Working to improve
Pennsylvania Steelhead fishing for all !

Important notice: The PSA monthly Membership meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, will now be held at 7:00pm!

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The next Fall Run PSA Banquet was on

Sat. October 26th!

At the Colony Restaurant & Banquet

facility on W. 12th St.!

The 2019 Fall Run Banquet held at Colony Restaurant and Banquet Facilty to honor Ed Mascharka, JT Davis and the PSA's founding fathers was a big success. Attendance was around 80 people who all had a chance at a lot of great Silent Auction Items. Door prizes were also awarded. Ed Mascharka was honored for his efforts during his many years as District One Commissioner. Board Member and Co-Banquet Chairman JT Davis was recognized as Mr. Dependable for all the years of dedication to the PSA.

John Bodner, Joe Egnot and Matt Hrycyk were honored as the founding fathers of the Steelhead Association. They have been credited for saving the Steelhead fishery as we know it today, taking action when land postings threatened access to the fish! A text of the discussion of their foresight from the banquet program is printed in the November TightLines newsletter!

Many thanks to those who helped pull off the banquet, especially organizers Frank Scicchitano and JT Davis. Also providing help setting up, at the door and handling money and merchandise were Chris Fatica, Ron Miller, as well as emcee & President Marty Grzasko, Al Warner and presenter Skip Simmons. Behind the scenes work was done by Karl Weixlmann and Sam Zacour as well as many others.

We also would like to show our appreciation for our Ace Fly Tying demonstrators John Baker, and Charlie Brown, and to Mark Signorino for supplying and setting up the sound system.

Also many thanks to our many sponsors and donors especially FishUSA, Field & Stream and Erie Beer!

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Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup

The 17th Annual Pennsylvania was held on Saturday September 21, 2019

Once again the PSA was the site manager for the Walnut Creek Access and Marina during the ICC for at least the 6^th year in a row. 19 People volunteered to pickup and clean up trash in and around the Marina area! We filled 9 bags of garbage with over 78 lbs of trash, including a bicycle. Thanks to all who came out to help.

2019 International Cleanup at Walnut Creek Access

So thankful for the 19 volunteers that showed up Saturday September 21st to help with International Coastal Cleanup effort at Walnut Creek Marina today. The group pictured here includes the first 17 of the 19 people to show up. Many of these guys have been regulars for years!

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3-CU Rozee Nursery Cleanup Project

On September 21st, immediately after the ICC Cleanup at the Walnut Creek Marina, a dozen members of the PSA went right back to work to help Bob Hetz and Mike Felege in a huge cleanup project of the 3-CU Rozee raceway. We were able to get a 20 foot, 2 ton dumpster donated to clean up the non-recyclable steel and plastic garbage separated from the thousands of aluminum cans Bob uses to fund the feed purchases for the trout and steelhead he raises. After some dirty work separated the items and throwing the trash in the dumpster we were able to make some great headway in cleaning up the area around the raceway. As you can see in the picture below, we nearly filled the dumpster and also tried to organize the materials to be taken to the recycling centers. It was a long day, but filled with a great sense of accomplishment when we all went out for a late lunch together! Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers that gave 4 hours of their time to do a lot of manual labor!

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At the March 13th, 2019 General Membership meeting the Election of officers resulted in the following:

Office Name

President Marty Grzasko

Vice President Karl Weixlmann

Treasurer Chris Fatica

Secretary Ryan Novatnack

Board Members

Dan Beck Roger Latimer

Ron Miller Frank Sicicchitano

Harold (Skip) Simmons Al Warner

Sam Zacour

The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association is a nonprofit 501(C)3 organization established to enhance and preserve the Steelhead fishery in Pennsylvania including improving public access for Steelhead fishing, encouraging private landowners to maintain public access for Steelhead fishing, implementing stream enhancement and habitat improvement projects for Steelhead, and assisting nonprofit organizations which operate nurseries for spawning or raising Steelhead, or which acquire land or access easements for Steelhead fishing, or which engage in activities which complement the purposes and activities of the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association.

The pages in the Members-only section of the Website are viewable ONLY by PSA Members.

In this Members-only Section you can:

See Past editions of TIGHT LINES (the PSA Newsletter)
Look up contact information for fellow PSA Members
See Member Fishing Reports

You must first log in to access these pages! (See How to Log In in column on left). **************************************************************************

* Check out the photo gallery link in the left column for some nice member fish pics!

Our TightLines newsletters are now sent out in digital form with an email blast. You may print all or part of any newsletter if you prefer to read a hard copy. All recent TightLines are available to read in digital format in the Members Only Content area of the web site. Some examples of our newsletter are listed below. Click on the link of the TightLines newsletter issue below to read the digital version:

March 2017 TightLines 12 Page Newsletter Publication.pdf

April 2017 TightLines 12 Page Newsletter Publication.pdf

October 2017 TightLines Newsletter Publication.pdf

November 2017 TightLines Newsletter Publication.pdf

January 2018 TightLines Newsletter Publication.pdf

February 2018 TightLines Newsletter Publication.pdf

October 2019 TightLines Newsletter Publication .pdf

The newest TightLines Digital newsletter, the November 2019 issue is now available in the Member-Only Content area along with 53 other older newsletters! Sign in with your email address and Password to access them.

Meetings are typically held at 7:00 pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, August through April @ American Legion Post #773,  4109 West 12th Street, Erie, PA.

There are no meetings scheduled in May, June, or July. The next meeting is November 13th, 2019!
November 13th speaker is PFBC Biologist Tim Wilson! Tim is stationed in Linesville and our Lake Erie Tribs fall under his watch.

Oct 9, 2019 speaker was MIKE BLEECH

Mike is the Outdoor columnist for the Erie Times News. Mike discussed the need for outdoor groups and organizations to get young people involved in outdoor activities.

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September 11th Meeting speaker

Zack Klan, Kayak specialist at Fish USA. He was our presenter at the September 11 meeting.

Kayak Fishing Presentation



Zack brought a Bonafide SS127 Sit-On-Top fishing kayak rigged to fish with him for demonstation purposes. It was 12' 7" long, 34" wide and weighs 95 lbs with its raised seat.

During the Kayak Fishing presentation, he touched on how he got started with kayaking, his set-up, kayak safety, fishing from a kayak, the benefits that a kayak can provide, along with answering any and all questions. There are many fishing techniques that can be utilized on a kayak such as using conventional gear, fly fishing gear, and even trolling gear. As long as there is just a few inches of water to float on, you can go kayaking and catch a fish for yourself!

Zack talked about apps that can help like Angler bullseye, and also how to transport your kayak. He discussed how to add equipment, anchors and a bar to help you stand while fishing. It was a very informative discussion.

August 14^th Meeting Presenter: Bobby Fragale owner of BF Fly Fishing.

Bobby Fragale was our program presenter to kick off the fall Steelhead season. B F Fly Fishing is owned and operated by Bobby. He was born and raised on Steelhead Alley, just a few minutes from Elk Creek. He has been guiding for many years and has spent the last 20 years dialing in the water he guides on today.

At B F Fly Fishing, they try to do more than just put you on fish; they pride themselves on teaching and having you become a better and more confident angler. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned angler, there is always something new to learn or improve on.  B F Fly Fishing has expanded its guide service to include our warm water fishery. Some of the best Smallmouth, Pike, Musky and Trout waters are right in Erie County’s back yard.

In Bobby’s down time, he travels to different fisheries and he’s been lucky enough to grow relationships all over the world. Within his travels, he has had the opportunity to explore many destinations with pristine fisheries, such as Belize, British Columbia and the Olympic Peninsula.

Bobby discussed all the fishing opportunities available to us in our area! He held discussions on where and how to fish and answered questions as well.

