Spring Trolling

[Islander]

How early do you guys start trolling the western end of lake erie? I am going to give it a try this year. Would like to troll Stony Pointe and related areas. Just curious when to start after the spring run in the Detroit River.

Tahnks

[Denied]

Some folks drag a flat bottom john boat across the ice to open water so in theory you could troll anytime you could find open water. Personally if I can get my boat in by the 15th of April and wait for a good day I will be happy.
dean

Fishing Lake Erie aboard "DENIED"

(I don't represent any manufacturer or supplier "I pay my own way")

[Islander]

Denied, I am not surprised :) But would you catch eyes trolling at this time of year if you did that?

[FreeByrd]

I will be trolling my first trip out this year hopefully mid to late March if the weather allows and based on past success trolling this time of year expect to catch big fish. I'll start either North or East of the reef complex - within sight of any of the following range marker cans A, B, C, D, E. Full Size stickbaits (ReefRunners, Ripsticks, Husky Jerks) in the top 15 feet of water over 25 to 30+ feet of water is the deal. It can be unbelievable some days. Email me if you'd like more info or a link to my website with pics from April trolling this year.
Good Luck
Steve Carlson
steve199132@yahoo.com

[Islander]

Steve, sent you an email regarding your website. Thanks.

[bill]

the reefs around huron are the place to go for big eyes. bring your camera and let them go to finish the spawn.

[Erie]

Islander ~ here's some April Eyes from last spring:

http://www.freebirdsportfishing.com/PageAlbum2002+PicsPageNumber1.htm

"Just Remember" that the way to communicate with the fish is to drop them a line ;-)

[Erie]

PS ~ this one is hard on a guy with cabin fever waitin' on the spring bite :)

http://www.freebirdsportfishing.com/PageAlbum2002+PicsPageNumber1Pic1Fullview.htm

"Just Remember" that the way to communicate with the fish is to drop them a line ;-)

[Jess]

I agree.. Let the big girls go.

[Islander]

Thanks for all the feedback and I agree, practice catch and release so my grand kids can joy the sport.

[Bring a cooler]

This stuff gets so old- if you want to keep some fish or mount a trophy then have at it and no need to feel guilty and think you are taking away everyones chance for the future. ERIE isnt some little pond or reservoir that is going to be devastated because fishermen are keeping some LEGAL fish to eat. But every year we have to hear how awful it is that someone is enjoying eating some of their catch. Erie ISNT dead, there are millions of fish out there and if you aren't catching them either you are in the wrong area/wrong time or else you need to throw away your erie dearies and get with the new methods, the lake has changed due to the zebras and so have the successful ways of catching these tasty critters. Here is another newsflash, those big fish are good eating and taste great, if you don't think so ask some of the guys who live here and fish the lake all the time.

[Bring a Camera]

If everyone thought like your (bring a cooler) all fisheries would take a crap including Erie. Maybe what you fail to realize is that many people come for the Big fish....... There are so many smaller fish why would you think to harvest the big girls for the dep fryer??? Sure your entitled sure it's legal, but for eating they are absolutely the worst fish to eat--Dah!

It's like saying "yea see that big old Buck in the field that's 10 years old --Mmmm Mmmm now he's a good eater" I think most people would say yea take a 1-2 year old doe for eating, but maybe you don't have taste buds!

What is boils down to is this no one is cramming CPR down anyones throat it has and will continue to be the wave of the future and the future fishery depends on it any way you look at it!

Let me guess you love to eat smallies too????????

[Papascott]

I may be wrong but aren't these big girls past the fertile stages in life. Letting all of the big girls go to spawn would be like going to a retirement home to collect eggs for invetro.

Scott

[Bring a camera]

Supposedly some are past their prime but there's no way I'd ever believe they all are. I still don't get why you'd want to eat the big fish, I mostly target big fish in hopes of a 15,16,17+ fish some day and surely it can only help with more cpr. I'm not saying every fish MUST BE REALESED. My point is simple practice selective harvest, most advid fisherman are coming here for big fish and eaters.

Sorry but zipper filrets don't cut it for me on the big fish, and the theory of you can't tell the difference would maybe only apply if I had no taste buds. Many locals I know feel the same!

[FreeByrd]

Scott,
That's generally the consensus of the BIOLOGISTS - keeping big fish from Erie doesn't hurt the population - it is the 3-6 pounders that are the most effective and BIOLOGICALLY important to the fishery.

It's probably too late for this thread to turn back to the subject of spring trolling and helping Islander out with his question. To those that have sent emails with additional questions I hope I was able to help some.

To the people that want to debate keeping big fish from Erie, please at least respect Walleye Central's format and take it to the GENERAL DISCUSSION Board - this is STRICTLY FISHING. Amazing to me how some people think it is better for the fishery to take a limit of 1-2 pound fish from Erie that have NEVER spawned and NEVER WILL after putting a limit of them in a five gallon bucket than to keep some big fish that have already spawned multiple times in their lives. The big ones have already done their part in the ecosystem. If you want to release the big ones, go right ahead - just don't condemn someone else for doing something that is LEGAL and BIOLOGICALLY SOUND. It's often the holier than thou crowd that complains about keeping big fish that will tell you to keep the fish that are most biologically important to the future of the fishery - AMAZING!

