Sherman, I start every season in the western basin because the fish there are active early and I like the scenery. As things change I move east a step at a time. The move to Cranberry Creek has been both satisfying and rewarding. By midsummer I will be at Geneva and I finish the season at Conneaut to chase not only the walleye but the beautiful steelhead. I too have lost a lot of fishing buddies lately so I can sympathize with you but the mystique of Lake Erie and the challenge of the walleye keeps drawing us north. I can't think of a better way to spend my remaining days on the earth.