Crib Reef

[butcherman]

Just a little shout to all you guys in the western basin I fish out of walnut,Erie pa you guys are great at sharing info and helping everyone out hope to get out there next year for the spring bite we do really well here trolling with a lot of big fish but its not good till July. My heart goes out to the families of those people. I love reading you're post guys keep up the good work

[wakina]

i agree,
in 2001 in early april, we were coming back to huron after a great day north at the junkyard and i hit the tip of the shoal where usually there is a red buoy. the buoys were not placed yet. limped home with a damaged prop. even had my gps. although with many years of experience, since 1979 fishing erie.
my point is, no matter how much you think you know, there is always that day that brings you down to earth. had i been just 100' more south, there would have been no issues......tight lines to all....

Been there done that. I have bumped just about every shallow spot in the Ohio waters of the Western Basin, some more than once. Now, I just find it easier to stay well away from those trouble spots. There is even one on Niagara Reef that can take your lower unit when the water is down like it has been the last couple of years. It should be good to go now with the added depth from all of that runoff coming in the lake from up North.

Gull shoals is some what different as there are several shallow spots in the immediate area. It is laid out similar to a ball diamond and in years past when I was braver I used to fish it quite often. The boys from channel Grove called fishing there playing baseball and the pitchers mound was always good for 3 or 4 nice eyes! Bobby Brown was who I first heard the name baseball from and he would fish it from time to time also. Those humps are unforgiving should you hit one directly. The name back in the 50s was Gull Island Shoals as there was a very small gravel island there which has been washed away by wave action over the years. It was large enough that Glen Lau a noted sportsman from this area back then used to duck hunt from it! Red Heads and Canvas backs were prominent back then and that was what he was after.