Lake Erie Question

[George Schmidt]

Over the years I have fished Lake Erie some 17 - 20 times mostly June -August. Its 200 miles and 3 hours from my driveway to the city limits of Port Clinton ,Ohio I fished with Charters ,Head Boats Trailer my boat,and several years I had kept it in a slip.Only one time ,With a charter we needed to wait a few hours for the lake to calm down. That morning it had good size white-caps.If it would have been Lake Michigan it would have been days! I have always fished the western side around the Islands.You have so many places to duck into and a dozen or so access sites.If it was my first trip I would do a charter the first day and then use my own boat the rest of the week.You will get a better feel for the Lake and how to fish it.At that time of year around Kelley Island ,middle and south passage is good for ,Walleye,Perch and Smallmouth.
Size of boat you can do it with a 18 + boat but keep a good eye on the weather. 21 + would be better and safer. Because of the lake being so shallow the waves can kick up fast . One day we saw a storm to the west we had about 1/2 hour run to get in . It was dead calm and when we reached the pier heads it was 4 1/2 footers.Be safe!!! and make sure to have all the safety gear and a radio,not a hand held one. Great lake a lot going on with all the Islands and state parks.

[Anonymouse]

Originally Posted by Snowking

I you taking your own boat? Or using a charter. Your own boat you could pick your days more. If you stay for a week. I would also wait till June. Spring weather can be rough. My understanding if you are prone to seasickness.
Do not go with a cubby cab boat. If you do make sure he stays on deck looking at the horizon. I always heard it is easier to get sick staying inside the cubby cab.

A.) It is relatively hard to stay focused on the horizon all the time, especially when fishing and your attention is demanded to handle the tasks needed to fish.
All it takes is a few seconds loss of concentration on the far horizon and the tequila tummy will return with a vengeance.

B.) As a cuddy owner, Anonymouse would take issue with the idea that it's easier to get seasick inside.
At least the walls of the cuddy aren't moving up and down in your peripheral vision all the time & you can go sleep it off (which is actually quite effective).

It's really HARD to fall asleep on an open deck.
Up-chumming over the side is a lot cleaner and easier on-deck, however - so there is that.

Once upon a time, when Anonymouse was in line for a WI DNR Fish Manager position, 20 candidates took a ride on a chub boat.
18 of them ended up seasick and curled up in a corner sleeping it off.
Only Anonymouse and the current Fish Tech (who was always going to get the job anyway) did NOT get seasick and were able to gut and sex by-catch trout and salmon for record keeping purposes.
It might have had something to do with Anonymouse stuffing his gut like a pig the entire time with smoked chubs, grapes, a meat sammich, juice, & soda pop - or it might have just been the 5' Lake Michigan rollers - hard to say.
The attendant 200 or so parking lot Sea Shikkens certainly enjoyed the slew of fish guts we were chucking buckets of, out the side of the cabin, and THEY weren't getting seasick at all.

[FishManDan]

I fish Erie all the time and she can throw a fit and anyone sensitive will get a chance to try out a remedy. Key is to start early possibly prior to launch. When someone I take out is prone I make it clear they get to call the trip. I don't tell them that means I take them to the ramp and I go back out if the fish are biting.