Page 6 - Fishing Report | 3-28-18

Lake Wilhelm
John @ Fergie’s Bait; filed 3-26: Up until today, we were stilling getting skim ice on sections of
Wilhelm overnight. The only news we had was regarding some decent bluegills being caught
around Launch 1.

VENANGO COUNTY

Allegheny River
Pete @ SmalliesoftheYough.com; filed 3/23: I received an order of baits
and headed to the Allegheny River to test some new colors. The river tem-
perature was quite cold, but we caught a few in deeper water. Smallmouths

are starting to wake up and eat! We used Gamma Edge 8-pound test and
412ubes from 412 Bait Co to catch our bronze. (See photos)

Pete Cartwright
Jeff @ Keystone Connection Guide Service; filed 3/15: Despite winter’s re-
luctance to loosen its grip, I’ve managed to make a few early
season scouting trips. Keystone Dam produced some nice white
crappies; walleyes up to 26 inches on Allegheny River Pool 6;
walleyes up to 21 inches on the middle Allegheny along with

the season’s first smallmouth bass and northern pike. With wall-
eye season now closed, I’ll be doing guide trips on the middle
Allegheny for smallmouths and scouting trips to Pymatuning for
walleye. (See photos)
Jeff Knapp’s 1st guide trip 2018
3/26 Postscript: On March 25 I did my first smallmouth outing
of the spring. No monsters, but a bunch of nice ones from 15 to 17.5 inches. All on Z-Man TRD

TubeZ, finesse skirted jigs and Galida’s Grubz. Water Temp was 39/40 degrees, clear and low for
this time of year. (See photo)

Gene Winger (Oil City); filed 3/26: It’s great to finally get back on the riv-
er again after a long winter, even after getting skunked on my first trip of
the season! Last week the river was 37 degrees with good color and flow
but my cold water techniques just didn’t produce. This week was a
different story. I was out three times and had a blast. Water conditions
really had not changed, but the bass bite was really starting to crank up!

I had good luck using a 2.5” green pumpkin tube on ¼-oz head and small Gene Winger
¼-oz olive hair jigs…fished slowly along the bottom in 18 to 20 feet. Can’t
wait for water to hit the magical 40 degree mark! (See photos)