bass islands in late May

[hugh albrecht]

Thinking about a family vacation to Put in Bay the last week of May. How will the fishing be at that time. Will there still be a large concentration of walleyes in the area to catch or will the big concentrations have moved farther east by then. Also, what about the smallmouth fishing at that time of year. Any assistance you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[ETT]

The numbers of walleye will be quite good, but the big fish will be long gone. Sure there will be a few oversized fish around, but most of the 28"+ fish are on their way east right now. The flats out west in the triangle created by the Sister Islands and the Canadian Border should be the hot area. Evening or night fishing on the near-by reefs is pretty much untouched.
Smallies should be great. If I were going to be on S. Bass I would go to the trouble of getting a Canadian licinse, and spend some time around Pelee Island. The bass will not be in season over there, but the fishing will world class.
Cedar Point ( the amusement park at Sandusky) will keep the family busy for 1 day.
Hope it works well for you.

[JCarp]

As always, ETT has it pegged.

In case your in a smaller size boat and shy of long runs:

We usually do a S.Bass or Kelly's trip at least once sometime in May. Usually, off South Bass, we have to run a bit to find eyes in late May, sometimes get lucky and find fish close, typically around Green/Rattlesnake. NW off North Bass is sometimes good for bigger fish if you want to stay close to the islands but can run a ways, it's probably about as far as Niagra reef.

Kelly's is a lot quieter and generally considered more family oriented. Very short runs if the the eyes are around. In the past we have found some decent numbers of big resident fish right before dark on the east side but we had to look for them. Some years, just north of Kelly's can be hot. Smallmouth fishing is comparable to S. Bass.

If camping on S. Bass, it is not uncommon for all sites to be full sometime Sat. morning. Kelly's not a problem. On S. Bass you can freeze fish at the store at the top of the hill from the park/campground. Haven't stayed on Kelly's long enough to care for a few years, but there used to be a place to freeze fish at the private south shore ramp. Hope you have a great trip.

[JCarp]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-01 AT 05:36PM (CST)[p]N/M