Erie Reef Bite.....How Long?

[CarpetBagger]

I got the itch. Finally came out of hibernation.

Winter was good to me got myself a nice 8pt buck...Now all I can think about is Jiggin up some walleyes.

Generally we try to shoot for the last week in April to come up for our first trip and it has always been good to us.

Has anyone been out?

[Bluewalleye]

CB, you normaly come to the reefs in late April and you still catch them jigging? I thought it was pretty much over by then, but Im probably wrong. Im with you I am looking forward to getting on the water very soon. I think the islands area still has ice on it though. But with the warmer weather we have had and are forcast for, it is just a matter of days before we should see open water on all the lake.

[Hombre Robusto]

The reef bite usually peaks about the second week in April. Jigging on the reefs usually starts about April 1st. Fish can be jigged up in the deeper water surrounding the reefs prior. The jacks hang around the reefs long after the peak bite. We've gone out the first week of May and still smacked them good.

After the first week of April, don't bother tipping your jigs. It's a waste of time and money.

[CarpetBagger]

maybe ill consider an even earlier trip then this year.

2 years ago we came up the last weekend in April and slayed them for 3 days. Catch and Release alot of fish after limiting out in like an hour.

Last year was a little slower. And we came the 1st weekend of May and I kept my boat there till mid June.

I cant wait!

[Hombre Robusto]

Don't forget your trolling gear, as well. Last season, second and third week of April, the trolling bite was phenomenal. We would start trolling at day break. By 10 a.m., our arms literally hurt from reeling in (and releasing) too many 5-9 lbers. than we could count. We would change the pace by heading in to the reefs and jigging for a few hours.

[CarpetBagger]

We usually fish out of oak harbor...where do you start trolling i would love to get in on the big girl bite.

Wats a good bait to troll with depths ect....

[bob oh]

Just troll north of where you were jigging Carpet Begger -- Oak Harbor -- the walleye capital of the world in April LOL
The jig bite is controlled by the weather (so what's new on Lake Erie LOL). Last year we had rough weather in early April and once it stabilized -- watch out!!!!!! Year before, fantastic bite early, bad weather second hlf of April. We all need to pray for a mega spawn, we really need it!!! Any time you want a fishing report just drop me an email or call me.

[Hombre Robusto]

We usually fish out of oak harbor...where do you start trolling i would love to get in on the big girl bite.

Wats a good bait to troll with depths ect....


Last year deep Husky Jerks were the ticket. There was a huge school of fish about 2-3 miles southeast of West Sister island.

[Guest]

In no particular order: HJ's, Rouges. any RR product in large or small, deep or shallow. Thundersticks and Bombers will take fish too. Definitely 2.2 mph and slower but usually somewhere tween 0.8 & 1.8 with 1.4 to 1.6 being a starting point . I favor rr's and ripsticks about 95% of the time but HJ fans are pretty devoted. It's pretty common to have several hot programs going. Lot of big fish are caught very high in the water column. I've caught fish on both harnesses & spoons goofing around but cranks rule.

Just in the spirit of it can't hurt to mention it. Two things I can think of -

1.) There can be serious fog at ice-out. IF you must go out in fog, make darn sure you have a compass in addition to gps that you know how to use. In addition to being a back-up, the compass can potentially be helpful to use in addition to the gps at slow speeds. The lake is often flat when there is fog and realize there may be boats running on plane with very limited visibility (& some don't have radar). Having some fool on plane at 20 mph pop into view a couple of hundred ft directly broadside while your trolling wakes you up if the bite is slow (you hear them coming lol). Keep your horn handy & vest on. If there is a collision, I reckon having the cell phone on, in a plastic bag and knowing your position might make the Coast Guards recovery easier if you get a call off but that water is cold and there is a response time involved...

Early morning fog can burn off but sometimes it gets thicker as the day progresses.

2.) If there are ice flows, keep an eye on the wind, etc and make sure ice doesn't blow in and block your ramp.

