catch pretty fantastic., There are a lot of nice largemouths out there, he noted. Much of this creek is located in Ohio. Turn south on the dead end road known as Platz Road (Township Road 428), and follow it to its end. For further information from the Commission on this project, click HERE. All parking and access in this area is through the courtesy of Fairview Evergreen Nurseries. In the fall the creek can be stacked with large steelhead, many with their tails sticking out of the water. Crooked Creek is the third largest of the western creeks and holds a good population of steelhead. Because of its small size and because it runs primarily through woods, Raccoon drains quickly and can be fishable when the larger creeks are too high or muddy from recent rain or runoff. This road is not maintained in the winter. The area on all sides of the covered bridge on Gudgeonville Road (Township Road 400) is posted. But thanks to inconsistent stocking resulting from some hatchery issues, the population is sketchy overall, he said. The mouth of Godfrey can be accessed from Fairplain Road (Township Road 4031), which loops around south of Route 5. There is also very limited parking along the east side of Holliday Road between Ables Road and the railroad tracks at a small pull-off as you are heading down the hill. The fish usually start coming up towards the end of March, at least where I live, and stay til the end of fall. There is no easy access to the creek from Old Albion Road. Enter your email below to be added to our mailing list. Not by number. But as is the case in many lakes with competing gizzard shad, Depew said few of the panfish are anything to write home about. Crews saw few bluegills longer than 7 inches or crappies longer than 9. If the lake is relatively calm, the steelhead fishing can be very productive. The shale cliff on the south side makes access somewhat difficult, especially on the southwest side. In 2001 parking along Route 5 was prohibited and it remains that way now. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It holds bass and northern pike during the summer months. Heading south on Elmwood Home Road, you enter the State Game Lands. There is decent steelhead fishing in this creek from the mouth, under the Route 5 bridge, and at the sizable hole just upstream from the Route 5 bridge. Although pleasant, there are not many good holding areas until you get a considerable distance upstream. Follow either road north to the access area. There is a good sized pool immediately downstream from the bridge, and fish often hold in the tube under the road. The area from the parking lot to the lake is a wide and slow-moving estuary. Conneaut Creek is the only creek in this watershed that has areas which have a sand and dirt bottom, rather than a shale bottom like the remaining creeks. Favorite place to wade and fish, great smallmouth fishing in early-mid summer using rooster tails and fly fishing for them is good too. It releases a smaller number of rainbows into the lake in fall, too. It is small and the fishing is limited to the area north of Route 5. Fishing pressure can be intense. In the early fall, when there has been little rain and the creeks are low and clear, the mouth of Elk is very popular for steelhead. If you turn west on Hilltop Road, a short distance from Cherry Hill Road you will find a partially constructed road heading toward the creek. In this area the creek here passes through pleasant farm county. This has become known as the "project waters." In addition to steelhead, Conneaut Creek has a very good fishery for muskellunge throughout its run through Erie County. To access this area, you must drive past a number of angler-unfriendly signs posted by the GE golf course and the Lawrence Park Country Club. The fishing can be good both upstream and downstream from Folly's End. I've personally talked to the PA fish WCO about stocking Raccoon creek from Clinton down to the park. Its better now, at least for bigger fish. The nursery waters extend through Camp Fitch and up to the first bridge at Ables Road. Upstream from Folly's End is the "Streuchen Flats" area. Upstream from the bridge the creek passes under Sterrettania Road. Above Route 5 there a portions of the creek that are narrow and brushy. The next popular access point upstream is at Folly's End Campground off Route 98 south of the Town of Fairview. i rarely run into other fisherman outside of the main spots. There are a lot of them in the lake, Depew said. Walnut Creek is the second largest and second most popular creek for steelhead fishing. Cascade Creek is a small stream that runs through the City of Erie. Your complete source for information on fishing the Erie, Pennsylvania area. As a result, to fish the Manchester Hole, you