Western Pennsylvania Slabfest

My most recent blog post, which regrettably wasn't especially recent, was part of my countdown of 10 favorite fishing destinations. In that post. I mentioned being excited to soon be headed toward the destination that was featured, Lake Pymatuning, for a media fishing event. I've since made that trip and done some other productive fishing, so I figured it might be good to briefly stray from the countdown posts for a few updates.

The short version of the Western Pennsylvania report is that the crappie bite is sizzling right now, and fish can be caught many different ways. I fished three days on two lakes (Pymatuning and Shenango) and spent time in four different boats, using various techniques, with the only real common denominator being fast action from quality crappie. I spent time spider rigging with "Crappie Dan" Dannenmueller, drifting with Dale Black and Kenny Smith and casting with Darl Black. All produced good numbers and size, an we caught black and white crappie plus a mix of other species, including bluegills, pumpkinseeds, yellow perch, bass, catfish and more.

Of course, such a report is anything but surprising from these waters (which is part of why Pymatuning landed so high on my favorites list). When the spring bite gets going, the action tends to be fast, with plenty of good fish in the mix. We stayed in cabins in Pymatuning State Park, which offers fabulous lakeside access for boating and bank-fishing alike and spent a pretty good portion of our waking hours out on the water catching fish!

Added Color

The stained water we found at Shenango and Pymatuning lakes last week called for a little extra color, and a SkippyFISH Colored Marker seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. I saw immediate results when I added a chartreuse stripe to the sides of a blue-backed, pearl-bellied bait. Same Road Runner head, same vertical presentation, same spot. The only difference, other than the band of added color on each side,was that I started catching fish.

Our group had fun playing with the markers, which come in seven colors, whether to add a splash of chartreuse or orange for added visibility or to quickly transform a simple colored bait into a yellow perch imitation. Lure markers allow for quick modifications and make it easy to experiment with subtle changes as you seek to pattern fish any given day. They also allow you to "match the hatch" when you don't have a color that resembles whatever baitfish or critters the fish are eating.

I believe most anglers would agree that there's something really fun about making some little change in your presentation or alteration to your lure that you think might make a difference and then start catching fish. I know it's fun for me.

Crappie Biting?

Yesterday was a travel day, with a big bird carrying me from Atlanta to Pittsburgh. This morning, I'm an hour and half north of Pittsburgh, where I'll spend the next three days fishing lakes Pymatuning and Shenango. All reports remain great for the lakes, both of which are supposed to be excellent crappie producers, so we'll see if the good action holds up for the next few days. I believe today's plan is to drift for black crappie. If there's internet access at the cabin where I"ll be staying for the next three nights, I'll post fishing reports. If the blog gets quiet, the computer is not connecting with the rest of the world!

Pymatuning Crappie Bite Hot

This time next week I'll be plying the fish-filled waters of Pennsylvania's Pymatuning Lake, primarily for crappie, although it sounds like any cast of a Road Runner might produce a crappie, white bass, walleye, largemouth, smallmouth or some other variety of fish. Recent reports suggest that the crappie bite is red hot, with both black and white crappie serving up big fun, and that walleyes are likewise feeding well. I'll also spend time fishing Shenango Lake, where crappie and walleyes are also tearing it up based on recent reports. It should be interesting because it sounds like fish are being caught both deep and shallow and with a variety of techniques. The fishing begins on Monday. I'll do my best to post reports about what we catch and how we catch them.