Lake Erie West Basin
Fishing Reports
From The 2000 Fishing Season
These Reports are provided as a comparison of fishing in the West Basin of Lake Erie from year to year.
Report 11/30/00
Detroit River: Word is
anglers are still taking walleye in the lower part of the river in the cut N of
Celeron and in front of the Metro Park. Perch are spotty.
West Basin: Night casting for walleye all around the west basin is slow. Shallow
and clear water seem to be having a negative effect on the fishing conditions.
I do not expect to update between now and January. Updates will continue on ice
fishing if the ice and fish cooperate. Look for regular updates on the west
basin to begin again in late March. Happy Holidays to all and thanks for click'n
in!
Report 11/02/00
Detroit River: Fishing is very good
in the lower parts of the river. Perch are hitting well in the areas around
Celeron Island and north of Sugar Island in and around weed beds. The channel on
the west of Boblo Island (Canadian waters) is also good. Walleye are hitting
well in front of Lake Erie Metro Park towards the lake in the slack waters.
Jigging night crawlers is the best method for 'eyes.
West Basin: Not much going on. Surf casting from Luna Pier to Detroit beach is
slow but a few walleyes are being caught, not much to get excited about though.
Huron River: Some Steelhead are being caught but the majority of fish being
taken are Chinook. Steelhead should improve through November. Techniques proving
to be most successfull are Hot'n'Tots fished in holes below the Flat Rock and
Mepps Spinners casted below the Dam in Flatrock.
Report 10/22/00
Sorry for the delay in
reports. My wife is ill which was taken my attention from fishing. This report
includes what information I have received over the last several weeks.
West Basin: Perch have been slow although this report is two weeks old. Huron
Ohio has been turning up catches of large walleye (5lb range) but you must put
in some time averageing about 1 fish per hour. Surf casting along west shore
ports in the evening is producing some large walleye up to 9 lbs. but only about
one per night. There has been some success on the Huron River for steelhead and
Salmon. On the Huron River casting spinner baits or working crank baits, such as
hot'n'tots, over holes from an upstream position are successful.
Report: 9/27/00
Detroit River: Reports of
good perch catches coming from Sugar Island north to Fighting Island. Fish the
weed beds along the channels.
West Basin: Perch are reported to be be doing very well with limit catches of up
to 14" perch, although these real big ones are few and far between. Schools of
perch everywhere, fish 4 miles west of Monroe Edison Plant (Sterling State Park)
north to Stoney Point. Look for packs of boats or try it on your own, the fish
can be found most anywhere in the area. Don't give up on walleye either, nothing
new to report on 'eyes but we are only a few weeks away from surf casting for
walleye along the West Basin shoreline. This is the time of year they generally
start moving back into the West Basin in numbers and as the reports show this
year, they never left.
Report: 9/19/00
Detroit River: No reports
West Basin: Despite NE winds, waves to 5 feet and the weeds blowing in to the
area, Labor day, 9/4 produced another limit catch for walleye in the same area
east of the Monroe Edison channel. That was my last time out and I have no new
reports since. If anyone has been out please email me so that I may update for
this upcomming weekend.
Report: 9/2/00
Detroit River: I received a
report that walleye are being caught in the channel along the weeds south of
Sugar Island.
West Basin: The West Basin is still hot. Many fisherman still fishing walleye in
Brest bay, East of Stoney Point and south to Monroe Edison. I was out for the
first time in a couple of weeks Saturday and limited on walleye in 2 hours
trolling night crawlers off of bottom bouncers. These fish were caught in the
early afternoon in 23 to 24 foot of water. I fished the same way points east of
the buoys in front of Monroe Edison that have been producing fish since late May
(refer to earlier reports). With temperatures cooling, I suspect they will be
there right into Fall.
Report: 8/23/00
Detroit River: The best report I
received this past weekend was from the river. It comes from the shipping
channel on the east side of Grosse Isle's north end (north of Stoney Island and
the Livingston channel). A pair of fisherman caught 13 walleye in 1 1/2 hours
fishing crawlers using bottom bouncers along the edge of the weed beds around
bouy #81.