must park in the access area and either walk up the west bank, or walk along the street and enter on the west bank. I really never fished the stream much but have caught smallies in the summer months. You can walk into the Game Lands and fish the stream here. The fish move upstream as the season wears on. The first access is at the Springfield Road bridge. Here's what's under consideration and why in Pennsylvania. Then there are the lakes panfish. Seasonally, they populate the lake shallower coves, too, he added, spawning and chasing baitfish. There is limited parking available at the northwest end of the bridge. That is my home water - been fishing it since '79-'80back before then the mine drainage had it about sterilecheck out the Beaver County Conservation Distric web site on ongoing stream reclemation. It drops-off quickly from its banks, and it can be hard to wade in many areas. For further information, see the Marinas page. There is good fishing just downstream from and inside the tube under Route 20. Cascade Creek empties into Presque Isle Bay just west of the Niagara Pier condominiums. On both sides of these tracks you will find a path leading down to the creek. To access the lower regions of this creek, walk over the wooden bridge, then north along Cascade Creek to its mouth at the Bay. This area is also popular for catfish. The marina closed in 2004 and currently you cannot park or fish in the marina area. You will see rough roads on the west side of the road both north and south of the narrow railroad underpass. All of those bass are fairly well spread out, too, meaning theyre accessible to both shore and boat anglers. wayne - sorry - they do not stock raccoon creek - there ARE trout that get blown in from Traverse and Little Traverse Creeks - say we get a good gully washer before the April opener - but they are few and far between. However, fishing at the mouth of Godfrey for steelhead and walleye is popular when lake conditions are favorable. Follow the road to the left, then past the industries to its end. From Route 5, turn south on Shorewood Drive to the lake. There is parking on the west side of the loop beyond the no parking signs. The Fish and Boat Commission stocks Walnut with steelhead, but not brown trout, and it is not an approved trout water. And that ones better to be fished by a boat, Depew said. There is limited parking here and the stream is brushy. The parking lot will be on your left. Racoon Park, a nice community park with picnic pavilions and plenty of parking, is located just east of the mouth of Racoon Creek. There is a sizable fishable area at the mouth (as well as a nice beach). Elk Creek is the largest and most popular of the Erie County tributary streams. You can park at the either location and access the creek. The area upstream from the American Legion hole is flat and shallow for a considerable distance. The PFBC stocks this creek with muskie, tiger muskie and walleye. Twelve Mile Creek is located primarily in Harborcreek Township in eastern Erie County. Just upstream from the bridge there is a quick rise in the creek bed that fish rarely pass. And thats good to see, Depew said. The Pennsylvania Game Commission released its 2019-20 deer harvest estimates. At the first overpass to the west, there is ample parking all along the bridge on 6N. There is a road that goes east over the creek to the country club. There is also public parking for up to 50 cars in a paved parking lot beside the lower part of the creek, off the Bayfront Highway just south of the Niagara Pier condominiums. Thousands of steelhead return to Trout Run every year. Most fishing for muskie is done in the summer and fall. By winter, steelhead can usually be found all the way upstream beyond the McKean exit of Interstate 79 (Exit 174). The next access point upstream is just south of Route 20 on Gulf Road (S.R. By winter, steelhead can usually be found all the way upstream to the Millcreek Mall. Raccoon Creek is the property line in my back yard. If youre going up the right (northern) side of the lake from the dam, that whole shoreline was pretty good. Just upstream of this bridge is a large dam that blocks the passage of fish. One of those plantings includes some golden rainbows, too. A trail will take you down to the creek. They rank as a negative. some you can fish from shore and some you can wade. Exiting Interstate 90 at the East Springfield exit (Exit 2; Route 215) and traveling north on Route 215 will take you to the lower reaches of Crooked Creek. It enters Lake Erie about one-half mile west of State Route 18 in Girard Township. You can also access the stream by parking along the Conrail tracks (which are the northern set of tracks) and taking the steep but short trail down the south side