[bob oh]

I agree with guest on the fog and ice blocking the ramp or marina. As far as going in the water, with water temps below 50 and many times at or below 40 you better pray a nearby boat gets to you because the Coast Guard is usually too far away. Keep buddies close by if possible and keep in radio touch with someone if in fog. CG rule is you have a 50% chance of surviving 50 minutes in 50 degree water. At 40 degrees I would guess you are in BIG trouble. Stay safe and call me if you've cooked up a bunch of eyes and have too many to eat LOL

[perchjerker]

great advice here

fog or not, too many people rely on their gps's and ignore the lowly compass.

the compass is your best friend. Learn how to use it and rely on it!!!

And if you dont have one GET ONE!!!!!!

[Guest]

That's why I said "...Coast Guard's recovery..." hehe

When the fog is extreme I'm not sure a nearby buddy could get you out of the drink quickly enough w/o exact gps numbers. Your best hope would be with the guy that ran you over...

[nightranger1]

my boat capsized just last summer.everyone on board called 911,i called woody at cranberry creek.he had the calvary there asap.911 operators are too ignorant to trust with yourlife.the 3 guys, that ALL DIED,that capsized off of turkey point by ashtabula all called 911.the operator referred them to ontario because she found a turkeypoint on the map,55 miles from where they were.if 911 operators on the NORTH COAST OF LAKE ERIE, don,t have enough common sense to immediately use all the electronic tracking equipment at their disposal, instead they expect the person in the sinking craft to give them all the info.boats don,t sink in minutes,they go down in SECONDS. you simply don,t have time to wait ,trying to get them to take you seriously. my new boat ,i invested in a radio that has DSS,Interfaced it to my compatible gps, and now with one touch of a button,myposition,name, boat size,and all critical info is immediately sent out to all emergency personel.you have to pre-register to get a MMIS number, but it is worth it.you can,t accidently hit the dss button,as it is covered by a spring loaded flap.my first boat didn,t have compatible electronics(dss wasn,t available when i first bought it).communication is the key.the moer people that know where your going,where your at,and are in touch with you, the better chances you have of getting the TIMELY assistance you need in an emergency.we sank in 70 degree water and were only in the water 20 minutes(thanks to woody).the 3 that died off turkey point were in 72 degree water. time is critical.a ounce of prior prevention is worth a ton of immediate cure.if your boat lacks the essential emergency communication equipment,DON,T GO OUT ON LAKE ERIE.

[perchjerker]

excellent post nightranger!!

I also have the dss and am registered with an MMIS through BoatUS. Most newer radios have this feature, but I bet most people dont know about it, or do but never bothered with it.

[WILLOW CREEKER]

what would this system cost?

Sounds like a great investment that you pray you never need.

Tom

[perchjerker]

its included with most vhf radios now, no extra cost

and most gps units will hook up to it with the NMEA interface

you just have look for the feature when you buy a radio

go here for info on it

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

[Javelin360]

Any suggestions for Jig size and color for the reef fishing in late March & early April.

Thanks in advance!
Javelin

[fbcoach]

purple, green, purple, and more purple

1/2 to 3/4 depending on the waves

be sure to have a good drift sock or two, it is critical to be able to slow way down

[Hombre Robusto]

Last I heard, the digital distress signal is pretty much worthless (at this point) on the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. The Coast Guard doesn;t have the means to receive the signal (yet).

As far as jig size/colors, you want to have just enough weight to keep contact with the bottom. Sometimes a 1/2 oz will do, other times it takes 3/4 oz.

My favorite colors in the last few seasons have been purple head, purple and chartreuse hair. Black on black. Orange head with a dot of red with orange hair.

[bob oh]

Don't forget John Deere green and blue and white jigs, they outfished purple on my boat last year.

[Airwave(OH)]

NOW !! Just like you were ice fishing...:)

[fbcoach]

Guys were out today out of turtle creek. No exact locations were given Some fish were caught. Some say visibility was four feet about 2 miles out. One guy said about 25 boats in the pack he fished in. I'm impressed. Not all caught fish. Best report I heard was a 3 man limit in one hour. Ice fishing tactics. There were plenty of guys who zeroed. It was cold here on the Bay today. 41 here. Went west 30 miles to pick up my boat from a friends barn and it was 51 at his house and sunny. At least the Lund is home now and I can get her cleaned up and ready to go after a long winters nap.

[Bluewalleye]

So the Islands area is ice free? Are the docks in at catawba and mazurik yet?

