Erie this weekend

[Toolman]

Is any body fishing the Huron or Cataba/Marblehead areas this weekend? Are any ramps safe to launch? How about water temps and chances of catching any eyes? One last question, would vertical(slow) presentations be more productive, or would covering water by trolling cranks be more productive? Thanks for your feedback.

Fish On
Toolman

[ezmarc]

Toolman,

Getting out may be possible at Huron but as of now there's still some ice. I've found trolling cranks to be most productive but jigging can be good too and is probably overlooked by most of us too often nowadays. It wasn't that many years ago that that was the only way we fished cold water. As far as I know everything on the west end is iced in with blow ice.

[Toolman]

ezmarc,
I've never fished the lake in "mid-winter" after ice has formed. Is running the boat on plane a bad idea with the possibility of unseen ice chunks damaging the boat hull or lower unit? Do most of you guys stay near the river mouth near shore, without any long runs this time of year. Is there problems running in-line boards with pieces of ice floating? I'm picturing what it would be like on the lake in this weather,without ever actually having been there. Thanks for the info. I might venture up there on Sunday.

Fish On
Toolman

[ezmarc]

Toolman,

This is a strange year. The only thing that iced up at Huron was part of the river and the lakes been free of ice all along. A small amount of ice may have blown over from the island area but it looks like it all blew out from shore and then back into that same area. Huron looks to be clear but that could change if the Sandusky river/bay opens up and spits all of it's ice out. Slow and easy is the answer if you you don't know for sure and make sure you have "all" your safety gear.

The fish should be in the same place as they were 2 weeks ago, Vermilion to Cedar Point and I'd lean toward the west of Huron.

I may get out tomorrow, Email me your # and I'll call and let you know how it goes.

[Sundance]

Marc, email me your number. I will be at a tournament and unable to have my cell phone on tomorrow. We are looking at tomorrow night or Sunday night to get out.
I remember three years ago we were running pretty good in late March near Kelleys and the lake was as flat as glass. Before I knew it, I was way inside an area with ice at least 1/4" thick. It had a skim water over top of it and you couldn't see it until it was breaking up.
Everything was fine but it was just one of those memorable moments with the new boat and our first experience with ice!

If I recall, we did catch some fish that day slow trolling(up high)around everyone that was jigging between Kelleys and Marblehead.

[Walteye]

Last year I fished up in the Bay of Quinte and the water was pretty iced up. Trolling with in line planers was a pretty sticky deal, considering keeping your boat away from the ice and then figuring your boards another 30-40' off to the sides. The problem I had was the moving ice that was away from the boards as I looked ahead, then the ice moving closer as I approached, with the boards hooking the ice, and sometimes the line hooking the ice. There was not much open water when I was there, and I was trying the best that I could. As stated on a previous post, sometimes you can get fouled on ice that is just below the surface that you can't see until your board starts to walk away from you.
The best of luck to anyone who ventures........
Walteye

[Den]

Toolman, and anybody else going out this weekend, give me a call at 1-888-855-9032, i will have the marine radio on from early in the morning, i would like to know who is going out, and would like to keep in touch with you, as many things can possibly happen, so give me a call on the phone or the radio, i am on channel 79, just holler for Den, or the outpost. good luck and good fishin. remember, SAFETY FIRST. the water temp was 37 degrees today, and looked good. but that is cold. Be careful.
Den

[steve]

Sundance, whats up? what tournaments are you doing this year? I miss seeing your massive walleye at the scale. I need to get in touch with you about pwt in april. can you leave your e mail on this site or you can get me at swmr157429@aol.com {this is steve the guy that use to fish out of fisher boat with mike}.

[Sundance]

Steve, I haven't really given much thought to the tournaments for the spring yet. I guess I should if I'm going to fish some! Unfortunately I've had an extremely busy travel schedule with work and this spring will be even tougher. Toss in a few tournaments and my family may forget who I am.....
April's looking pretty good so here's my email cassidy@rtecexpress.net

Good to hear from again and I hope to see this spring.

[weldman17]

went to huron ramp saturday at 3 PM one boat was putting in. Small ice patches in river just above bridge.