West Basin: Walleye fishing in the Michigan waters of the west basin
slowed this past weekend. Everyone I talked to caught fish but a half dozen was
the best brought to my attention. These came off of the banana dike drifting
crawlers, they fished for 10 hours. I found fish in front of Fermi, 5 in 3 1/2
hours trolling crawlers on bottom bottom bouncers. Orange/chartruese blades took
all of the fish. I also received reports from Stoney Point to Sputnik of 3-4
fish per boat with crank baits and spoons. Spoons on dipsy divers have been
doing well the past 4-6 weeks. Weeds are a problem, trollers will find weeds
difficult in front of Fermi and impossible at the banana dike. It does get
better as you go south but still a problem. The good news is we are still
catching fish in the shallow Michigan waters, generally unheard of this late in
the season. Perch fisherman reported slow fishing.
Report: 8/17/00
Sorry for the lengthy time
since the last report, been on vacation.
Detroit River: No new report.
West Basin: Walleye are still in Michigan waters. We found fish on 8/12 off of
the Monroe Edison Channel at the end bouys. This area has produced fish almost
all year. We also found fish off of Stoney Point. All fish were found in 22' to
25' of water. Fishing was tough however. There were still many boats fishing for
mid August. Weeds were a real problem for trollers. We found that crank baits
out performed crawler harnesses but there was no preference. All baits produced
and none produced many fish. Reports of good walleye catches are coming in from
the water intake at the south end of the West basin.
Report: 8/5/00
Detroit River: No new reports from
the Metro Park area. I have received a report that fisherman are doing well
around Sugar Island.
West Basin: The walleye have not yet abandoned Michigan waters. Fishermen have
been doing well drifting crawlers off of bottom bouncers from Stoney Point south
about 3 miles to the Monroe Edison Plant. The only water depths I have heard was
26 ft but I suspect you could do well in shallower water. Trolling harnesses
with bottom bouncers is equally productive. I have a very reliable report that
the area south of the Raisin River in the spoils area in water from 8 to 13 feet
has been very productive also using crawlers. All of these areas are producing
limit catches.
Report: 7/26/00
Detroit River: Bottomline still
reports good fishing in the river from the markers that mark the channel on the
south end of Horse Island to the Metro Park. Crawler harnesses and Jigs are
doing the best.
West Basin: I have been fishing in areas other then the west basin so these
reports are second hand. Smaller fish are still being taken off of Stoney Point
in water 24' and better. Crawlers with bottom bouncers are doing the best.
Larger fish can be found out towards West Sister and north of West Sister in
deeper water. Deep diving crank baits are reported to be the best method. If you
have been fishing the West Basin and can contribute to this report, please email
me by clicking the email link at the top of this page.
Report: 7/19/00
West Basin: Scattered pockets of
walleye are being caught from Stoney Point, in front of the Monroe Edison
Channel south, occasionally the 'E' buoy, along the shipping channel to the
Sputnik. Fish are also being taken north of the Sputnik and east towards Middle
Sister. Your best bet is trolling until you locate a pocket and then work it
until it stops producing. Most fish are coming between 24' and 29' of water.
Report: 7/12/00
Detroit River: Still receiving
reports of fish be taken including some limit catches in front of the Metro Park
and north of Sugar Island.
West Basin: Fish seem to be scattering more, possibly on thier migration
to deeper water. Through the weekend and Monday fish could be found 3 miles East
of Stoney Point south to the Sputnik. On Sunday crawler harness where the only
thing that would work on these fish. I do not know anyone who fished this area
since Sunday. Walleye are also ESE of the Monroe Edison channel and were the
only fish being caught successfully on body baits on Sunday. This is the same
area that was hot 5/21 through 6/14. I fished this area on Monday and did well
again with body baits. Some boats are fishing as far as 13 miles out from Brest
Bay Marina in 29' of water and also catching fish on body baits and spoons off
of dipsy divers. All these areas seem to be producing about equally. I suspect
the walleye will continue to migrate toward West Sister but the latest
information I have heard from there is that fishing is good in the morning and
evening only. The marine radio on Monday also had a few boats doing well
somewhere around the water intake to Little Cedar Point in 19' to 21' of water.
Report: 7/5/00
West Basin: I did not fish Sun, Mon or Tue. The reports I have heard
from those that were able to fish had fish almost jumping in the boat. Many
limit catches reported off of Fermi to Stony Point. I do not know if this is the
same area I have been reporting on the last 10 days. I went back to the area I
have been fishing on Wednesday and found weeds to thick to fish utilizing
trolling methods. I worked from the Banana Dike to Stony Point and pulled 2
walleye and an 12" perch out of the weeds that piled up on my baits. I worked
east of Stony point (still north of the point) in clean water and was able to
limit in 1 hr 45 minutes. These fish were much smaller than those which I have
been taking off of Fermi.
