Lorain

[baybug]

Looking for a good report for the sandbar area. I'm heading to Lorain Wed 7/2/03 for the first time this year and could use some general report / info from the last couple of days.

If anyone wants to hook up, I am on 68 and 79 as baybug. Will be fishing out Hot Water about 6:30 am in a small CC.

[ETT]

Call Den At 1 888 855 9032. He has the VHF on and a group of good fishermen feeding him info. And he's a good guy to boot.

[Robertp]

ETT is right. Give Den a call, though he just returned from vacation and is "reloading" his info. We were up Sat., for our first time this year, and did very well, taking a limit of 20" to 24" fish. No "pigs", but good eaters. I called Den Sun., to give him our results, location, and patterns ( most all of which I learned from ETT).

[Dalton]

Fished a little norteast of the Sandbar today ,got 4 Steelies and 6 walleye in 3 hours. The Fintail spoons Great White and Black Molley seemed to be the best for us today. We switched too some of these spoons this year just to see how they would hold up. So far i believe there probably some of the best spoons i have ever owned.Been using them for over a month now and they still look like new, all except for some teeth marks.

Dalton.

[Metz]

Fished just south of the sandbar today from 32.18 and North. Got 5 nice eater sized walleye and threw a few small ones back. Once the sun got high in the sky they shut down. Last week got a steelhead in the same area on blue/chrome/yellow rapala. Walleye today were biting on everything. We just kept switching colors around on both spoons and erie derie types. Lots of sheepshead in the area though.
-Metz

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
--Doug Larson

[KJPACER]

Fished Tuesday evening 6:30 - 9 PM, started out West @ 33/19. Caught 3 quick ones then couldn't manage another Walleye in the next hour. Lot's of White Bass in the area. Got a tip on a steady bite back towards home at the 30/13 line ( Thanks, "Puppy Love" ). Pulled the line's and ran back East. Pulled 6 fish in 30 minutes and quit at 9. All fish came on dipsy's at 3.5@90' and 2@70-75'. Fish were smaller 14-20" range. Landed 9, lost 3.

Kevin on "Born Again II" - out <><

[Hawk Eye]

Kevin, doesn't it seem like the fish are smaller out of Lorain this year in general. I have done well on numbers, but the size seems down. What is your experience?

[Tim FRick]

Sounds like you didn't get out early enough in the year when the bigger ones were hitting. We did real good on size in may/june and all the way till the past couple weeks. These smaller fish are more aggresive than the larger ones thus beat them to the lure. Just like white bass and sheephead. Use larger size spoons. You'll get less white bass too.
Good Luck!!
Tim FRick

[Hawk Eye]

Tim, I moved my boat from Toledo to Lorain June 1. I did get into some of the big fish for a few weeks. It just seems that generally the size is down. The July 4 weekend was always still a big fish time, so maybe we'll still hook into a few pigs.

[B Thomas]

Hopefully we are all throwing back the smaller eyes, I agree the last few times out of Lorain I could have got limits with those 13-15inch fish but I couldnt keep them and feel good about myself even though they are the best eaters. Let them have their chance to spawn a few times!

[Hawk Eye Mike]

Brian, you probably know if the ODNR gets its recommendations passed, there will be a much needed 15 inch minimun. I wish it was 17-18 inches. I've seen too many walleye "limits" this year out of Toledo and even Lorain that looked like jumbo perch. We need these smaller fish too grown and spawn, as you said, particularly since the 2000 and 2002 hatch was poor.

[Big Nick]

Guys, this is a trend I have noticed for years. I have been docked at Beaver Park since 1993 and notice that late may, early June is the best time for hogs. Then the smaller fish seem to move in and then by the middle of July till early August you get a mixed bag along with some GIANT sheephead. I was out last night and picked up 5 at the 32/17 line and heard Puppy Love give out those 30/14 numbers. Nice to hear someone helping out another guy (born again) The fish I caught were in the 18 inch range and I have to admit that while cleaning them, I felt a little ashamed ,maybe should throw those good spawners back! One thing, checked the stomach on one fat one and it was filled with mayflies! Last night was a good drift,put the trolling rods down and fished 5/8 pygmys in perch, fishing the swing and lifting the rod high on the retreive and letting the bait fall back. Good Luck and thank guys like Puppy Love and his wife, who help fellow anglers.
Big Nick aboard Erie Wind

[B Thomas]

I am all for the 15in requirement. There are a bunch of fish this size that Ive seen so far this year with can only mean good things for the next few years if we can swallow our meat hunting pride and let them go back. I dont think it would be bad to limit the amount of females caught that are full of eggs in the spring as well. I know thats a bit far fetched. Also ODNR spends a lot of money stalking Steelhead every year and Saugeyes in the inland lakes, why cant they put several million walleye fingerlings in Erie every year??? Who knows, I know that I am doing my part for now in not keeping those small fish.

[Dalton]

I believe that they say it would cost about $4.00 a fish , and even then they say the survival rate is small.

Dalton

[kjpacer]

Hawkeye,
Our experience this year has been the best season ever. We have caught big fish over 20"s steadily. Our first 4 trips yielded aprroximately 25 fish with 10 being 25" or better. Our best a 30", 10 pounder.
Kevin on "Born Again II" - out <><

[Captinjohn]

Where is Lorain????

[Hit-N-Run]

I would agree with Kevin regarding one of the best seasons for big fish out of Lorain. I have gotten 3 fish already this year on my boat measuring 31 inches and 11 lbs. I don't want to ruin a good thing however, I can hardly wait until the fall in Huron this year. The steelhead are also hitting well in Lorain. We were out on Friday July 3, and hit 7 steelhead and 6 walleye before the storm chased us off the Lake. We were trolling the 40/09 - 40/10 line out of Lorain. The hot color was anything with copper and orange. We were using Michigan Stinger spoons (Scorpion's) with Tangerine and confusion producing well. We also have a spoon that is copper with a wide orange stripe on one side in which I am not sure of the name that was doing great also. Hopefully this information will provide some help. I am fortunate to have tomorrow off and will try to hit some more steelhead and walleye.

Hit-N-Run

[Hetfieldinn]

The copper with an orange stripe is called "orange crush tape". They also make a "pink crush tape". Both have performed extremely well for me at Lorain in the afternoon, but I can't buy a walleye on them in the early morning hours. In the mornings, the eyes seem to favor anything with black or purple.

[B Thomas]

Hey guys,

Im going up Sunday and Monday for mainly Eyes and want to try for Steelies also. What depth is that line you are fishing? Also are your best results coming with Dipseys or Jets? Also what depth are you running the spoons and what speeds produce best?

Thanks alot