Advice for a few young guys today

[woose]

Hey all. Myself and two guys are goin out today. Went out yesterday and just drifted around and didn't catch anything. We are in a small boat so we had to hide behind Catawba. Coming out of east harbor. Any advice on where we could drift today and catch something? I have some worm harnesses and the other guys have never fished before so we have limited knowledge and skills. Thanks!

[BILLY JOE]

try the reef just out from the harbor should show on your gps think its middle harbor reef or basically any were between harbor and kelleys

[West Basin]

Woose,

What length is your "small boat." What type of boat? Do you have a chart of the Lake for that area or a GPS / Fishfinder with charts?

If the wind / waves aren't bad and you can go out a few miles there is plenty of area for you to fish right now.
Go NW from East Harbor and about a mile out you'll start seeing bouys. If you have a chart they are on it. Red and Green bouys, several of them.

The whole area from between Catawba Point to the south tip of South Bass Island east to about halfway down Kelleys Island has been hot lately. It's called the South Passage, a travel lane betwwen the shore and the Islands. There are reefs out there marked with bouys. Fish anywhere in that area and north between South Bass and Kelleys Islands.

You need to learn how to fish your worm harnesses at different depths. Cast out, once the lure hits the water count in seconds, then retrive. Start with a 10 count. Depending on the wind / drift speed your lure will be at different depths depending on how long you counted and how fast you retrieve it. Try to stay near the bottom at first. If you feel the lure hitting bottom reel faster just until you don't hit bottom any more. Sooner or later you'll catch one and find the depth where the walleye are. If one spot doesn't produce, move a half mile.

If you can safely get to where a "pack" of boats are fishing, that's usually a good way to start out. Try there first.

It's a learning process so don't get discouraged if you don't catch any at first. Keep experimenting with depths and retrive speeds. You'll begin to learn how to keep the lure at a cetain depth. When someone catches a walleye remember what depth they were at. Everyone should then fish that depth and speed. Have fun learning. Once you get some experience you'll be putting walleye in the cooler.

[woose]

Thanks for the tip. We went to middle shoal form 1230-330 and caught some sheepshead and catfish. No walleye unfortunately. But next time! We got sea sick so we headed back.

West basin - a 16 ft aluminum. We didn't have a fish finder today but usually do and it does have some GPS on it. I just drifted a 3/4 oz weight with the harness. I felt the bottom every now and then. I'll try casting next time.

[rickerd]

I would start with setting a harness on a bottom bouncer next time. Then try casting harnesses or weight forwards working from surface down.

Use the navionics app on a phone if you don't have gps on your boat. That will give you an idea where you are and depth and where you have been if you set a track on.

Keep trying that is the fun of it.
Rickerd