Puddle Jumper
Well-Known Member
I think the Nanico ??? power plant closing has and will change fish migration and home territories....for exàmple more salmon and lake trout are being caught on that side of point in last few years
musky in Erie
- Thread starter konrad67
- Start date
Hmmmm good question. Lake has definitely changed in last 5 years or so from my experience. In my opinion it has to do more with the bait available.
Nanticoke was a feeding station with the warmer water discharge... The reason for more lakers and salmon is the stocking... MNR put a pile of lakers in over the last while and Coho's have been stocked on the American side... MOST of the coho's and bows come from the US side... As the water warms early summer the bait moves to our side and the Coho and Rainbows follow... I've fished both sides of the point for years and this is my observations backed by stocking articles...
I have caught some muskie while pike fishing the inner bay and Bluff bar... I think alot more are being caught and kept by uneducated fisherman thinking there pike... Its been a few years since i targeted pike...
I have caught some muskie while pike fishing the inner bay and Bluff bar... I think alot more are being caught and kept by uneducated fisherman thinking there pike... Its been a few years since i targeted pike...
There's been no Coho stocked in Erie since 2004. The numbers are strictly a result of a few good recent year classes in our north shore tributaries 
The Lake trout are mostly American fish and all stocked. There's zero reproduction in Erie. NY, PA and OH all stock plenty on their side of the lake. The MNR stocks yearling on and off but they're a drop in the bucket compared to what the US stocks. 96% of the Lakers sampled have been found to be of the US stocked Lake Champlain and Fingers Lakes strains. Numbers are actually down from about 20yrs ago but increased catches could be due to a shift in feeding patterns from smelt to gobies at certaon times of the year.
Josh
The Lake trout are mostly American fish and all stocked. There's zero reproduction in Erie. NY, PA and OH all stock plenty on their side of the lake. The MNR stocks yearling on and off but they're a drop in the bucket compared to what the US stocks. 96% of the Lakers sampled have been found to be of the US stocked Lake Champlain and Fingers Lakes strains. Numbers are actually down from about 20yrs ago but increased catches could be due to a shift in feeding patterns from smelt to gobies at certaon times of the year.
Josh
I was off by a year, the great lakes fisheries commission and the great lakes stocking database list coho stocking at zero into Erie since 2003. I can find no reference of any Coho programs anywhere on the south side of the lake. All the Coho I've caught in the past several years on Erie have been unclipped.
There's a fair bit of Coho stocking in Lake Michigan but I don't think many if any are clipped. There's also some stocking in Lake Ontario and a few have Adipose clips. Theres also no Coho stocking in Huron or Superior. Maybe a 1 in million fish you caught that travelled up the Welland canal?
Josh
There's a fair bit of Coho stocking in Lake Michigan but I don't think many if any are clipped. There's also some stocking in Lake Ontario and a few have Adipose clips. Theres also no Coho stocking in Huron or Superior. Maybe a 1 in million fish you caught that travelled up the Welland canal?
Josh
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2 in a million? Buddy caught a clipped coho off Glasgow last year. Sent a pic thinking it was an Atlantic salmon. You could see in pic fin was clipped. Most likely a american fish . Was not an overly big fish either.
I'd love to see pics of either fish I'm just going on experience and published data. I know there's some a few cases of stocking that have been missed on the great lakes stocking database. It never ceases to amaze me how far some fish will wander. Buddy got a Chatauqua Creek stocked Steelie on a northern huron trib a few weeks ago....
Coho are notoriously expensive to raise as they need to be housed longer than other fish in the hatchery before release. They aren't economical as far as providing a sport fishery for the most part. If theres any info available about a recent stocking program I'd love to see it! Just seems like any government agency would be well aware a d upfront with stocking a difficult to rear fish like Coho. I can't think of any reports of Coho runs on the stateside tribs either....Keeping up to date, educated and informed about our great lakes migratory Salmonids is my passion above all else. I crave any available info.
Another thought to explain 'clipped' fish is natural deformity. Although not common, missing fins, pectoral in particular can happen naturally. I've seen a few examples over the years. Here's a relatively recent one I encountered on a Huron trib that was missing both pectoral fins along with having a funny looking lower jaw but seemed otherwise healthy....
I'm not trying to argue, stir the pot or discredit anyone's catch! I'm just genuinely interested in the fishery, especially anomalies and unexpected encounters.
Josh
I'm just going on experience and published data. I know there's some a few cases of stocking that have been missed on the great lakes stocking database. It never ceases to amaze me how far some fish will wander. Buddy got a Chatauqua Creek stocked Steelie on a northern huron trib a few weeks ago....Coho are notoriously expensive to raise as they need to be housed longer than other fish in the hatchery before release. They aren't economical as far as providing a sport fishery for the most part. If theres any info available about a recent stocking program I'd love to see it! Just seems like any government agency would be well aware a d upfront with stocking a difficult to rear fish like Coho. I can't think of any reports of Coho runs on the stateside tribs either....Keeping up to date, educated and informed about our great lakes migratory Salmonids is my passion above all else. I crave any available info.
Another thought to explain 'clipped' fish is natural deformity. Although not common, missing fins, pectoral in particular can happen naturally. I've seen a few examples over the years. Here's a relatively recent one I encountered on a Huron trib that was missing both pectoral fins along with having a funny looking lower jaw but seemed otherwise healthy....
I'm not trying to argue, stir the pot or discredit anyone's catch! I'm just genuinely interested in the fishery, especially anomalies and unexpected encounters.
Josh
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Well it seems your Coho was a loooooong ways from home! There was 2 large plants of 100000 Coho with right pectoral clips into Waukegan Harbour on Lake Michigan in 2016 and again in 2018. Those are the only right pec clipped Coho in the past 20yrs anywhere on the great lakes This is the entire list of Coho with that particular fin clip..
This is the entire list of Coho with that particular fin clip.. Csnt find the one from Glasgow but it looked exactly like that . Same year class and everything. Rare but they do pop up.Well it seems your Coho was a loooooong ways from home! There was 2 large plants of 100000 Coho with right pectoral clips into Waukegan Harbour on Lake Michigan in 2016 and again in 2018. Those are the only right pec clipped Coho in the past 20yrs anywhere on the great lakes
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A big muskie day on the Niagara River - Outdoor News
My phone vibrated while I sat in a seat at the DEC presentation on the forage base in Lockport. It was Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island inviting me along on a muskie trip the next morning. One of the guys on his charter had cancelled and he had room for another body. I had to […]
www.outdoornews.com
I saw one in the secret beach at the end of the season maybe 2-3 lbs cruising. The top of the back had markings almost like an X. I also think it was a barred fish, never saw one like that before, but I’ve only ever caught 3 of them as incidental catches. Never have bothered to target them. I’ll have to ask extra virgin if he remembers any more details as it was on his boat. Hope that helps