First Time Smallie Fishing.

BigBassin144 · 11-02-08, 06:56 PM

We were supposed to head out to Lake Erie last weekend in our 16' Tracker Deep-V w/ 15hp Merc, but it was forcasted to rain (which it didn't) But we had close to 40mph winds, and big waves on the lake. So we didn't go. As the season grows later, we were hasitant about going, but we wanted to get out one more time.

So today it was. The forecast looked great (almost), partly cloudy skies, 60*, 5-10mph E winds, and 1-2ft waves, and rain predicted for midnight and after. Perfect except the East wind. We woke up to 44* and waited till around 10:00 to head out. We went with a friend of ours who knows the area we were fishing very well.

We got to the launch, and it was a lot colder than I expected. We made the 25minutes drive (slow with only a 15hp) to our spot, and starting fishing with no even a bite. We difted for a while fishing before we moved about 15 minutes away. After a while, our friend hooks one. it gets close to the boat and we thought it was a walleye. We got it in the net and it was a trout, on a tube! We thought it was a rainbow, but we couldn't tell cause it was really beat up and scarred.

So we continued out farther on the lake and difted some more until the completely cloudy sies gave way to a light rain. Normally no biggie, we had wind/rain proof coats and such. But since we hadn't got a bite all day, and the wind had picked up to morethan 10mph, we decided to call it a day. On our way back the 2-3ft waves got us fairly wet cause we can't get the boat on plane with a 15hp. Now I'm cold AND wet and fish and really ready to leave.

We get to entrance ramp to the highway and see nothing but brakelights and stopped cars. UGH!!!!!!! So we quickly get out of the turn lane and continue through some little Michigan towns and take another way home.

My first time smallie fishing and we didn't get one. Maybe I'll catch my first next spring. No, I WILL catch my first next spring, cause we'll be out on our friend's bass boat and we can check different areas and cover more water and actually find the fish.

Hope you guys had beter days fishing and me.

BB

JB · 11-03-08, 10:22 AM

Wait until april next year and take the ferryboat over to Middle bass island with some chartruse mr twisters and you'll score 4 pounders all day long

Bender · 11-03-08, 06:48 PM

You made the right decision to get off the water. I went to Erie 3 times this fall and it changes so fast that you can't believe it. With a forecast of 1-2' waves we saw it go from 1 footers to 1-2 with a 3' mixed in, then to dead calm in less than 2 hours!
I can't wait to go back, not sure where you went though. I have heard a recent report that the smallies are all stacked up in Breast Bay, I think around 17-20' on rock piles.
Map: http://www.sbresort.com/sb_resort_bo...aaeriewest.jpg
Also it is getting time for the Hot Pond!!! I have never been there before but it is common to have 50-100 fish days in November and December there. It is somewhere about 1 mile north of Bolles Harbor and it is a warm water discharge from some factory. I know 2 guys who ran aground getting there last year and one of my buddies hit a pipe from a dredging machine last Tuesday coming out of there. If I get there I'll make waypoints of my route and where it is, but I need to find somebody who knows the secret route to get in.
Here's a pic from one of my buddies that went there last year:

If I go I think I'll take waders just because of the chance of running aground on a sandbar and I don't want to have to strip and get in 30 some degree water like a couple guys did last year.

Did you happen to see what the water temp was out there?

JB · 11-03-08, 07:53 PM

Some guys I work with spent the weekend at erie perch/jerkin and had a ball!

thats some good eatin............

bamabassman · 11-03-08, 09:03 PM

lol, joking here now ok? it's called ERIE for a reason ya know. better luck next time bb.

Bender · 11-03-08, 09:25 PM

And don't feel bad about getting skunked on Erie, some days it is just really tough especially this time of year. Just look at the BLF results and this was an 8 hour tournament! Link: http://tinyurl.com/5ar76c
and there were a lot of zeros for the co-anglers as well. The winning weight was only 20, which is down from 25 (he actually had 26 lbs, but 2 dead fish) a month earlier.
I had a blast out there and it is just as close to my house as Saint Clair so I plan to go there more next year.

Edit: if you are still wanting to get some smallies this year we are having an open tournament on Kent Lake this Saturday. There will be some smallies caught there for sure.

