Lake Erie
West Basin Fishing Reports.
From The 2003 Fishing Season
These Reports are provided as a comparison of fishing in the West Basin of Lake Erie from year to year.
Report 9/11/03:
Walleye this past weekend
were tough, I understand the perch fishing wasn't easy either. I managed to take
13 walleye this past weekend in front of Fermi in 19.5ft of water. This was the
most unproductive weekend for walleye all year. The only good news was the fish
were getting bigger with 2 5lb 'eyes and another around 4lbs.The weed situation
was very good but I marked less fish this past weekend than in the two weekends
before. I have heard of no other walleye being take'n in our end of the lake. I
will be fishing perch this weekend so no new information on walleye till after
the 20th. If I receive any information via email I will update it when it is
received.
Perch fishing was also tough this past weekend. Best areas are out from Brest
Bay and Stoney Point in 21ft and then in 24-25ft of water. There is a decent
number of fish but they are running small. Another good area is out around the
Maume Channel to Sputnik.
Report 8/30/03:
Fished Fermi today and was
able to limit in about 1 1/2 hours after I figured what color they wanted. I
talked to another boat that fished the islands and only got two small walleye.
It isn't easy but walleye can be had! I would recommend fishing in front of
Fermi in 18-20 ft of water. Weeds were better today but I would only run crawler
harnesses. Color seems to be very important. Last week it was Orange/Chartreuse
today it was Blue/Chrome/Black blades on the crawler harness. There are fish
here, keep trying different colors / combinations till you find what works and
then repeat it. Perch are going strong NE of Sputnik less then 2 miles.
Report 8/25/03:
Well it is August in the
West Basin and as usual the fishing is much tougher than at most any other time
of the summer season. The walleye between Sputnik and the islands seem to have
dried up. I fished in front of Fermi on Sunday and caught a limit + catch of
walleye but it took some time to get them. I marked many fish in this area so
either the walleye were reluctant or they were not all 'eyes. I did not fish
North of Sputnik this past weekend nor did I get any reports from this area.
Based on the weekend before's results there are more cooperative fish here but
they are smaller (virtually all 15"). The fish I caught this Sunday in front of
Fermi were much bigger with several fish up to 3 lbs. It has been a relatively
cool summer, it is also the time of year the Michigan 'eyes will start up again.
Stoney point from 24' to 27' of water should produce some fish, east of the
Raisin River and of course in front of Fermi from 18' to 20' of water will
probably be the best shots this holiday weekend without running 20 miles out
into Ohio. Weeds will be a challenge everwhere up to 10 miles east of Stoney so
plan on bottom bouncer / crawler harness riggs, orange/chartreuse blades are
working best for me. Body baits will be nearly impossible to run with the weeds.
Report 8/18/03:
Fished Saturday and did well
with 20 walleye in the late AM. We certainly could have done better but it was
so hot we headed off the water as soon as we had our limit. Ran crawler
harnesses and orange/chartreuse was the best color. Another boat fishing the
same area caught around 30 fishing harnesses as well. Same program, 3 oz bottom
bouncer 25' to 30' back. We were fishing 7 miles out of Brest Bay Marina at
about 120 degrees. This would put you about 2-3 miles north and a little west of
Sputnik. The fish were small but there seem to be plenty. I am still receiving
reports from various sources that there are still walleye in front of Fermi in
20' of water. I won't be fishing Saturday but if I am able to get out Sunday I
am planning on checking this area out.
Report 8/13/03:
Sorry for the lack of
information but I have not been fishing walleye and I have not received much in
the way of reports. I did recieve reports from the weekend of 8/2-3 that
confirmed that walleye were still going strong running along the Canadian Ohio
border as reported in the previous report. I also got a report that said fish
could still be found in front of Fermi. I will be back on the water this weekend
and should be able to provide a first had report then.