Report: 7/2/00
Detroit River: I received a
report that fishing has been good in the lower Trenton channel around Celeron
Island and in front of the Metro Park.
West Basin: The area in front of Fermi remained hot producing many fish and big
fish on Wednesday. On Saturday it had slowed down some but was still producing
big fish. I took a 6 lb walleye on both Wednesday and Saturday and many in the 3
lb. range. The fish still seem to want bright colors but that could be because I
have been fishing only in the early to mid afternoon hours. I have not talked to
anyone fishing Ohio or West Sister. The only other West Basin reports I have are
everything is slow. If you've been fishing in Ohio waters please click the email
fishing report link above and share how you've been doing!
Report: 6/27/00
West Basin: I followed my
own advice today. I fished Stoney Point north to the Dumping grounds 21' to 25'
of water. Found a small but cooperative school of walleye and no other boat
traffic. I was fishing by myself and had the best day of the season, took 12
'eyes in a few hours. There does not seem to be a large school of fish here but
there is no fishing pressure. The catch rate was the best I have seen this
season. Furthermore, based on the hit rate on this website there will still be
very few boats fishing the area in the next few days.
Report: 6/26/00
Detroit River: Just when I
report the river is slowing up, I receive information from the folks at Bottom
Line Bait & Tackle that things are going strong. One Bottom Line patron has been
limiting out daily this past week drifting crawlers on a red head 3/8 oz. jig.
He drifts them deep so that he feels the bottom on occasion. He is fishing the
channel between Grosse Isle and Celeron Island. Some fisherman are also taking
fish between Celeron and Horse Island.
West Basin: Fishing was as tough as I have ever seen it in late June. Some fish
are coming from just east of the Sputnik (1 Mile or less). To the nets 2-3 miles
south east of the Sputnik. There are also fish about 2-3 miles NW of Middle
Sister. Fishing was extremely tough with the majority of boats not catching any.
The most successful method was crawler harness about 15 ft down. The fish that
did hit seemed to be in the upper half of the water column. If you are coming
from Michigan waters and don't want to run as far as West Sister consider Stoney
Point to Fermi. There are very few boats fishing the area but the catch rates
sound as good if not better that what is coming out of Ohio. Work deep and North
of Stoney almost to the Dumping Grounds.
Report: 6/21/00
Detroit River: Things are slowing
down on the river with fisherman reporting only a few fish per trip.
West Basin: On 6/17 the area 2 miles east of the Monroe Edison Channel was still
going strong, 21 walleye from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Most fish came on Thunderstick
jrs. and Thunderstick Deep Jrs. There was no clear favorite color. I received a
report from a boat that fished Stoney Point to the Sputnik on Saturday and only
caught two walleye. Sunday, 6/18 was to rough to fish in the morning. Evening
fishing on 6/19 produced no fish off the Monroe Edison Channel in 2 hours of
fishing. Fisherman that did the best on Monday were fishing around the Sputnik.
Report: 6/14/00
West Basin: 6/9 found many fish east
of the Maume Channel. Water was dirty and getting them to bite very difficult.
Found fish in the same area ESE of the Monro Edison Channel, also found fish
toward Stoney Point. 6/10 fishing in the same areas ESE of Monroe Edison Channel
and toward Stoney Point fish produced 10 fish in the AM. Best colors were bright
colors. 6/11 ESE of Monroe channel produced many fish with better size then
Saturday. In our club event the boat with the winning weight fished off of
Stoney Point. Good results also came from the Sputnik. Boat traffic seemed to
move toward the east side of the Maume Channel. Those waters had cleared some
and the many fish marked there on Friday were apparently beginning to bite.
Colors changed to darker patterns, chrome and black being the best on my boat,
probably due to the overcast skies. This weekend I would concentrate on Stoney
Point, SE of the Sputnik towards West Sister Island (Ohio water) and I would not
give up on the area 2 miles ESE of the Munro Edison Channel. Look for new
reports on 6/17 and 6/19.
Report: 6/8/00
Detroit River: Bottom Line Bait and
Tackle reports that walleye fishing is still very good in front of Lake Erie
Metro Park. Fisherman are using crawler harness to take these fish.
West Basin: As of Sunday 6/4/00, the fish have not moved and are still just as
reluctant to bite. Water conditions are very good, if anything too clear. Still
plenty of fish in 22 to 26 ft of water, trick is getting them to bite.