MIbasser · 11-03-08, 10:43 PM

BB, sorry it didn't go to well for you. I've never been on Erie yet but one day I'll get out there (hopefully Bender takes me......) I was on Saint Clair this spring and had a 15+ fish day and then another one at Long Lake (Alpena County) in a tournament. Either way, keep hitting the water and one day you'll be on them and have a BLAST!!!

islandbass · 11-04-08, 03:37 AM

Man, I feel for you. I bet you had a lot of eager and enthusiastic anticipation.

Don't feel too bad. Think of it as putting in time and paying your dues. There is always the next trip.

BigBassin144 · 11-04-08, 10:32 PM

Bender, We were on the Erie end of the Detroit River. I don't know the exactly where though. All I know is we didn't get into much deeper water than 12', and I figured they'd be farther out.

We knew it was late in the season, and figured this would be most likely an exploratory trip. I would've really like to cach my first smallie though. A 6lber would've been nice.

BB

woody · 11-05-08, 12:03 PM

Hey BigBassin, when you do hook that 6lber be ready for her to jump...

Just remember, rod tip down when she does.

fish2 · 11-05-08, 08:18 PM

BB we'll have to get out there on the lake sometime.

Bender · 11-08-08, 07:43 PM

You missed the tournament BB! 37 degrees at start, then the wind and rain/sleet came for half an hour and then just wind. Got all the way up to 40 at weigh-in time.

Only had 4 boats and one guy left early but we caught good smallies. We had 15.38 pounds for 5 fish and got third! Winner had 16.0 pounds. My big one was 3.80 and was .03 shy of big bass.
If you want to come up later in the week let me know or we might try another tournament next Saturday, it's 1 hour north of Toledo.

BigBassin144 · 11-08-08, 11:03 PM

Bender, We'd really like to, but we're going out to eastern ohio Steel Head fishing. We're leacing here friday and fishing saturday. Maybe later if the weather doesn't get too bad or next spring. Thanks for the offer though.

BB

11-02-08, 06:56 PM	#1
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	First Time Smallie Fishing. We were supposed to head out to Lake Erie last weekend in our 16' Tracker Deep-V w/ 15hp Merc, but it was forcasted to rain (which it didn't) But we had close to 40mph winds, and big waves on the lake. So we didn't go. As the season grows later, we were hasitant about going, but we wanted to get out one more time. So today it was. The forecast looked great (almost), partly cloudy skies, 60, 5-10mph E winds, and 1-2ft waves, and rain predicted for midnight and after. Perfect except the East wind. We woke up to 44 and waited till around 10:00 to head out. We went with a friend of ours who knows the area we were fishing very well. We got to the launch, and it was a lot colder than I expected. We made the 25minutes drive (slow with only a 15hp) to our spot, and starting fishing with no even a bite. We difted for a while fishing before we moved about 15 minutes away. After a while, our friend hooks one. it gets close to the boat and we thought it was a walleye. We got it in the net and it was a trout, on a tube! We thought it was a rainbow, but we couldn't tell cause it was really beat up and scarred. So we continued out farther on the lake and difted some more until the completely cloudy sies gave way to a light rain. Normally no biggie, we had wind/rain proof coats and such. But since we hadn't got a bite all day, and the wind had picked up to morethan 10mph, we decided to call it a day. On our way back the 2-3ft waves got us fairly wet cause we can't get the boat on plane with a 15hp. Now I'm cold AND wet and fish and really ready to leave. We get to entrance ramp to the highway and see nothing but brakelights and stopped cars. UGH!!!!!!! So we quickly get out of the turn lane and continue through some little Michigan towns and take another way home. My first time smallie fishing and we didn't get one. Maybe I'll catch my first next spring. No, I WILL catch my first next spring, cause we'll be out on our friend's bass boat and we can check different areas and cover more water and actually find the fish. Hope you guys had beter days fishing and me. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

11-03-08, 09:25 PM	#6
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	And don't feel bad about getting skunked on Erie, some days it is just really tough especially this time of year. Just look at the BLF results and this was an 8 hour tournament! Link: http://tinyurl.com/5ar76c and there were a lot of zeros for the co-anglers as well. The winning weight was only 20, which is down from 25 (he actually had 26 lbs, but 2 dead fish) a month earlier. I had a blast out there and it is just as close to my house as Saint Clair so I plan to go there more next year. Edit: if you are still wanting to get some smallies this year we are having an open tournament on Kent Lake this Saturday. There will be some smallies caught there for sure. Last edited by Bender; 11-03-08 at 09:31 PM.

