Walleye and Perch Help, please
I will be attending my family reunion near Ft. Wayne, Indiana on 7 Aug., and I plan on fishing the western basin on 8 and 9 Aug., and would greatly appreciate any help I can get with respect to general areas to fish for Walleyes and Perch. I joined the Air Force in 1980, and between my Air Force time and civilian time working for the Defense Intelligence Agency, I was able to retire in 2007, although I have continued working for Defense contractors since then, and I've spent a lot of time in some not so fun places over the last few years, so I am finally getting a chance to attend my family reunion, after missing it the last 5 years. WaliDave had helped me in the past, and I have sent him several messages, but he has not responded, and I have not seen any blogs from him, so I hope everything is OK, as he was very helpful to me in the past. I am bringing my son and boat along and would like to fish on the Western basin for walleye and perch. I would appreciate any info on general areas to fish for casting and areas for trolling. Also, general areas to find perch. I've been watching recent posts, and have a few ideas on where to look for both walleyes and perch, but would appreciate info on best lures for casting and trolling. A spreader with minnows seems to be the choice for perch, so I will probably pick some up at a bait shop. I would also appreciate thoughts on best boat ramp(s) to use for western basin. I used to fish the western basin as a teenager in the late 1970's, but things have changed a lot since then. Sorry for the long post, and appreciate any help I can get.
Phil
Minnows for Perch and more...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
shuclan
Thanks for your help, Troy. Do you use Mazuriks for access? Appreciate any advice on minnow size/type for perch and bait shops to find them. Thanks again for your help.
Phil
Emerald shiners are popular and usually most desirable. Call any of the bait shops to see if they have them, ask for a price too. Keep them alive using an Aerator. Some are used whole or cut in half to release a scent. I like to use Mustad "Central Draught" hooks, size 28 on a spreader or on a vertical Crappie rig.
(If on this site, you might want to go back a few weeks and read about conversations we had using white perch belly meat and frozen minnows). Also, go on line and look up how to make a Crappie rig, very simple to do. Some Spreaders are sold plain and simple others have beads, bling and more bling.
As for launching, you can look up the Marinas and public launch areas. One marina, Meinkies, is a half hour east of Toledo that will take you right out to the Water Intake, a popular area for Perch a few miles offshore. Drive further east on Route 2 and you'll find more Marinas, baits shops, cleaning, etc. (Best fish cleaning is at Cutchers, just off 2, east of Davis-Besse). Keep an eye out for packs of boats anchored, they might be on a school. Hope for a nice westerly wind with 2 or 3 footers.
Keep in mind that if the conditions are just a little too rough for your boat you can always try to get on a "Head Boat" out of Sandusky, The Cleavelander, (usually for perching), or in Port Clinton, Sassy Sal, Shore 'Nuf and a few more. Ask about rates and what they're targeting that day. I hope you'll post your results.
Good luck.