Report: 6/3/00
West Basin: The water has cleared up
remarkably well. According to the graphs, fish are still holding in 22 to 26 ft
of water east and north of Bolles Harbor. Fish are still uncooperative.
Listening to the radio, successful boats had 3-5 fish in the evening. Morning
fishing sounded much better but still not great. Fish are there, just have to
convince them to bite!
Report: 6/2/00
Detroit River: Perch fishing
is coming on strong! The traditional spots are producing well. North East of
Sugar Island, South of Airport Bay and in front of the Metro Park. Walleye are
hit and miss. Best reports coming from in front of Edison in the Trenton Channel
and in front of Lake Erie Metro Park. Crawler rigs are the most successfull.
Report :5/31/00
West Basin: Nothing good to
report. Fishing during the holiday weekend was as bad as the weather, and they
probably had a lot to do with each other. On Saturday I talked to a boat
(troller) that experienced 4 foot waves dirty water and no fish out from Bolles
Harbor. They did see drifters catch a few fish casting night crawlers. Sunday,
heavy rain, east wind, no fish or fisherman. Monday the weather was much better
but the persistant NE to SE winds and rain from the previous few days turned the
water very dirty all the way past the old Sputnik. Three boats, two trollers and
one drifting crawlers all were fishless on Monday. Fish graphs show a lot of
fish, when the water clears the action should be fantastic.
Report: 5/21/00
Detroit River: No first hand
reports from the river. I do have a report that fishing is good in front of Lake
Erie Metro Park and the channel between Grosse Ile and Celeron Island.
West Basin: The heavy rains stirred up the water in the southern portion of the
West Basin. Fishfinders are showing fish everywhere. South of Monroe Edison the
water looks like coffee with extra cream. Fisherman are catching fish in these
poor water conditions but working hard. No pattern as to best baits but some
fisherman found success with Hot'n'tots, Rattle tots and Berkley's Frenzy. I
found the water goes from Maxwell House to stained at about the channel to
Monroe Edison and north. In the clearer water fishing action was good with
multiple fish on at a time. Fish were running 2 to 5 lbs. In the clearer water
Thunderstick D-J's outperformed Rattle tots 8 to 1. I only used bright colors.
Report : 5/14/00
Detroit River: The winds
this past weekend kept most off of the big lake. The Trenton channel has turned
back on. Local handliners are reporting taking 8 to 10 fish an hour the past
several days. They have been trolling right in front of the Edison plant. Colors
are fire tiger, clown and orange. Drifters using night crawlers and a sinker are
also doing well. I do not have a report from anyone jigging. For those who want
to fish from shore, the feeder creeks are full of fish, sunfish and rock bass, a
very strong catfish run and even carp. Just seems like everything wants to bite
right now.
Report: 5/08/00
Detroit River: Reports I
received from the river Sunday were that fishing was slow. The DNR doing creel
checks reported only 0-2 fish per boat. The spawn is certainly over but fishing
is usually good through mid-May. This very warm year may have prematurely
curtailed the river fishing. My focus has moved to the lake, any more river
reports will have to come from those of you that are still fishing there. To
make a report just click on the "Email Fishing Reports" at the end of this page.
West Basin: Fishing on the lake was not much better than the river. A large
number of boats were fishing out from Bolles Harbor and north in 20-22 ft. of
water. I only say one small walleye landed in this group of boats. I moved to
deeper water in Ohio. The surface water temperature in 25 ft. of water was
already 60 degrees. Two nice fish came in this deeper water. In summary, it was
a slow day in the river and on the lake.
Report: 4/30/00
Detroit River: The water has
finally cleared up from the heavy rains some 10 days ago. The fishing has also
rebounded. Good catches of walleyes in the 1 to 3 pound range as most of the big
females have spawned and moved out of the river. The best success today came
from the rocky areas in the Trenton Channel.
Report: 4/26/00
Detroit River: Wednesday
evening found the waters in the lower Detroit River still dirty. Fishing was
slow and I only saw two fish boated, both on the same boat, a pair of guys
handining. I do believe they had many more fish than the two I saw them land.
They were using bright colored artificial baits. Hopefully the water will clear
up for the upcoming tournaments and weekend.
Report: 4/24/00
Detroit River: Sunday still
had the water murky but clearing. We ran the river from the Rouge river to Lake
Erie Metro Park, fishing was slow all over. The best action we saw was in the
Trenton Channel south of the power plant. Jigging was very slow most boats
reported 0 to 1 fish. We took a few walleye with gold and orange and gold and
black rapalas all in the lower Trenton Channel. We tried various spots from
there to the Rouge river, jigging and trolling, with no other success.