[Juls]

So the Islands area is ice free? Are the docks in at catawba and mazurik yet?

Here is the satellite picture from yesterday...there were too many clouds for a good pic today.

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.cgi/modis?region=e&page=1&template=sub&image=a1.09072.1809.LakeErie.143.250m.jpg

The docks are not in yet.

Juls

[Airwave(OH)]

The docks at Catawba are not in but it is launchable there if your boat isn't TOOO big...

[GR]

Sunday 3/15
Fished just off Cone reef, 27'fow, water temp 35 degrees, 1' or less waves. water visibility 2'+. Basically ice fished, anchored, using purple hair jigs and jiggin' spoons. Some guys were driftin and bouncin the jigs with success. Some limited quick, some picked, some struggled. 2 of us took 5, all in the 3-4 lb range. Marked alot of fish suspended and high, but will wait for the temp to raise a few degrees before breaking out the trolling gear. Ramps open at Fenwick and Turtle Creek.

Gary / Capt OhYeah

[fbcoach]

Reef bite not really going yet. But proximity to reefs and ice fishing techniques the best. Fish aren't ready for the reefs yet. Need a few more degrees. 35 out there. Fish are being caught and at times good numbers, but I would not call it the true jig bite yet. Almost, but most are doing damage with jigging raps and spoons. Some jig action however. Getting very close. Some catching fish, many not. With the stable weather we are having it will continue to improve.

[palleye]

sorry newbie here (came outta retirement!!) what is the rr product guest was talkin about -rattlin rouges or rattlin raps ?????

[MrD]

I'm guessing Reef Runner is what the rr stands for. Uses the Little Ripper, Ripstick or Reef Runner.

[Guest]

>>>>
In no particular order: HJ's, Rouges. any RR product in large or small, deep or shallow. Thundersticks and Bombers will take fish too. Definitely 2.2 mph and slower but usually somewhere tween 0.8 & 1.8 with 1.4 to 1.6 being a starting point . I favor rr's and ripsticks about 95% of the time but HJ fans are pretty devoted.
>>>>>>>>>>>>

RR product meant ReefRunner product - ie Big Deep Divers (aka rr's or RRs), Ripsticks, deep little rippers (aka dl rippers ), little rippers, and both sizes of the ripshads . Probably not a lot of guys fish the little rippers and the ripshads aren't fished as much either but the eyes do like them at times. The new BIG 900 series ripsticks don't have a track record yet. The ReefRunner Ripshads are like a Rapala Shadrap except they are fussy to tune if you have a heavy hand and they catch more fish than Shadraps.

When guys post they were catching fish on rr's they mean the big deep diving reefrunners. If your not yet familiar with the rr products - Many, many erie guys retired their hot & tot/wigglewart collections after the reefrunner products were introduced if that tells you anything... They have that same kinda kick that tots or wiggle warts do. Company is located in OH and is owned by the guy that designed the lures.

They are the most popular go-to crankbait on erie from at least Lorain west for all open water seasons. Not to say other baits don't catch fish or shine at certain times.

[fishheadjoe]

Bob Oh,

Where is a good place to stay in Oak Harbor? Also a good launch ramp location? Looking to drive over from WI next weekend... We usually stay in Catawba but this year we are looking to move further West to cut down on ride time on the water.

Thanks!

FishHeadJoe

[bob oh]

Joe,

I am located near the Davis Besse Nuclear Plant north of Oak Harbor -- Wild Wings Marina. There are a lot of places to stay in this area but most are set up for 6 people (size of most charters). For less than 6 people try Turtle Creek (419-898-7745) and Fenwick (419-898-7009) for trailers; Wild Wings (419-898-1416) for condos; or (419) 345-4344 for a guy who has several condos at Green Cove. You can also call Camp Perry (888) 889-7010, the camp is about 8 - 9 miles east of Besse. Motels in Oregon, OH are generally cheaper that Port Clinton, but you can do a Web search to find motels in both areas. Oregon is a little further.
Best ramps are at Fenwick, Turtle Creek and Wild Wings marinas. I think Fenwick and Turtle are $5, Wings $10.
If you have a bunch of guys and want lodging for up to 6 drop me an email or PM and I can give you several numbers.