Pennsylvania Steelhead Streams

Pennsylvania steelhead streams encompass the Lake Erie Watershed. Most of the steelhead come from the following streams:

• Conneaut Creek
• Raccoon Creek
• Crooked Creek
• Elk Creek
• Godfrey Run
• Trout Run
• Walnut Run
• Cascade Creek

All of the above streams are on the West Side of Erie (city). The following creeks are on the East side of Erie:

• Four Mile Creek
• Seven Mile Creek
• Twelve Mile Creek
• Sixteen Mile Creek
• Twenty Mile Creek

Most of these streams do not have natural reproduction of trout or steelhead trout. The environmental conditions as well as substrates prevent this from happening. The steelhead in Lake Erie are really lake run rainbows. The fish live in Lake Erie during the summer and move into the streams at various times during the winter. Most of these streams get too warm to support trout populations in the summer. The state of Pennsylvania sometimes will stock fingerlings up to 6 inches during the winter and sometimes in the spring.

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Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)

This is supposed to give the fingerlings an "imprint" so they will return to the streams at a later date from Lake Erie. As in most areas of the country including the Great Lakes and NY new fish tend to be silver or shiny while older steelhead tend to be dark.

Lake Erie Steelhead are notorious for inconsistency in their runs. Usually a run will occur when an environmental condition changes such as water level, temperature etc., usually caused by rain. There is also great debate among fisherman both bait and fly anglers whether the fish hit better during falling water or rising water. It is doubtfull whether Lake Erie Steelhead grow past 6 years in age

 Pennsylvania Chinook or King Salmon

At one time Pennsylvania stocked Chinook or King Salmon in these waters but it appears such efforts to establish good populations have failed.  Anglers still catch a few Coho Salmon usually in the fall runs. Here are photos to distinguish Chinook from Coho Salmon:

Chinook or King Salmon

Coho Salmon