11-04-08, 03:37 AM	#8
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	Man, I feel for you. I bet you had a lot of eager and enthusiastic anticipation. Don't feel too bad. Think of it as putting in time and paying your dues. There is always the next trip. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

11-04-08, 10:32 PM	#9
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Bender, We were on the Erie end of the Detroit River. I don't know the exactly where though. All I know is we didn't get into much deeper water than 12', and I figured they'd be farther out. We knew it was late in the season, and figured this would be most likely an exploratory trip. I would've really like to cach my first smallie though. A 6lber would've been nice. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

11-05-08, 08:18 PM	#11
fish2 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bryan Ohio Posts: 141	BB we'll have to get out there on the lake sometime. __________________ fish2 <><

11-03-08, 10:22 AM	#2
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	Wait until april next year and take the ferryboat over to Middle bass island with some chartruse mr twisters and you'll score 4 pounders all day long

11-03-08, 06:48 PM	#3
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	You made the right decision to get off the water. I went to Erie 3 times this fall and it changes so fast that you can't believe it. With a forecast of 1-2' waves we saw it go from 1 footers to 1-2 with a 3' mixed in, then to dead calm in less than 2 hours! I can't wait to go back, not sure where you went though. I have heard a recent report that the smallies are all stacked up in Breast Bay, I think around 17-20' on rock piles. Map: http://www.sbresort.com/sb_resort_bo...aaeriewest.jpg Also it is getting time for the Hot Pond!!! I have never been there before but it is common to have 50-100 fish days in November and December there. It is somewhere about 1 mile north of Bolles Harbor and it is a warm water discharge from some factory. I know 2 guys who ran aground getting there last year and one of my buddies hit a pipe from a dredging machine last Tuesday coming out of there. If I get there I'll make waypoints of my route and where it is, but I need to find somebody who knows the secret route to get in. Here's a pic from one of my buddies that went there last year: If I go I think I'll take waders just because of the chance of running aground on a sandbar and I don't want to have to strip and get in 30 some degree water like a couple guys did last year. Did you happen to see what the water temp was out there?

11-03-08, 07:53 PM	#4
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	Some guys I work with spent the weekend at erie perch/jerkin and had a ball! thats some good eatin............

11-03-08, 09:03 PM	#5
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	lol, joking here now ok? it's called ERIE for a reason ya know. better luck next time bb.

11-03-08, 10:43 PM	#7
MIbasser BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Okemos, MI Posts: 1,447	BB, sorry it didn't go to well for you. I've never been on Erie yet but one day I'll get out there (hopefully Bender takes me......) I was on Saint Clair this spring and had a 15+ fish day and then another one at Long Lake (Alpena County) in a tournament. Either way, keep hitting the water and one day you'll be on them and have a BLAST!!!

11-05-08, 12:03 PM	#10
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Hey BigBassin, when you do hook that 6lber be ready for her to jump... Just remember, rod tip down when she does.

11-08-08, 07:43 PM	#12
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	You missed the tournament BB! 37 degrees at start, then the wind and rain/sleet came for half an hour and then just wind. Got all the way up to 40 at weigh-in time. Only had 4 boats and one guy left early but we caught good smallies. We had 15.38 pounds for 5 fish and got third! Winner had 16.0 pounds. My big one was 3.80 and was .03 shy of big bass. If you want to come up later in the week let me know or we might try another tournament next Saturday, it's 1 hour north of Toledo.

11-08-08, 11:03 PM	#13
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Bender, We'd really like to, but we're going out to eastern ohio Steel Head fishing. We're leacing here friday and fishing saturday. Maybe later if the weather doesn't get too bad or next spring. Thanks for the offer though. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

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