Hundreds of thousands of smelt are dying in Lake Erie, in what Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologist Roger Kenyon calls an occasional natural phenomenon.

The post-spawn smelt have contracted a fungus called water mold, which typically occurs in years when warm weather follows an unusually cold winter and spring, and when smelt numbers are especially high. Although they are providing easy prey for perch, the diseased smelt do not affect fish who eat them or the humans who consume those fish, Kenyon said.

Meanwhile, anglers are reminded that Sunday is Fish for Free Day. Visit www.fish.state.pa.us and www.takemefishing.com.

Catches of the Week

The Allegheny River yielded two trophy catches Saturday. Ron Cornell of Somerset boated a 40 ¹/₂ inch, 28-pound flathead catfish with a head that measured 22 inches around, trolling a Husky Jerk bait for walleye by New Kensington. Anthony Deery of Pittsburgh landed an 11 3/4 pound walleye on a fathead minnow at the Highland Park Dam, while Deery's father Ray caught a 3-pound walleye. Matt Weber of Ellwood City landed a 50 1/2 inch, 30-pound muskie on a yellow perch Crane bait on Connoquenessing Creek Sunday.

Weekly report

Lake Arthur (Butler County): Bob Sarnese and his son Jake, 6, of Prospect, caught three crappie about two pounds each. Dalton Isaac, 10, of Butler caught a two pound crappie, 16 inches long. A 24 inch channel cat also was reported last week. Mark Iarrapino of Butler boated several walleye of 20 inches on leeches and other live bait.

Allegheny River: Walleye and sauger are being taken in good sizes and numbers near the dams and the mouths of the creeks. Good bites also are reported on white bass, smallmouth bass and catfish. Joe Klak caught a 42-inch muskie at Lock No. 3 Saturday.

Monongahela River: The Venture Outdoors Downtown TriAnglers landed smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, channel catfish, flathead catfish and carp at Point State Park Wednesday, along with their first bluegill and rainbow trout of the year. Craig Eley of South Oakland released the 14-inch rainbow he caught on a minnow on the Allegheny River side of the park.

Lake Wilhelm (Mercer County): Good crappie and bluegill bites were reported last weekend. Bill Reynolds of Canonsburg caught a 1 1/2-pound, 13 1/2- inch crappie on a minnow Sunday. The walleye bite picked up over the weekend, with one angler catching them 21 to 28 inches on a worm harness from a canoe in "the stumps." Harry Beemiller of Sandy Lake boated three, 17 to 21 inches, trolling Hot n Tots in the main lake. Nice size largemouth are being released in "the stumps" and the main lake.

Oil Creek/Pine Creek/Sugar Creek (Venango, Crawford counties): Good trout fishing is reported, despite low, clear conditions. Sulphurs, Cahills, Blue Wing Olives and Midges are good on top, mornings and evenings, and below the surface during the day. Visit www.oilcreekoutfitters.com

Virgin Run Lake (Fayette County): Craig Nemchik of White Oak received a catch and release citation for a 22-inch, 5-pound brown trout with a 15-inch girth he caught last Thursday. He reported phenomenal fishing on small jigs following the final stocking of the year.

Erie: Angling remains on the slow side. Though perch are still spotty, some are reported by the cribs in 45 feet of water, in front of the GE stacks east of the peninsula. Walleye, including a couple of seven to 10 pounders, are being picked up at night on seven-inch floating Rapalas, and a few are being taken in the lake. Scant smallmouth are being landed on Elk Creek, along with catfish. Some lake trout are being boated out of Northeast. Rock bass are being caught from the south pier.

Chautauqua Lake (New York): Anglers trolling the northern basin are catching walleye, 18 inches and up, in eight feet of water around Warner's Bar with perch color jointed Rapalas mornings and evenings. At the southern end in Burdis Bay, a crawler and split shot setup has been productive, drifted along weed edges in six feet. Crappie are biting around White Wall.