Report 7/26/03:
I fished Saturday on the
same troll from NE of Sputnik ESE. The strong South wind did not allow my to
hold course and I was quickly being blown to Canada. I trolled bottom
bouncer/crawler harnesses and only picked up one walleye in about 40 minutes of
fishing. I move deep into Ohio to set up a troll to the area 1.2 miles from the
Canadian/Ohio border and then planned to troll WNW more with the wind once I
reached that spot. I started roughly 3 miles E of Sputnik toward West Sister,
there were many boats including many charters working the area. I fished
crawlers here and did not catch any walleye, the white perch ate up the crawlers
faster than I could bait the hooks. I did see several walleye taken by the
drifters. I switched to crank baits and spoons to avoid the white perch and
started to catch 'eyes immediately. Did best right between Middle and West
Sister 1.2 miles from the Canadian border. Thunderstick DJ's, Reef Runner Rip
Shads and Jr. Streak Spoons did equally well. I also received couple of reliable
reports of good walleye catches 6.5 miles out at 140 degrees from the end bouys
marking the Brest Bay Marina channel, water depth is 27'-28'. This is just over
the Ohio border from Michigan. I saw a half dozen boats working this area
drifting. The two reports I received were for limit catches, one drifting, one
trolling crawlers. The word from the Detroit River is that it is very weedy and
fishing is tough.
Report 7/21/03:
This weekend I spent time in
front of Fermi, north to the banana dike and then out deeper, NE of Sputnik
running east between Middle and West Sister Islands. The waters in front of
Fermi are still holding walleye but the weeds make it difficult to fish.
Drifting or trolling crawlers are your best chance to fish this area effectively
unless the weeds thin out. I made a second trip on Saturday and set up NE of
Sputnik in 29ft of water and trolled ESE. I picked up 10 walleye fishing by
myself in 1 1/2 hours on Saturday afternoon. We caught 30 more on Sunday running
6 rods in 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Same program in front of Fermi, crawlers 20 ft back
on 3 oz bottom bouncers. In the deeper water I ran the bottom bouncers 30 ft
back. I set up NE of Sputnik just west of the shipping channel between the
Detroit River and the Maume and trolled ESE roughly 1.25 miles in Ohio water
parallel to the Canadian / Ohio Border. There are fish all the way and they are
running 13" to 3 lbs. I have been running at 1.6 to 1.8 MPH. I do know of one
boat that is running reef runners with snap weights and doing very well. If you
want to run cranks out in this deeper water running snap weights or something
else that will get your bait deeper will improve your catch. Colors remain
mostly insignificant but I have noticed a shift in preference to Orange /
Chartreuse colored blades. I will be fishing only weekends for the next several
weeks so if you have any information to add to these reports please email me.
Thank you.
Report 7/15/03:
I fished in front of Fermi
through 7/12 and did very well with limit catches every day. On the 12th,
Saturday, caught some 30+ fish with the biggest at a little under 7lbs. I headed
between the Islands on Sunday and caught about 25 fish but the action was slow
and steady rather than the fast action experienced in front of Fermi.
Historically I have identified July 12th as the end of the easy catches of
walleye from Stoney Point north to the banana dike. That is not why I headed to
the Islands on Sunday the 13th but the reports I have received from in front of
Fermi since then have not been very encouraging (thank you for those reports). I
don't know what, but something seems to turn these fish off after the 12th. If
you are looking for those elusive late July 'eyes my best advice is get an Ohio
fishing license. I have some reports of a good pockets of fish NNE of the
Sputnik towards the turn bouy to the Maume from the Detroit River channel. These
fish are in 29ft of water and are about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way from the
Sputnik to the Detroit River turn bouy. These markers are 7.9 miles apart. On a
clear day you can see both markers. My best recommendation however is head
between the Islands (Middle Sister and West Sister), again 1/2 way between is
good to the Canadian border. Crawler harness are still doing well. In the deep
water I have done best at 30ft back with 3oz bottom bouncers, color has not been
significant. Don't hesitate to try up to 40ft back. Cranks are working in this
deeper water as well but I would use snap weights to get them down to the 16ft
to 24ft range.
Report 7/8/03:
Walleye in front of Fermi to
the Banana Dike remain the most active. They have moved a little deeper in
recent days to 18' - 20'. Still catching limit catches daily in the 2 1/2 lb to
4 lb range and have heard of some larger fish. I have switched back to running
crawler harnesses, I find them to produce fish at a rate of 2 to 1 compared to
crank baits and spoons. I have recently sped up to 1.4 - 1.8 MPH. Blue Black,
Blue Green and Green Black continue to be the most productive but all colors are
working. I do have reports of Stony Point, Raisin River, and the deeper waters
in Ohio all producing fish but the weather has kept me close to port and I have
heard of no reports better than what we are experiencing in front of Fermi.
Report 7/3/03:
Sorry for the delay in
reports, I had no idea how long it has been. I have been following my own advice
and been working in front of Fermi north to the banana dike. Most fish coming in
13' to 20' of water. It does vary day by day so try all depths within this range
and concentrate on your best bite. I hate doing this going into a holiday
weekend possibly putting everyone in the same spot I am fishing but I will, this
is the best game in Michigan and from the reports I am hearing Ohio as well.
