An Erie steelhead fly fishing guide wants to expand the horizons of those who seek these migrating fish each fall and winter.
Karl Weixlmann, 62, has been guiding anglers for 28 years on various sections of Lake Erie and its tributaries.
“I got my first steelhead in 1982 in Fourmile Creek,” he said. He’s been fishing for them ever since and enjoys spending time teaching others how to catch them.
Weixlmann has lived in several countries and states. He met his wife, Lisa, in Erie and now calls this area home. “I’m not leaving Erie,” the avid angler said.
His love of fishing stemmed from his family while living in Holland, New York. Weixlmann remembers hearing about his father and uncle driving from western New York to fish Twentymile Creek. “The first steelhead I ever saw in my life were wrapped in freezer paper in my uncle Donny’s freezer,” he remembers.
In 1980, when Weixlmann went to school in Pittsburgh, his dad took him to where he used to fish for salmon and steelhead. “Back then they were using fly rods with mono (monofilament) on it with a couple split shots, a size 6 bait hook and a hunk of orange sponge,” he said. The sponge held scents like anise to attract the fish. “Those were the first steelhead I ever saw in my life,” he said.