Take a shot at Lake Erie walleyes
For many anglers, late summer means it's time to head north to cash in on Lake Erie's walleye fishing. By this time of the year, the walleye action typically heats up around most nearby ports.
Water temperature plays a huge role in walleye location, not only in regard to the west-to-east migration pattern, but in their proximity to shore.
Cool water temperatures tend to keep fish closer to shore, while warm water pushes them off it. Small boat anglers lacking the craft to venture safely the 5 to 15 miles offshore often necessary to find schools when the water is hot can do well targeting near-shore fish when conditions are cooler.
"Last year, there was a short-lived 'inside bite,'" said Craig Mason, an Export, Pa., angler who regularly makes long weekend forays to the lake from June until late in the fall. "Those shallow fish are sensitive to the weather. They can be here today, then gone tomorrow."
When water temperatures are still in the 60s, you can expect there will be decent numbers of walleyes within the first 3 or 4 miles of the shoreline. As things heat up, some walleyes still can be taken close to shore, though the majority of fish will be caught in deeper water. The summer of 2006, which was cool and wet, saw vast numbers of walleyes taken in the 25- to 35-foot range well into August.
Another common pattern that anglers new to Lake Erie walleye fishing will quickly learn relates to fish position within the water column. In general, the more stable the weather, the higher the fish tend to ride in the water column.
Stormy, wild weather, caused by a cold front or unstable air masses, tends to drive them to the bottom.
"They seem to bury themselves in the mud following severe thunderstorms," said Todd McKinney, a Lake Erie charter captain who fishes out of the Presque Isle area. "Don't expect to mark (on sonar) a lot of fish when the conditions are like that."
Conversely, during stable weather, the fish will ride high, making them easier to spot on a sonar unit. Moderate to higher-end sonar units have fast processors capable of marking fish when cruising at speeds near 20 mph, making searching for suspended walleyes a much more efficient game.
McKinney uses the "point" of the Presque Isle peninsula as a reference point for his fishing. He fishes the waters out to about 5 miles west of the point and as far as 5 miles east.
"There can still be some fish in relatively shallow water in July," said McKinney. "So if the conditions are right (cool), I may start off in that 35- to 40-foot zone. Come August, as things warm up, typically I'll work between the Presque Isle point and Walnut Creek, in 40 to 60 feet of water."
Mason fishes out if Conneaut, Ohio, the first port located west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania line. By August, Mason fishes both east and west of Conneaut, venturing as far west as Ashtabula and as far east as the state line. The 60-foot depth range seems to be a pivotal zone in which fish will be holding off the Conneaut area by August.
Bread-and-butter summer walleye presentations within this Central Basin area include crankbaits, spinners-n-crawlers and flutter spoons. While walleyes can show a penchant for one over another during a given day, the angler's personal preference also comes into play.
McKinney utilizes all three basic offerings during the course of the season. In terms of crankbait choice, one of his favorites is Reef Runner's 800 series, a deep runner available in a plethora of color choices.
Though he mixes and matches throughout an outing to fine tune the color aspect, one color pattern he consistently runs is Eriedescent. He also likes Purple Demon, especially during a cloudy day.
When pulling crankbaits, McKinney starts by trolling in the 1.7- to 1.9-mph range. If hookups of freshwater drum become an issue, he finds that kicking the speed up to 2Z\x to 3 mph will eliminate most of the drum bites.
McKinney also likes to fish spinners tipped with crawlers. He ties his own spinners, sticking mostly to larger Colorado-style blades. He likes copper blades with a splash of color, often green or pink. Spinner speeds tend to run slower than crankbaits speeds. The two can be fished together, by working the low end of the crankbait pace, which is the high end of spinner speed.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