Some hit and miss reports way south from Luna Pier to Turtle Island in 10' to
13' of water. Others from Sputnik to West Sister but I don't think they are
worth running to. Up until Sunday 6/29 I have been fishing crawlers. On 6/29,
after taking 20 walleye on crawlers, I switched to crank baits for the first
time this year and have been fishing them ever since. The reason I switched was
because there are many small fish in this shallow water and you need to check
your crawlers on a continuous basis. If a crawler is out for more than 10
minutes without catching a fish pull it in, it is probably gone. On the crank
bait front, those of you who know me know I am a Thunderstick DJr. fan. Well I
have put them away. Reef Runner has come out with a new bait called a Rip Shad.
It is a great bait. They still have a very limited color selection and seem to
have some production problems in the early run of baits because they seem to
need some very serious tuning out of the box. Once tuned though, they are
outfising Stinger spoons, Mini Streak Jr. spoons and Thundersticks. As I
mentioned they have limited color selection and I am only running Iridescent and
a rainbow color one with a strong blue back. They seem to run shallow so if you
want to run them in more than 22' of water I would recommend in-line weights.
They are catching many fish including some hogs, which does expose a problem
with these baits, the hooks are too small. I have lost some nice fish because of
this. If anyone knows how to overcome this or has a contact at Reef Runner in
MarbleHead please forward the information. Good luck to everyone, be courteous
to your fellow fisherman in those congested waters this weekend!
Report 6/24/03:
I fished Sunday after not
having fished since last weekend. I found the going tough. The area East of the
Raisin River channel to the Sputnik has slowed substantially. I had to go 6
miles East of Stoney Point (120 degrees from the point) in 29 feet of water to
find a decent number of cooperative fish and these were wide spread. I received
two reports from in front of Fermi from the weekend and both reported just 5
fish. I received another report from Fermi on Monday stating the area was very
productive in 19' feet of water. Right now the fish seem to be scattered, in my
opinion, the migration pattern is running late this year and Fermi to Stoney
Point is still going to go strong so I would not give up on the area. If this
isn't working for you, head deep, 28+ foot of water and you should catch fish,
just maybe not what you hoped for. Crawlers still seem to be the most productive
but I think that is because more people are running crawlers these days. I have
reports of Rattle Tots, Hot'n'Tots, Wiggle Warts and Spoons all doing well at
times so I would not hesitate to use your bait of choice.
Report 6/17/03:
Fishing this weekend
remained hot. The best area going was, east of the Raisin River Channel, bouys
1&2 on east to the Sputnik, these fish extend somewhat to the south as well. I
fished in front of Fermi and did very well Friday and Saturday with catch rates
of 9-13 walleye per hour but Sunday fell off dramatically. The fish in front of
Fermi are in 19'-20' of water, anywhere deeper seems to be dead. If you are
fishing here work the areas where you catch fish. Crawler harnesses on bottom
bouncers with any blue combination blades, or when sun got bright, orange blades
were best. I also received a good report of walleye in 9' of water in front of
the Banana Dike on wiggle warts of Friday.
Report 6/13/03:
West Basin: It is that time
of year, from West Sister to Raisin River, fish are most everywhere. From the
Raisin to Stoney there are fish but not as thick. From Stoney to the Banana Dike
fish are red hot or ice cold, you must find the pockets of active fish and work
them. If you are looking to score a limit this weekend I would work East of
bouys 1&2 on the Raisin River Channel east 2 miles and south.
Report 6/9/03:
West Basin: Things are
really taking off on the lake. Areas holding fish are from 1 mile East of
Sputnik to West Sister Island. A small group of walleye just west of the Sputnik
including a large school of 9-12" perch. By just west I am talking 100 yards to
3/4 mile. I hear there are fish up toward the Banana Dike but I haven't been
there in a while to confirm. Fish are still holding from Stoney Point to east of
bouys 1 & 2 on the Raisin River Channel. The best walleye fishing (for numbers)
seems to be located here, west of the Raisin River Channel, in 24' to 25' of
water. Fishing is also good south of this point. Truth is though, I hear of fish
coming from virtually every where. Best techniques are crawlers on bottom
bouncers. I have been running 3 oz bottom bouncers 30 back trolling at 1.3 to
1.5 mph GPS speed. Blue remains to be the hot color Blue/Chrome/Black and
Blue/White are the best but everything with blue is working well. Orange is also
having its moments as well as green. Another successful technique is to run
small stinger spoons off of the mini dipsy's. The word I have is body baits are
not working very well but I do have a report or two of Rattle Tots taking a
number of fish. Sorry, no colors on the Rattle Tots.