Better yet how about going to the Ohio Sea Grant site and ask your questions to the BIOLOGISTS like Fred Snyder and Dave Kelch that have made the Lake Erie Fishery their life's work. There are several threads on the Sea Grant site addressing this already.

http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/discus/

I can hardly wait to see the posts in April when the PWT comes to Port Clinton - if they have good weather again they will break more records. If the fishery was suffering - how do they manage to break records virtually every time they come back to Port Clinton... Also from my on the water experience, and from attending the PWT and RCL weighins when they are in Port Clinton probably 85-90+% of the fish caught trolling in April are post spawn. The winners of the tournaments are the ones that are consistantly on the 8-9 pound fish and get a few kicker fish that haven't dropped their eggs.

I remain confident in the job the ODNR and SeaGrant are doing in managing our GREAT LAKE ERIE.

Steve Carlson
steve199132@yahoo.com

[Bring a cooler]

Nope, I don't eat smallmouth camera man! So tell us how it better to bring home several small fish that have good spawning years in front of them to eat rather than one nice 10 pounder? Your 10yr old buck analogy is ridiculous. The only aspect to consider with old fish is that more pollution is stored in its body-you get around this by careful cleaning of all fat and cutting away of the lower belly meat. If I cut up 10 identical sized pieces of walleye, 5 from small fish and 5 from big fish and cooked them up- you wouldn't be able to tell the difference and that is the truth. This CPR stuff is more like a religion to some people rather than just selective harvest which I endorse as sensible. So come back here mid April and cry about all those 10 pounders the PWT takes from the lake, did you know the state asks the PWT to donate those fish to local needy people rather than run a catch and release tournament? You aren't worried about the survival of the lake, you just want all those 10's to go back hoping it ups your odds of catching a 15 so it can hang on your wall.

[Bring a camera]

Sorry to disagree but you can try to convince me 10+ lb eyes taste great but I've tried them from friends and it's obvious which are older fish, I do have taste buds. Mud line, fat whatever I don't eat that much fish where I need to worry about it. Bottom line is this older, bigger fish are full of more contaminets and do not taste as fishy as a smaller fish--Most "educated experienced" fisherman would probably agree with this in the midwest regardless. I guess you'll try to tell me there is no difference in taste from a lake fish to a river fish---Sure there is!

I never said to release all the "spawning class" so don't put words in my mouth! I will only argue the fact that I see no reason to no practice selective harvest, being that some mature fish still having spawning capabilities--FACT!

I'm fully aware of the decision the DNR made to kill all the eyes and it was under much scrutiny. I still think it's a terrible decision, to kill that many fish. Yes there are millions of fish, yes the fishery is healthy. It's simply my opinion that most out of staters people travel this far for a trophey. Weather they mount it, fry it, or eat it raw is their choice, I won't loose a wink of sleep. As far as me killing a big fish for the wall, No need to I have many great photo's that bring back great memories.

Oh yea---you donated any money to the natraul resources lately??? Not talking about your lic fee's...... I mean Cash! Well don't tell me I don't care about something I live for---Wrong again!

My point is simple---Take a photo of the big girls and let them fight another day, Keep one try it for yourself, but no need to fill up the cooler!

Have your self a nice day I'm done!!!!

[GR]

Bill, are you referring to the Ruggles Reef area or the Vermilion Sandbar area? I've not fished either in the spring, but hope to this season.

[Waaaaa]

Dude grow up man! Noone ever said " how awful it is that someone is enjoying eating some of their catch" or the lake is dead. Whats your problem they stated let the girls go and you start crying like a little baby. This is why i stopped posting on this site. I myself catch plenty of walleye and don't see the need to keep them big egg laden females. Jerks like you just don't care no matter how much fish is in the freezer. Your probebly one of those guys with a freezer full of old fish and when someone suggests releasing one you throw up the usuall...."keeping 'some' of my catch to enjoy with my family" BS. Give me a break. If some folks on this site believe in catch and release during spawn why the heck would you have a problem with that unless you had issues? Thats rediculous. Wa baby

[Why then?]

"just don't condemn someone else for doing something that is LEGAL and BIOLOGICALLY SOUND" If a guy wants to release his egg laden fish go..Good ...so what. Leave em alone. Is is usually the catch and release folks who are being attacked. I Let fish with eggs go and all of a sudden ATTACK!!!!!

[ezmarc]

GR, You may want to wait at least a couple weeks after the spawn to try the Huron area. Your best bet until the end of April will be west of Cedar Point. I'm not saying you can't catch them there but your odds will be much higher to the west. I generally start over that way in Mid May or later. Good luck when you go.

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About the side discussion on this thread. Anybody else see a pattern here? I've been against registration all along but suddenly I feel that I might support it.

Jess
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bill
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Islander
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Islander
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Why then?
Guest User

Waaaaa
Guest User

Bring a camera
Guest User

Bring a camera
Guest User



I say release whatever fish you don't want. Keep the ones you do. Depending on the day and circumstances I may do either but given the choice I'll take the big ones over the little ones and my taste buds and conscience are just fine thank you.