Report: 4/21/00
Detroit River: As you might
have guessed, the recent rains turned the river into chocolate milk. Feeder
streams are continuing to deposit sediment heavy runoff into the river. Talking
to six boats today I found only one walleye in a combined 30 hours of fishing.
They reported the only boats getting any fish were trolling three ways, bottom
bouncers and hand lining. Even still, the results were poor. I suspect the murky
water conditions will persist through at least Sunday.
Report: 4/17/00
Detroit River: The Huron
Valley Steelheaders and the MWT both held tournaments on the river this past
weekend. The warm temperatures and SE winds made for much easier fishing
conditions on Saturday than the cold N winds on Sunday. Many more fish were
being taken on Saturday, probably because of the weather. In our event the
handliners were far more successful than the jiggers taking 6 - 12 fish to the
jiggers 3 - 4. The handliners were working Canadian waters. On our boat orange
and black tails took all the fish but in watching other boats chartreuse, white
and pink were also successful. The winning boat in our event had 4 fish in the
7lb to 8.5 lb range with the big fish weighing in at 8.5lbs. In the MWT big fish
was 11.5 lbs after day one and the lead boat weighed in 5 fish with just under a
7 lb average. They were using jigging and trolling techniques. Most of the big
females seemed to be spawned out although the smaller females were still
carrying eggs. In the last week, more fish are being caught right in front of
the Metro Park.
West Basin: A report from the south end of the west basin has fish being caught
between Turtle Island and the Radar tower. The report I have says 3/8 oz jigs
with a green twister minus the tail and a minnow. Both verticle jiggin and
casting with a slow retreive are working. Watch out for shallow sandbars in the
area, boats are getting hung up on them.
Report: 4/13/00
Fishing remains good on the
River, still many big fish are being caught. Jiggers are still doing well. No
new reports from the lake. The MWT is holding a tournament this weekend on the
river as is our club. Results in upcoming updates.
Report: 4/10/00
Salmon and Trout Fisherman,
Grand Haven reports that everything that was wrong last year is right again this
year, same as it was two years ago. They are catching large numbers of Coho and
Browns in the 2lb to 4lb range with an occasional fish to 12 lbs.
Report: 4/09/00
Detroit River: The river
remains hot with many large fish over 10 lbs being taken.
West Basin: Update on the Seabreeze Charts report. Jigging in 13' to 17' of
water off of the reef structures offshore from the Davis Besse. Also from the
south end of the west basin, fishermen are reporting success jigging in 12' of
water along the Maume channel from Turtle Island to the mouth of the Maume. For
you crank bait fisherman, I received a report of walleye being taken on thunder
sticks in 12' of water in the 'swamp'.
Report: 4/05/00
Detroit River: I talked to three guys
coming off the river today. They were jigging and had 11, the biggest was 11.3
lbs. They claim this to be an average day. This week has seen catches in numbers
and weight in the double digits.
West Basin: This in from another club member, Seabreeze Charters took 704
walleye in 3 days, average 3lbs-4lbs. Virtually all were males. They were
jigging but the report did not include where.
Report: 4/02/00
Detroit River: I received a report
from a couple handliners that historically have done very well. They have been
struggling to get 2 - 3 'eyes a day. They typically fish Great Lakes Steel to
Wyandotte, thier success has mirrored everything I've heard this year so far.
Jiggers are finding much success, handliners must work hard. Weather and water
conditions can change this in a hurry, a report on this weekend's results
tomorrow.
Report: 3/30/00
Detroit River: Joe at BottomLine Bait
and Tackle reports Limit catches are common. Jiggers are doing very well, some
fish are also being taken using crank baits. The big fish are moving into the
river. Many large fish up to 12lbs have shown up at BottomLine. Joe feels that
this up coming weekend will be simply fantastic!
Report: 3/27/00
Detroit River: Many limit catches
were showing up at the ramp today. White power grub jigs were among the
successful baits. Still mostly the smaller males being taken.
Report: 3/26/00
Detroit River: Some walleyes are
starting to be taken by anglers, however many of the fish are males that have
preceded the females. Occasionally there are a few 8-to 10-pounders being
caught, but mostly they are 2-to 3-pounds. The large hogs should be coming in
fairly regular by next week.