Finally had enough

For the last 4 weeks I have been dragging my 17 foot tracker up to Catawba to perch fish. In reflection it amazes me what I will put up with to catch a damn perch. Bobbing around in 3 and 4 foot waves in a v hull bass boat, watching the waves wash over the transom and hearing the pump run every ten minutes while anchored. This to catch 15 or 20 perch after culling the 150 that didn't make 9 inches. Besides being uncomfortable and unsafe it is a pain in the butt to drag a boat clear over there, especially when I have a real Lake Erie boat in the rack at Copper Kettle. My solution to this dilemma is Saturday morning I am getting in my sport craft at 8 am and heading north till I find a school of feeding perch. The only thing that will stop me is the Canadian border, and if I get that far I will head east. "PERCH OR BUST"

PS. What brought this up is, I was making my normal Friday morning phone calls to the bait shops to check on the reports. Georges bait and tackle reported the normal gloom and doom, but when I called Central bait the guy started chewing me out. He said all you guys keep calling to find out how the fishing is, and nobody goes out to see if they are biting or not! Don't know who answered the phone, but he got my attention.

It was BUST. The boys put my boat in at the marina at 8 am. Found the first good fish marks at 30 feet a half mile north of the marina. Fished spreaders jigs minnows and crawlers for 40 minutes no perch moved north. Next good marks were on the south end of the sand bar stopped there, 30 minutes no perch. The commercial guys have there nets strung around the middle of the sand bar, fished around all of them no perch. Moved to the north edge of the sand bar, found some good marks fished a half hour no perch. Fished a couple of good marks just south of the Canada line no perch. Made a loop east, came south between Avon and Lorain tried a few more spots no perch. Went west to vermilion tried one more spot where some guys were anchored in 29 fow and caught a nice cat fish no perch. 10 hours 42 miles and no freakin perch. Drve up to Port Clinton Sunday went out on a head boat and CAUGHT PERCH.

Quite a ride around you had, at least you can say you tried and were good enough to post here with a report.
Thanks!!

Sounds like you need to move the big boat west to be safe for the last month, I know several places rent slips the last few months that way. Not sure. Call brands and find out price

I know the fish there has been smaller, but smaller is better than none. With the 60 fish in the area going about 14 pounds we have been averaging 5 to 5.5 pounds if meat. Much better than no meat. 5 pound is still 100 buck in meat. 8 bucks in gas 20 buck in bait and ice, 20 bucks for cleaning. Where keeping only the big fish you might get only 2 pounds of meat. 5 is still better 2 and alot better than 0.

Way to try. Wish the size was better west but you can only eat them one bite at a time anyway. We take what the lake gives us and are thankful. Besides, my wife says there is no difference between 6 and 12 inches and she wouldnt lie to me about a thing like that.

Now that's funny

Moved the boat to Midway Marina on 10/6. They rented me a floating dock that I can drive up to for $100.00, and I can leave the boat in till ice up. Have made 5 trips out, and caught a limit each time. A couple of them took 8 plus hours, but the fishing has been good. Yesterdays 60 fish limit weighed 21 lbs at the cleaners.

Sounds like a great deal, not familiar with how deep the water is and stays in west harbor. But is amazing the deals you can get on that late season dockage. Alot cheaper than towing, and this year the long term forcast is not showing any real freezing weather to worry about till thanksgiving weekend.