New Angler - Vermilion

Just started fishing Lake Erie this summer. Currently have a 7ft Medium-Heavy rod, fast action. I have tried fishing Lake Erie a few times this summer (weekends) and haven't had much luck. I do not have any planers, boards, down riggers, etc nor do I plan on using them this year.

With that being said, what do some of you recommend using? Spoons? Worm Harness? Erie Dearie? And how should I rig it? I thought about using a 2oz weight and having a lead off the top of it with a flutter spoon or worm harness? Plan on maybe drift fishing and or just cruising along about 1.8mph in 40-48FOW. Or should I just throw some 3/4oz spoons out, let them sink and slowly reel in? Am I on the right track?

Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated. My biggest concern is knowing how deep my lure is without a line counter.

I answered your post on the western basin site.

If you are trolling, use the countdown method to determine approximate depth. I recommend starting with harnesses and spoons, but stickbaits are good too.

Old School trollin
get boat to speed, let line out with closed bail until hit bottom. Then reel in to surface counting number of handle turns to get up. If you know how deep, you can interpolate like this. 40 fow and 20 reel turns equals 2 feet of depth per reel turn. 10 turns puts you about 20 feet down, 15 turns about 30 feet down.

Next time you let out lure, keep bail closed and anti reverse off. let pull on bait pull out your line out while counting reel turns. Use the interpolation you set up to judge how deep you are. In 40 fow the line curve is negligible with braid, barely more with mono. In 70 fow maybe start to think more about the curve effect.

If you are a little shallower than you think, that is usually better to keep bait above the fish eyes. Every bait will be different and every weight different. Every reel may be different. Helps to have 2 or 3 of each setup in order to minimize mental math. Jets and diving baits may be harder but can still be done this way.

Rickerd

Good stuff there Rickerd.