of the tracks to the creek. The area from the parking lots south to the Route 5 bridge can hold steelhead early in the season. The tracks are located between Route 5 and Route 20. Because it flows through farm fields, after rain or a snow melt Crooked Creek is often the first creek to discolor and the last to clear. You could park on Beckman Road and walk a long and sometimes steep trail down to the creek. It can be difficult to wade south past the tubes below Route 5. Turn off Route 5 at the Elk Creek Sport Store and drive north toward the Lake to the bottom of the hill. The next access above the tracks is at the Walnut Creek Gun Club. Sometimes you can drive into the campground off Route 5 at the bottom of the hill, but most times this too is posted. You can fish at the mouth and a short distance upstream to where it is posted. Like the other creeks in the watershed, by June most parts of the creek are low and too warm for trout and the fishing for steelhead and stocked brown trout is over. Here there is a tube under the road, a significant waterfall at the tube, and a sizable pool just below the waterfall. Fishing in this pool is usually drift fishing (often with a small float) or fly fishing. The mouth of this creek is at Conneaut Harbor in Conneaut, Ohio. Parking and fishing is provided only by owner permission, which can be withdrawn at any time. The east side of the stream mouth is posted. Just upstream of Route 5 is a waterfall that stops the upstream run of fish in this creek. An unofficial-looking sign on Route 5 stating "Elk Creek Access Area" marks the spot. You can park and access the creek at either end of McKee Road, whether you come from the north off Old Albion Road, or from the south off Cherry Hill Road. The PF&BC also occasionally places spawned-out steelhead in this pool. There is a tackle shop at the campground, which includes fly gear. Depew said its shallower and somewhat silted in there. Suckers also run up Elk Creek in the spring. After the creek level rises, fish can get above the falls at the iron bridge to the upper reaches of Twenty Mile. You can also park on Route 5 just east of the creek and walk down to the creek and fish either upstream or downstream (although going downstream you will hit the Conrail tubes quickly). There are outhouses, covered picnic facilities and paved parking lots. Want to keep up to date with all our latest news and information? Upstream from the chutes are several pools, then a waterfall. Stocked trout rank on the plus side. Fishing is also good upstream (especially around the bridge for the second set of tracks), but a short distance upstream the creek is posted and access ends. On the other hand, the waters below the plant sometimes have a less-than-pleasant odor. It enters Erie County south of Interstate 90 and a good distance south of the Lake, and winds through rural lands to beyond Albion, Pennsylvania. Because it is deep and slow, it may be one of the few places holding steelhead. There is also access at the bridge on Lynch Road north of Route 5. sorry, i guess i just assumed they did stock it below the outflow which would ultimately lead to the mouth?? This area is located at the bottom of Walnut Creek Hill on Route 20, between Dutch Road and Manchester Road. Like Godfrey Run, Trout Run is a nursery water and fishing in the creek is prohibited. A path will take you from the parking lot along the west side of the creek to the mouth. Until recently there was a historic covered bridge where McKee Road crossed the creek. There is a nice pool just downstream from the tube under the tracks. Comments, Raccoon Lake, seen here in all its fall color, is a good place to chase largemouth bass.Bob Frye/Everybody Adventures. During early fall, steelhead may not get beyond the Route 5 bridge. During early fall, steelhead may not get beyond the Manchester hole just south of the first bridge. Steelhead run in Conneaut Creek as far south as Dicksonburg in Crawford County. It is not an approved trout stream. There is a boat launch at the access area. The only access to 20 Mile in the area south of Interstate 90 and north of Route 20 is from the west end of Stinson Road, where Gay Road makes a sharp bend. The lake holds a few, said biologist Mike Depew, and a good proportion of those are nice. There are signs on Route 20 for several industries (including "Reddog Industries") that are located on this small road. There is limited parking along the road by the pond and a path to the north of the pond leads down to the creek. Parking is permitted only in certain areas along the road. This pool is located just south of the Manchester/Dutch Road bridge, just upstream from the access area and project waters. The The The upper-most access points are south of Route 90.