Page 8 - Fishing Report | 08-10-16

pulled off. However, numerous smaller largemouth bass were boated
and a few smallmouth bass, too. Around noon nasty weather rolled in
so we took to cover. (See photo)

Allegheny River
Bill Logan (Pleasantville); filed 8/8: I went to the river today and caught
bass! The river had been tough lately with few fish caught. Today I land-
ed 6 smallmouths and lost 2 – all on a Rapala Minnow. Also had a nice Justus Lake bass
musky follow my glide bait. I covered 10 miles of river today.

Steve Udick (Oil City); filed 8/6: A group of us floated the river the first weekend in August.
Torrential rain hit us Saturday morning and lasted past 1 pm. We had 13 people in our par-
ty and only managed 8 bass between us on Saturday. Sunday the river had come up and
huge mats of grass and weeds made retrieving lures impossible. Chris Marczak of Water-
ford caught a prized 21.5 inch smallmouth bass on a Floating Rapala Minnow in Firetiger. I
landed an 18 inch smallie on a Mizmo Grub. Both fish came from the Rockmere Eddy. Sad
to say we only caught 24 bass and one walleye among 13 anglers on the two-day trip. (See
Photos in Livewell)

It’s an Alien Invasion! (Special interview on the Hydrilla situation at Pymatuning)

If you have fished Pymatuning by boat this season, more than likely you have encountered
State Park’s Courtesy Boat Inspection check stations at launch ramps. The employee quick-
ly tells you something about an invasive weed, but you really aren’t listening because you
want to get out on the water. Well, now that you have time to read the NW PA Fishing Re-
port, take an additional minute or two to read the following important information about
the Hydrilla invasion. Pymatuning State Park Manager Dan Bickel responds to questions
posed by Darl Black, editor of the NW PA Fishing Report.

1. What specifically about Hydrilla should be a concern to boaters, anglers and others
who enjoy Pymatuning Lake and other nearby waterways?

Hydrilla spreads rapidly growing up to 2.5 cm a day and can grow from substrate to
surface in depths up to 12 feet of water. There are very few species that can com-
pete with hydrilla leading to a monoculture of very thick mats choking out native
weedbeds important to fish habitat. It also has been found to host the cyanobacte-
ria Aetokthonos hydrillicola which leads to deaths of waterfowl and bald eagles
through a neurological disease called avian vacuolar myelinopathy. A couple of sam-
ples tested from Pymatuning thankfully did not find the cyanobacteria currently pre-
sent on them.