Lake Erie Eastern Basin Bite

[jimski2]

The dawn bite is what is productive for walleyes in Lake Erie this year. After 10:00 AM, with the high sun, you are spinning your prop for very little return in the cooler. Save your fuel for an evening trip out.

For the Chautauqua Conservation Club Tourney we landed twenty walleyes with the largest 30 inches, 9.01 pounds, in 65 foot of water off Sturgeon Point. The screen showed plenty of fish everywhere out there and about seven AM they rose up to 30 to 40 foot to feed on the bait there.

The big one took a Deep Green Reef Runner off a lead core with a side planer. Most fish were taken on dipseys and a rigger set 5 foot off the bottom with a worm harness.

Today is a blow day, the Port Colborne Weather Buoy reports 3.3 foot waves at 8:30AM.

[Mark Komo]

Nice report Jimski. Guess I gotta get the kids up earlier, or head out in the evening. Shorthanded said the same thing. We still had a good time. Been waiting to run hooks for a bit, so now its time. Any play with the spoon bite yet?

[slapshot]

Mark thanks for the input. We got out late ourselves, 11:30, we fished the windmills as well, caught nothing, went out to sencea shoal, caught nothing there either. I am blaming it on the hot weather, and I would 2nd the refreshing swim, we ended up doing the same thing. Thanks,

Tony

[overthelimit]

What an awesome summer it has been. Since July 1st and about 20 trips we have limited out everyday except once where we only did 6 fish. Walleye fishing has just been outstanding. Gotta love Lake Erie. Thinking about heading up to Lake O this week since my freezer, my relatives freezers, and my neighbors are pretty much full to capacity.

[Shorthanded]

What an awesome summer it has been. Since July 1st and about 20 trips we have limited out everyday except once where we only did 6 fish. Walleye fishing has just been outstanding. Gotta love Lake Erie. Thinking about heading up to Lake O this week since my freezer, my relatives freezers, and my neighbors are pretty much full to capacity.

welcome to the discussion topic

[MyTurn]

What an awesome summer it has been. y.

+1 here, this year was the best in memory for walleye out of SBH for us too. We have not fished for them since the end of June (been doing Ontario) but we had many awesome harvests including great catches mid day especially when it was a little rough. We mostly fish lead cores but also run 2 divers, never put our riggers in the water for walleye.

[overthelimit]

We have fished from Buffalo to Sturgeon/Abino on the fence. There's fish all over this year, on rough days when we can't make a run there are plenty of eyes in the nearshore zone, mostly eaters in the 16-20 inch range with a few bigger fish mixed in. Most fish have been caught on heavy bb's, leadcore and jets with a few on dipsys as well.

[Mark Komo]

We have had great luck running the fence deep off abino and the condos. That hasnt been the issue. Inshore though, has been tough for us. A few here, a few there. We have been working the fence close, and deeper off the hump on windmills, but slow goin. Same program with meat. About to switch over to cranks and give it a go..

[Shorthanded]

We have had great luck running the fence deep off abino and the condos. That hasnt been the issue. Inshore though, has been tough for us. A few here, a few there. We have been working the fence close, and deeper off the hump on windmills, but slow goin. Same program with meat. About to switch over to cranks and give it a go..

have you attach any fish lips to that copper rig yet?

[Mark Komo]

haha, nice jack. Nope. Was gonna run it for salmon, but you got me thinking. Thanks for the tip on senace with the jigs. We pounded the smallies up to 4 lbs on em. Kids loved it! Especially when they get airborn.

Gonna run out deep this saturday...May run the torpedo and jets. Snaps work for me, but wondering if the other presentations matter.

Ball fishing been tough for me. Usually a 20 foot lead, but its been quiet on the ball front. Havent sparked up the lead core, but thing I may this weekend. Grabbed the B&B bait box, so have a bunch of reefies.....may run that hook program this weekend.

Any who.....hows the spoon bite been.....any action?

[K Gonefishin]

Why aren't you guys running 3oz inline weights with colorado blades its by far the best bread and butter program in Ohio the guys out east in geneva-conny are smashing fish running 3oz 90-125 back at 1.5-2.0 pulling antifreeze, pink antifreeze and copper back #6 colorado's and taking 20-30 fish by 11am. Dipseys with double willows are also tops. All the charter boats fish 50 jets with double willows, single colorado. Alot of guys run reef runners with 3oz of weight.

Same fish different state you NY boys fish for walleye way different IMO you complicate it

I wouldn't even pull the leadcore, riggers, or torpedo's out.

[MyTurn]

Why aren't you guys running 3oz inline weights with colorado blades its by far the best bread and butter program in Ohio the guys out east in geneva-conny are smashing fish running 3oz 90-125 back at 1.5-2.0 pulling antifreeze, pink antifreeze and copper back #6 colorado's and taking 20-30 fish by 11am. Dipseys with double willows are also tops. All the charter boats fish 50 jets with double willows, single colorado. Alot of guys run reef runners with 3oz of weight.

Same fish different state you NY boys fish for walleye way different IMO you complicate it

I wouldn't even pull the leadcore, riggers, or torpedo's out.

To each his own I guess, we fish what works for us and for us it is lead core of various lengths, plus I would rather "fight" (if you can use that term with walleye) a fish on a straight lead core that with a 3 oz lead weight on the line. Also, lead core is more "stealthy" IMO.

[Mark Komo]

Haha kevin, been running the 3oz program for some months now. Been working pretty good for me. Always nice to try new stuff. But your spot on in your depth and leads.

