Where are the Walleye?

[walleyerick]

Lake Erie is a big lake and they could be anywhere ! It is about 10,000 sq. miles in area. If a charter boat guarantees walleye or your money back, let me know. If you have a sonar fish finder that should help locate reefs and schools, but it's still a big lake and even the best hi tech equipment won't guarantee fish. If I find 'em, I'll let you know where.

Good luck.

[captainjoe]

I was out there trying to catch a few of those fish Sat. & Sun. Sat. I left Strugeon Pt. and went west 9 miles trolled east - only got one silver bass. I was by myself. Sun. I went east out of Sturgeon Pt. about a mile - trolled east with the waves about 7 miles. NO HITS! Decided to call it quits at about 12:15 pm. Popped the downrigger - found something heavy on it. Played it for several minutes - Big Ass channel cat. I was trying to get the hook out of it and David was reelin in the other lines and found a WALLEYE on one line hooked by the gill. They are biting funny these days. He tried to lift it but fell off. Where are the Walleye?? Last Fri. David and Ed went out of Dunkirk - saw alot of fish on the screen but NO HITS?? Whats going on??

[blk97]

Captainjoe, Thanks for the reply. I fished Dunkirk two weeks in a row, nothing.Fished local walleye drifts on the Eastern end of lake erie ( buffalo ) nothing. We fished on an average three days a week. You would think sooner or later we`d get luck one day. Where are the walleye?

[jimski2]

The best reports are from the PA line area west of Barcelona. The walleye are not relating to structure, more likely suspended in the water column. Look for bait schools on the bottom in really deep waters, over 85 feet. A real good sign is I never have seen in many years the amount of young emerald shiners feeding on the surface plankton. Worm harnesses with dipsey set to cover the water column 55 to 65 feet down seem to be producing the best. It is late August and the walleye are out deep in the cooler waters there, this is good because when you find them, they are like "shooting fish in a barrel". When the lake temperatures drop to 65F, then they will return to the shallows off Buffalo.

[walleyerick]

Yesterday afternoon I trolled from the upper river all around the old lighthouse, the water intake, Waverly shoals (on the Canadian side) in shallow waters. No walleye. But I did get a few nice bass. I brought the bigger one home to eat, and I skinned it and grilled it. I don't particularly like the taste. Nothing compares to walleye.

So in the future, all my bass go back. BTW, the reason I fished that area was that a Canuck friend of mine was reporting that walleye were in the shoals. If they were, you couldn't prove it by me. I was running 2 lines with harnesses. Believe it or not, I got the bass on green and yellow #5 flatfish on 4' leader. Anybody remember flatfish ?

[blk97]

Walleyerick, sorry you didn`t catch any walleye. I`m in the same boat as you. But i have a question . When you trolled yesterday did you use dipsys with worm harnesses? Where are the walleye?

[walleyerick]

No dipsey just chugging irons w 4 ft leader and harness at the end with a fat crawler on it. I fish 3-4 ft off bottom, but there are lots of weeds where I was. It was a pain in the ass, which is why I switched to a flatfish that floats.

Personally, I'm not sold on dipsy divers.

[walleyerick]

Yesterday, 1st thing at crack of dawn, I was on the lake again. The windmills were spinning and I thought crap, another windy day ! As I approached the international marker buoy, the windmills had almost stopped and I was ready to troll 2 lines all the way west until I caught something. As I was slowing down to get ready to fish, my outboard just stopped. I thought it was strange, but it's happened B4 and it always started up. Not this time ! I rowed back to the small boat harbor (at least 5 miles). 4 boats stopped to ask if I needed help, but it was such a nice calm day, that I rowed all the way. The only boats that stopped were smaller ones; the big cruisers and speedboats completely ignored me.

Tomorrow I'll take my moter back to the shop and hope that by the time they get it working, the walleye will be back.

[blk97]

Walleyerick, so sorry you had trouble with your motor. I don`t know walleyerick, maybe we`re jinxed. I certainly have had boat troubles. Chuging iron fisherman says hang in there, things are going toget better. He said the last two times out he limited out. I wonder how far west is he fishing? Maybe Dunkirk?

[jig]

are there any eyes by the pa ny line or are they in ny