Catfishing Sandusky Bay?

[wakina]

We used to go out Green Creek in the early 50's, my dad would rent a boat at the bridge at Rt 6 and Green Creek head down the Creek to the bay with a 5hp Evenrude. If you think the lake gets bad the bay really turns up, so much so that you can hit the bottom between the swells. Talk about pucker power. Lots of those old Sturgeon traps(Rock Walls) still out there, that is what the rock walls were put in there for. There were and maybe still are pictures of horse drawn farm wagons loaded stacked full with sturgeon at a couple of the Restaurants in Fremont. The old 818 club comes to mind as one that used to have those pics on the wall, who knows if they have survived over the years or if the the old restaurant is even still there. I would imagine Squaw Island is probably washed away by now also.

Nothing better than to hear that old bait caster's clicker sing as a cat hit the bait on the fly, nary a warning just that clicker sounding off for all it was worth. Bait caster reels back then did not have the spool locking lever they do today, the clicker was the only way to get a tight line and lock the spool if you could call it that.

[West Basin]

A few years ago In-Fisherman magazine ranked Sandusky Bay #10 in it's list of 10 best catfishing spot in the country.

The Northern Ohio Catfish Tournament Trail has an event on Sandusky Bay - http://www.northernohiocatfishtournamenttrail.com/ .

The few remaining Lake Erie commercial fishing operations catch a lot of catfish. I don't know if they still fish Sandusky Bay.

The Maumee River also has good catfishing. There are several videos on YouTube showing guys catching big cats in the river.

If I remember correctly catfish in Lake Erie have slower growth rates than river or bay fish. But I've seen a few "monsters" (30-36 inches +) scuba diving in Lake Erie.

[drift fisher]

Last year fishing from the old bay bridge area