[jimski2]

In response to Mark Komo regarding our walleye setups on Lake Erie, our typical setup is one or two downriggers with worm harnesses no more than 50 foot back set at five foot off the bottom. The majority of fish taken come not from the downrig but when we pop the harness free and slow float it to the surface after we mark groups of suspended large fish. The lead back is short to prevent entanglement with our Dipseys.

Dipseys are setup with the outboard set on a three bottom weight setting 135 foot out or deeper when you are below 55 feet of water. The inboard dipseys are on a one to one and a half setting at 115 feet out or more in deeper waters.

Leadcore lines are up to five colors with stickbaits such as Deep Reef Runners or Husky Rapalas that will pull the plugs deeper. Inline boards hold well on the leadcore line. Longer leads such as ten colors can end up with a pile spaghetti when sharp turns happen. Stickbaits without worms are not needed to be checked too often for white bass, etc. but smaller walleyes will not trip the board so pay close attention to the tracking of the board such as coming in closer to the boat or the end tipping down at times.

Mix up the leadcore, dipseys and rigger lines to comply with the three rod rule per angler tending the lines. Bigger fish seem to come on the boards but the greater numbers come off the Dipseys and riggers. Check your worm baits every 15 minutes as the bait stealers can do a job on you.

[MyTurn]

We run our 2,3, and 5 colors with 100' of braid between the lead and the mono backing. The in-line board goes at the braid-mono knot then the board gets sent way out wide. This is a very stealthy rig that has produced some of our biggest fish in mid day sun conditions in 50-60 FOW.

[Mark Komo]

Thanks jimski. Right on the money. Its always nice to experiment. Like kevin said, my 3oz snapweight program is my bread and butter. Very confident in that one. Leadcore is coming around. Still working on the jets40 and torpedo. Just having a fun time with the walleyes on lake erie this year. Thanks guys.

Myturn, why use the braid? Why not straight mono? I figure the stretch would be a good thing.

I used to pull a TON of core on the rivers, eg mississippi and illinois. Had that program dialed in nicely. Not too deep, and the core tracked great. You had to have to good bait selection, eg, SR5 on the inside, and SR7 on the outside. It would cut down on the "handshakes". Once in a while I would throw a snapweight down on the core. Just grind the bottom for saugers. Very effective.

[MyTurn]

T

Myturn, why use the braid? Why not straight mono? I figure the stretch would be a good thing.

.

The braid (I use powerpro 20#) has a much smaller diameter thus much less buoyancy thus the lead gets down deeper. A advantage of lead core is that the baits rise and fall quite a bit on turns and speed changes which I think helps provoke a bite. This seems to be particularly effective on rough days, trolling with the waves as the boat surges and stops. The rising and falling is more pronounced with the braid.

[Shorthanded]

"MyTurn" did you used to run a Carolina Classic 28 out of Wilson, NY?

[MyTurn]

"MyTurn" did you used to run a Carolina Classic 28 out of Wilson, NY?

Yep that was/is me. Glad I sold that gas hog when I could.

[times two]

Mark:

Regarding the power pro as backing on the core. I haven't made that change yet, but its coming. My reasoning...

I runner the clipper board releases, and have them set nicely for my braid lines for jets and small slides. If I change

over to core, with the mono backing, I have to mess around readjusting the releases. Couple of other Capt.s

here have switched. Seems to make sense to me.

Jimski:

With the double divers, do you find the inside or outside goes more, or no difference? Do you find adding the second

slows down the first at all? Curious, we had that discussion on the boat the other day.

John

[Shorthanded]

"MyTurn" did you used to run a Carolina Classic 28 out of Wilson, NY?

Yep that was/is me. Glad I sold that gas hog when I could.

LOL... I fish wilson every spring and remember motoring by wishing I had one - on my Bucket list.

Was it a diesel of gas? Either way I can imagine it sucked a ton of fuel being as heavy as it is.

[MyTurn]

"MyTurn" did you used to run a Carolina Classic 28 out of Wilson, NY?

Yep that was/is me. Glad I sold that gas hog when I could.

LOL... I fish wilson every spring and remember motoring by wishing I had one - on my Bucket list.

Was it a diesel of gas? Either way I can imagine it sucked a ton of fuel being as heavy as it is.

It was gas, volvo 8.1 engines which are junk IMO, in 3 years blew 1 head gasket, siezed 1 bottom end, and had numerous sensor and wiring problems. The CC28 is a great boat in a head sea but basically sucks for anything else such as drifting or trolling parallel to the waves. the great lakes short period waves will get it rocking so bad you can't even stand up. I consider my 23 Steiger Miami an upgrade for the type of fishing I do.

[Shorthanded]

Yep that was/is me. Glad I sold that gas hog when I could.

LOL... I fish wilson every spring and remember motoring by wishing I had one - on my Bucket list.

Was it a diesel of gas? Either way I can imagine it sucked a ton of fuel being as heavy as it is.

It was gas, volvo 8.1 engines which are junk IMO, in 3 years blew 1 head gasket, siezed 1 bottom end, and had numerous sensor and wiring problems. The CC28 is a great boat in a head sea but basically sucks for anything else such as drifting or trolling parallel to the waves. the great lakes short period waves will get it rocking so bad you can't even stand up. I consider my 23 Steiger Miami an upgrade for the type of fishing I do.

Yikes!!! Thanks for sharing you just saved me $180k

Your new boat looks very nice. At first glance it looked like a Parker

[MyTurn]

Yea I am incredibly happy with the Steiger 23, now fishing my 6th season on it. Fishes both lakes great, tons of fishing room and very economical to run. I can do an offshore trip out of Olcott to the 30 line fish all day run back and have a total burn of 14 gallons!

Here is a link to some pics of it on the hull truth:

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-out ... -23-a.html

[Shorthanded]

that is a big 23! love the pilot house, full transom and freeboard.