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Past Programs:

April 10th Presenter:

Senator Dan Laughlin -

Senate Game & Fisheries committee chair.

Senator Dan Laughlin was our guest speaker at the April monthly membership meeting. The Senator is Chair of the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee. He discussed the legislative process, the roles of committees and led a discussion of bills before the House Game & Fisheries Committee. He concluded by graciously answering members questions on some of the bills and issues facing outdoorsman.

First off Senator Laughlin revealed he is an avid outdoorsman and hunter. He explained how he gave up opportunities to be on more powerful committees because he is committed to outdoor recreation and activities. There are a number of bills in committee concerning fishing and hunting. The Senator explained how it takes a long time to get bills passed and that there is a lot of back and forth in the process.

Some of the bills he discussed were:

House Bill 584 which includes a waiver on fishing licenses for therapeutic activities.

House Bill 617 which would discount licenses for those that teach hunter safety courses.

House Bill 752 that would remove the current $400.00 cap per acre for buying land that restricts the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

House Bill 514 that would merge the Fish and Boat Commission with the Hunting Commission

House Bill 929 that would increase resident fishing licenses incrementally over 3 years from $21 to $30, as well as raising the Trout & Salmon permits and non-resident licenses.

Senate Bill 315 which would honor veterans and active military with discounted licenses.

Senate Bill 377 which would increase Penalty for Killing Bald or Golden Eagles.

Senate Bill 147 which would make Sunday hunting legal.

Senate Bill 485 authorizing the Sale of Anterless Deer Licenses through the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing System.

Senator Laughlin gave his views on many of these bills and asked the membership for input on some of those that would impact fishermen. He also discussed the concerns the legislature has about the number of licenses sold dropping and how a price increase could further impact the totals.

The PSA Board of Directors thanks Senator Laughlin for taking the time to attend our meeting and inform us of ongoing issues and how they are being addressed.

March 13th Program Presenter

Craig Lucas - Tionesta/Fairview State Fish Hatchery Manager for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission gave a presentation of how our Steelhead are raised!

The following is from the May/June 2015 Pennsyvania Angler and Boater Magazine:
“Annually, Tionesta the Tionesta State Fish Hatchery (SFH raises approximately 75 percent of the 1.1 million steelhead yearlings stocked into the tributaries of Lake Erie every spring. Once released they migrate into the main body of the lake and return at 3-years-old ready to spawn. Unfortunately, they are not successful spawning in the shale bottomed Erie tributaries and need the hatcheries to keep this program going. Starting in November, staff from five regional hatcheries, Including Tionesta SFH, converges to Trout Run in Erie to collect
adults for spawning. These adult; steelhead are transported to the Fairview SFH where the eggs are stripped and fertilized. Once spawned, the eggs are transported to Tionesta SFH to be hatched and raised to yearlings for the following season. The PFBC Lake Erie Steelhead Program is a success story, attracting anglers from all over Pennsylvania and generating more than 10 million dollars annually for the Erie area economy.”
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At our January 9th meeting Aaron Benjamin from FishUSA was our speaker and gave a presentation on ice fishing.

Aaron is a customer service rep and Product Specialist for FishUSA. Aaron did a nice presentation on tools, techniques, and new gear for 2019 with a special concentration on targeting the fish of Lake Erie including steelhead.

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At our December 2018 membership meeting, Eric Peterson showed us how to spin, stack & pack deer hair for bass poppers! It was an entertaining and informative presentation! Thanks to Eric for a lesson on how to tie like a pro.

The PA Steelhead Association holds meetings each month except May, June, and July usually at 7:30 pm on the second Wednesday of the month . Meetings are held at the American Legion Post 773. The Legion is located at 4109 West 12th Street (State Route 5), just east of the Erie Airport.

We meet in the banquet room to the left when you walk in.

Next membership meeting is Wednesday October 9th at 7:00p.m.!

PA Steelhead Associaton Facebook page link below:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pa-Steelhead-Association/136804763021961