Are any steelhead being caught?

[Tangled Lines]

if so, could you say which port and just the approximate water depth? Thanks

[nickpaolini81]

We were out of Geneva on Friday, 8/8 and on the radio I heard someone say they got 2. We, and just about all the other boats were in 72-73 fow straight north and 10-13 miles out. Guy said they got them on a spoons.

[DW72]

We got one last week but I was fishing in Western NY out of Barcelona. I was in about 80 FOW at the time and it was about 7# fish. It hit a bandit that was running 17 feet down.

[Brian425]

We got one last week but I was fishing in Western NY out of Barcelona. I was in about 80 FOW at the time and it was about 7# fish. It hit a bandit that was running 17 feet down.

I went out of Avon Sunday and picked up one with 19 walleye, somewhere 50-55' of water. Strange thing is as soon as I got near to 60' the water down deep got warmer? Originally tracking at mid 50 degrees, jumped up to 60-65 degrees 40 foot down. Strange.

[DW72]

When we arrived at Barcelona for my first ever trip there, the locals told us the lake had recently flipped over. We had some interesting experiences. There were dozens if not hundreds of carp dead or near dead floating on the surface. All over the protected harbor and at the I let to it.

Out front of the harbor in 60-80 FOW the surface temp was 64-65 degrees. The walleyes were inactive there all morning and I caught only 5. The fish were all 10-20 feet down.

At 11:30 I told the boys it was time to make a significant move. We went out to 100 feet and looked around and no marks.

I headed west 4-5 miles and we found lots of fish in 80-100 FOW. They were 20-35 feet down so I felt good about that. The water surface temp was 72 there. We caught 13 keepers in less than 2 hours.

I don't have a fish hawk vut I do know the trout and salmon guys rely heavily on finding thermoclines. It matters to walleyes also.

I'm still learning every time I go out on Mother Erie. Sometimes it seems easy for me and sometimes not so much.

[Tangled Lines]

Thanks to those that have replied.

[Budman118]

We caught one about 16 inches out of Geneva last trip in 72FOW on a chrome and lime flicker minnow about 50 feet down. Usually we don’t catch many until we get out to 75FOW fishing around 60 feet down.

[Davf]

Two of us fished yesterday out of Mentor starting about 10 miles out in 71 feet of water moving north. Had 10 walleyes in about an hour. They were all above the 40 foot thermocline. When we got to 75 feet of water we saw a bunch of big marks all over the screen. Caught 2 steelhead. Got our last 2 eyes and left. Don't keep them. Lose tackle on them.

[nickpaolini81]

I went out of Avon Sunday and picked up one with 19 walleye, somewhere 50-55' of water. Strange thing is as soon as I got near to 60' the water down deep got warmer? Originally tracking at mid 50 degrees, jumped up to 60-65 degrees 40 foot down. Strange.

From the World Wide Web :-)

The process you're referring to is called lake turnover, and it’s a fascinating seasonal phenomenon that occurs in temperate lakes like Lake Erie due to temperature changes. Here's how it works:


Lake Turnover Explained
Lake Erie, like many deep lakes, undergoes thermal stratification during the warmer months and then mixes or “flips” in the fall and spring. Here's a breakdown of the process:


1. Summer Stratification
Surface Layer (Epilimnion): Warm, less dense water.
Middle Layer (Metalimnion or Thermocline): Rapid temperature change.
Bottom Layer (Hypolimnion): Cold, dense water with low oxygen.
During summer, the sun heats the surface water, and because warm water is less dense, it stays on top. The layers don’t mix much, so oxygen and nutrients become unevenly distributed.


2. Fall Turnover
As air temperatures drop in autumn:


The surface water cools and becomes denser.
Eventually, it matches the temperature and density of the bottom water.
Wind and wave action help mix the layers.
The lake “flips,” redistributing oxygen and nutrients throughout.
This mixing is crucial for aquatic life, as it replenishes oxygen in deeper waters and brings nutrients to the surface.