Report 6/6/03:
Fishing is tough but walleye
can be had. I have reliable reports that some Walleye are holding south of the
banana dike in front of Fermi in 18 - 22 feet of water. Stony Point, Brest Bay
and the Raisin River Channel all hold a good number of fish, I have been working
this area and would concentrate in 20 - 23 ft of water in the bay and than East
of Stoney. I have numerous reports of great followed by poor days around E Bouy.
I don't know personally so take it for what it is worth. There are fish along
the Maume Channel and then East from Sputnik to West Sister Island (2-5 miles,
not on top of West Sister). Although I have heard of some good reports from West
Sister.
Report 6/5/03:
West Basin: I have heard
reports that the southern waters of the West Basin have been dirty. I have also
heard the fishing around E bouy has been hit and miss, maybe caused by the lack
of water clarity. I have not been out much and am still fishing 3/4 mile East of
Stony Point. The waters around Stony remain fairly clear. I am still trolling
harnesses in the area of 1.4 to 1.6 mph. Blue blades (various combinations) seem
to be the preferred color. If you are looking for a report for the weekend, I
will be fishing tomorrow and will post a report in the evening.
Report 5/26/03:
West Basin: West Basin
waters cleared quite well this past week. I fished Sunday only and boated 30
walleye due east of Stony Point in 21'-23' of water, 3/4 mile to 1.5 miles from
the point. Fish are all through Brest Bay to the Raisin River channel but the
best reports I received were toward Stony. Crawler harnesses on bottom bouncers
were the most successful method. I received a second hand report that fisherman
did very well around E-bouy out of Bolles Harbor on Hot'n'tots Monday.
Report 5/19/03:
Detroit River/West Basin:
The big blow May 10 through May 12 has really messed things up. The West Basin
waters still looks like coffee with extra cream and I understand the river is
not a whole lot better. A strong East wind continued this past weekend and if
you got out consider yourself very fortunate if you put a walleye in the cooler.
River anglers did not do much better. I did get a second hand unconfirmed report
that someone fishing did very well in front of McLouth Steel but I would take
that report with a grain of salt. The least dirty water that I could find in the
West Basin was in front of Swan Creek, and a little north of the Fermi Stacks.
There are fish in 15' - 18' of water, if they can find your bait. Any slow
presentation would be best. On a positive note, there are bunches and bunches of
fish in Brest Bay to the end bouys of the Raisin River Channel. Once the water
clears things should pick up dramatically!
Report 5/9/03:
Detroit River: Sorry I for
lack of reports but there hasn't been much to report. The river season has been
a slow one, the only bright spot is that there have been many wall hangers
caught. Otherwise fishing has been tough. Jigging has been the best method for
catching the hawgs.
Huron River: Again not a spectacular steelhead run but it has been pretty
steady. Wax worms drifted on bobbers have been successfull. Those putting in the
time are catching steelies.
Lake Erie: Other commitments and the weather have kept me off of the lake so far
this year. I just received my first report on lake conditions today. 3lb - 6lb
fish in brest bay coming on body baits in 17 ft of water.
Report 4/16/03:
Detroit River: Big fish are
in the river with a couple of 13+lb 'eyes taken this past week. The water is
dirty making fishing tough. Best area is in the Trenton Channel, jigging remains
the most effective method and early morning the best time of day.
Huron River: Walleye fishing remains good below the Flatrock dam but remember
these fish are out of season. Steelhead run has been going on for about 3 weeks
but you need to work for your fish. Best methods are spawn below the dam and
Hot'n'Tots down stream. Most steelhead are being taken between 4:00am to 5:00am
and 7:00am to 9:00am. The sucker run is very strong.
Report 4/13/03:
Detroit River: Well the ice
cubes have finally melted. Fishing seems to be up and down is sync with water
clarity, clearer the water, the more fish. Biggest fish in the most recent RCL
tournament (weigh in 4/12/03) was 12.6 lb. The big boys are in town. The
majority of fish are being taken in the lower part of the river with Trenton
channel showing the best results.
Huron River: The walleye have finally showed up below the Flat Rock Dam! They
started about 3 weeks ago but the past week has been the best. Steelhead are
present but the are tough to come by.