*Please go to the USGS real-time temperature data in the right menu bar for water temperatures for select Lake Erie tributaries.
As the days or “photo-periods” become shorter and the Lake Erie lake shore begins to nudge down to 68 degrees F, in early to mid September, steelhead (including some brown trout) will begin staging along the Lake Erie lake shore and tributary mouths as a “pre-spawn” movement.
Early cool fall rains and tributary run-off (54 degrees F or less) will initiate the first steelhead “runs” of the season into the lower part of Lake Erie's tributary streams. The smaller size tributaries (which cool quicker in late summer/early fall) will result in some of the earliest steelhead action in “steelhead alley” region of OH, PA and NY. Remnants of fall hurricanes can bring bonus run-off episodes on the tributaries during dry falls.
2023 Lake Erie Steelhead Stockings*
2024 steelhead stocking data not available yet*
Lake Erie steelhead (smolt) stocking numbers for 2023 include: PA (1,002,892/57%), OH (464,898/26%), NY (173,827/9.7%), Michigan (55,795/3%) and ON (60,533/3.4%)). This total of steelhead stocking for 2023 was consistent with the long-term average. Since 1993, annual stocking numbers have consistently been in the 1.7-2.0 million fish range for the Lake.
The 2023 stocking strains of steelhead by the Lake Erie fishery agencies are 97% “naturalized” Great Lakes strains (with West Coast origin). They are as follows: PA (Lake Erie strain collected from Trout Run nursery waters), NY (Washington Strain collected from Lake Ontario's Salmon River in NY), OH (combination of L. Manistee River strain/Lake Michigan, Ganaraska River strain/Lake Ontario and Chambers Creek strain) and MI (L. Manistee River strain/Lake Michigan). Note: The most recent fin clips for steelhead done by a Lake Erie Fishery Agency were done by MI in 2020 and 2019 (right adipose fin clip). Prior to that 2016 (by NY) was the most recent year.
2023 Lake Erie Brown Trout Stockings*
2024 brown trout stocking data not available yet*
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PF&BC) stocked approximately 103,394 yearling and adult brown trout in its Lake Erie waters in 2023 (the only fishery agency stocking brown trout into Lake Erie presently). This is 38% increase from 2022 and 14% below the long term (1990-2021) average annual stocking of 87,412 Brown Trout.
These fish are in support of a put-grow-take brown trout program that was initiated in 2009. This program supports both an inland PF&BC brown trout fishery for tributary spring trout anglers and a Lake Erie lake-run brown trout fishery based in the Lake (with the potential of trophy lake-run brown trout “running” into the lake shore/tributaries on a fall spawning run).
Pennsylvania Steelhead Fishing Access
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) finalized a public fishing easement on 20 Mile Creek. The new easement was acquired with funds from Lake Erie fishing permit fees and is administered through the PFBC Lake Erie Access Improvement Program.
The easement includes almost 9,000 linear feet of public fishing access along the creek on land that was previously leased to a private fishing club for the last 10 years. Located south of Route 5 with public parking and access to the easement at North East Township Community Conservation Park. The easement will open most of 20 Mile Creek from Lake Erie to Route 20 to public fishing.
Steelheaders should be aware that the easement extends 35 ft. back from the top of the creek bank except for areas immediately adjacent to private residences which remain closed to the public.
Pennsylvania Trout Run Nursery Water Easement
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) finalized a .7 acre property easement with private property owners at the mouth of Trout Run in Avonia, Pa. This assures for perpetuity that the PFBC will have access to the Trout Run nursery water (which is closed to fishing) for their steelhead hatchery program. It is estimated that 95% of the steelhead used in the PFBC steelhead program are from spawning steelhead collected from Trout Run.
