July 26th, 2006 West Erie County, DWCO Randy Leighton, WCO Brook Tolbert Conditions: Walleye fishing remains good to excellent all along the Pennsylvania shoreline of Lake Erie. Perch reports have been spotty with less than limits being reported. Smaller walleye in the 16 to 22" range remain in the shallower waters from 25 to 50 feet. If your after the "hawgs", you'll need to move out to 60 feet and deeper waters. As is typical this time of year, the Lake is extremely clear making planer boards a must to keep the bait away from the boat and the noise of the engine. Steelhead catches seem to be on the rise, again in the deeper parts of the trenches. Current Lake Erie water temperature off Toledo is 76 degrees, off Cleveland, 73 degrees, and off Erie, 76 degrees. Water Spouts: This past weekend a number of larger water spouts were easily observed from the shoreline northwest of Walnut Creek causing alarm for many boaters. Water spouts are funnel -shaped vortices of water associated with extremely low atmospheric pressure. They are very similar in appearance to tornadoes, but are usually on a smaller scale. With warm lake temperatures and the unstable fronts that move across the lake, water spouts are a relatively common event on Lake Erie in the mid to late summer months. They can form anywhere where there are strong winds over the water, and usually occur during periods of instability. For instance, where cold front boundaries pass over the lake, or over warmer currents, the instability and low pressure causes air and water to spiral rapidly inward and upward creating a "Vortex" effect. This produces a spectacular funnel that extends from the lake to the clouds. Since water spouts form over water, they do not pick up much debris and typical are not as dangerous as tornados, although on rare occasions, they can reach land. On the water they can have significant impact on boats and should be avoided. Small Craft Advisory Defined: As many are aware, there were several boating accidents this past weekend on lake Erie in which high wind and wave conditions were in part or fully responsible. A small craft advisory is a type of warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States, most frequently in coastal areas. It is issued when winds have reached, or are expected to reach within 12 hours, a speed marginally less than that which is considered gale force. Exact parameters for what wind speed triggers the advisory have been changed over time. Until the late 1960s, a range of 32 to 38 miles per hour (or 28 to 33 knots) was observed; then the lower limit was reduced to 23 miles per hour (20 knots). Today, however, it is more common in most places to use 25 to 38 miles per hour (22 to 33 knots) as the standard, thus neatly encompassing the combined ranges of forces 6 and 7 on the Beaufort scale. Boating Safety Tip of the Week: Make sure the children keep their PFDs on while transferring in and out of the boat. All children 12 years of age and under on any boat 20' in length or less that is underway (moving) must wear a USCG approved, size appropriate PFD Discover Presque Isle is This Weekend: A pancake breakfast will be held on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Other food vendors will be on hand throughout the weekend as well. Local Weather: Wednesday Night Partly cloudy in the evening...Then becoming mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Muggy. Lows in the lower 70s. South winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent. Thursday Mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely in the morning...Then a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent. Thursday Night Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 70. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. Friday Night Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 40 percent. Saturday Mostly cloudy in the morning...Then becoming partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Chance of rain 40 percent. Saturday Night Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent. Sunday Partly cloudy in the morning. Then clearing. Highs in the upper 70s. Sunday Night Mostly clear in the evening. Then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Monday Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. Monday Night Mostly clear in the evening...Then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s. Tuesday Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s.
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