Lake Erie Walleye

[Redhorse]

Three of us limited out on Walleye last weekend...18 fish with the largest being 26 1/4" and around 7lb. Picked up a couple nice perch in the process, and headed in with 20 fish in the box.

Plenty of white bass, and freshwater drum mixed in there to keep the action pretty constant. We lost several fish for lack of another body to grab a rod:eek: !!

Caught them all trolling in 30-40' of water with planer boards, and down riggers. We used #30 jet divers with Michigan stinger spoons on one side of the boat, and tail dancers/reef runners on the other side, with some rip sticks off the down riggers.

If any of you have contemplated a Lake Erie walleye trip...this is the year to do it. Dad has consistantly been boating a two man limit in around an hour and a half! Fish are averaging 4lbs with the occasional hog thrown in.

:fishing:
On a side note, I spent last week at summer camp with my scout troop...did some creek fishing and picked up a few smallies. Got two under size and two keepers, one 13" and a really fat 17":D . Got the big one on my ultra light Tica with 4# mono using a Rebel wee-craw...talk about fun.

Tight lines...:beer:

[stlouisloui]

Good job! Nothing tastier than those walleye, with the possible exception of a lake perch.


Went in late April to Port Clinton and jigged in 10-12 feet of water. Limited both days in under an hour. We ate some fresh that day. MMMMMM

loui

[sand flea]

Those walleye are good eating. I fished Lake Erie several years ago during the late summer King Salmon run and had a blast. It's weird fishing what is essentially a landlocked sea.

[eroommit]

I was lucky to have fished Lake Erie Fathers day weekend as well. Went on a 6pack charter sat. out of Port Clinton Sat. Left @6:00. Had a 45 min. ride and we had our limits by 10:20. Sun. I fished on a headboat in Marbelhead with Tibbels. (Real nice people) Limited out and had 3 small throwbacks used the same gold crawler harness both days. Yes this would be a great year for people to fish walleye on Erie. P.S. The perch will start schooling up and biting good soon. Fish On!

[Redhorse]

I know what you mean Sand Flea...it's the closest thing I can get to looking at the ocean here in Ohio. Just don't have a beach to curl my toes into with a pounding surf lapping at my ankles :rolleyes:

I've fished Erie a lot for perch and walleye, hit St. Claire for muskies, now I want to go up and troll Lake Michigan for some of those big lakers lurking out there :D

[can't fish today]

How about a more more info. If a southern guy was packing up he gear and heading north, what city/town should he head for?

http://chelseaartmuseum.org/exhibits/2006/TravelingLight/TravelingLightigUdF3.jpg

[Redhorse]

Sandusky is a good base of operations...family can hit Cedar Point, or take the Jet Express out to the islands, while dad is a quick boat ride to the fish. Plenty of head boats, and charters right there close. Port Clinton wouldn't be a bad choice either...might be a little longer boat ride to get out to the fish, not sure what's going on over there, but I can find out.

I guess the Steelhead are starting to heat up over in the Eastern Basin, won't be long and you'd be able to hit them both in the same day with a short boat run between the two. Usually (if you hit it right) there will be a stretch of time where you can pick them both up in the same area merely by changing your trolling speed ;) .

If you want some specifics as far as places to stay, charters, etc...let me know :)

[kelsch]

Head to Erie Pa and book a charter for smallmouth. Lots of 4 lb+ fish. Hard fighters and jumpers.

[Redhorse]

You can hit those smallies right around the Bass Islands straight out from Sandusky bay. Truth be told, I've had a lot of fun catching them from the old Rock Pile (ballast dump site) just outside the the East end of Sandusky bay, and the breaker wall that juts straight out from Cedar Point right there, both a mere 1/4 mile from the Sandusky boat ramp.

Bigger ones are found out at the islands, but the occasional hog comes off that breaker wall, and the Rock Pile produces some nice fish pretty consistantly.

:fishing:

[thatjohnkid]

I used to live in MI and fished Lake Erie a few times when I was a kid. My grandparent's live right in Monroe right by the lake. I went out there a few time with my Dad, cousin and we all 4 of us limited on perch in a matter of hours. We where using minnows if I remember correctly on some sort of like umbrella looking rig. I think we got a few walleye's, I'm moving back to MI in about a year and plan on getting a boat. Hopefully I can get a bunch of perch and walleye's. Definitely wanna go up north and fish for some Muskies and Pike.

[can't fish today]

Are there yakking opportunities, or is the water too big?

[stlouisloui]

When fishing out of Port Clinton in mid/late April the cluster of boats had may yaks mixed in. If you launch from the marina just west of the nuclear power plant (forgot the name) you are only a mile or so from the large concentration of fish. You could always drive west to Toledo and fish Maumee Bay. World class walleye in April. Tons of yaks. Might be helpful to put one of those marker flags on the yak for safety. Purple jig (3/4 oz feather) on 6 -8 lb. test. Fagetaboutit.
The later season Walleye will be tough from the kayak. They spread out, and are off shore quite a ways.

Loui

[eroommit]

I've been thinking all this year about getting a kayak mainly just to try the walleyes on Erie. I'm a thinking a yak could fish the evening bite out of Cranberry Creek Marina Just east of Huron Oh. The lake usually lays down about dusk and not a lot of people know you only need to need to fish 12-15 ft of water, probably only 1/4 mi out there, troll some crankbaits. I'd probably go west towards Old Womans Creek (I think that's what it's called. Cedar Point off in the distance, to your northwest. Some nice walleye stay around there year round. Good info at their baitshop or website. Good Fishing:fishing:

[Redhorse]

When the fish are in over by Huron, we always seemed to find them hanging around the silt line where the river water was mixing with the lake water. You are right eroommit, when they are in there...not far to go off shore! I have seen a few yaks out there...it would be a pretty long paddle to the walleye right now, and I don't think I'd want to get caught out on Erie in a yak during some rough weather. I've been out there in a 26' Lyman with 7-8'ers bobbing us around...wouldn't be pretty in a yak :eek:.

You could definitely yak out of Sandusky bay and hit the Rock Pile, Cedar Point breaker wall, the Coal Docks, and hang out on the island right there that protects the bay. I've limited on both walleye and perch between the Coal Docks and Cedar Point, plus there is plenty of small mouth to be had along all the breaker walls, and the Rock Pile.

You will randomly encounter schools of 1-2lb white bass in there near the breakers also. If a fish picks it up right at the rocks within a few cranks, it's a smally. Anywhere from there to the boat you could have huge schools of white bass swarming your bait all the way to boat side. Scrappy little buggars too! I've caught two smallys on the same cast, and two white bass on the same cast, in the same day off that breaker wall on Cedar Point using a little blade bait...one on the front hook, one on the back :D

:fishing: