9/16 fish report

[West Basin]

Haven't had a chance to get out fishing yet. Too much work and stuff coming up. Hope to finally get out later this month.

Yes, that long shoal off the NE corner of Middle Bass is referred to as Lucy's Point. I'm sure it has other local names. It's a flat pretty much featureless bedrock shoal that runs out about a quarter mile or more before it get over 10-12 feet deep. I've scuba dived it. There is (or was at least) an old wrecked ship's boiler on the bottom about halfway out to the buoy. If my memory is correct, it's in about 10-12 foot depth during "average" water datum. It comes up to about 3-5 feet of the surface. You definetly don't want to pass over it in a boat!

Otherwise, yes, that area does produce good walleye fishing much of the year. It is overlooked, mostly because during the main walleye season there are usually other larger areas that are holding walleye where most people fish (south of Green Island to Niagara reef, the South Passage, south east of Kelleys Island, just to name a few). It can also be good in the evening. Can also be a good perch spot, to the south east of the end of the shoal. It's a transition area from the deeper waters to the north and north east to the shallower Islands area. I've caught walleye all around it and even up closer to the 15 foot depths.

Just for clarification. A "shoal" is generally a ridge or line of unconsolidated material (sand, gravel, or a mix of materials) that rises from the bottom close enough to the surface to cause a hazard to navigation. A reef is similar, but usually of more solid material, such as coral or rock. On Lake Erie, shallow points that extend out from shore are often referred to as shoals, no matter what their makeup. Reefs the same but a shallower area that is by itself, not "connected" to the shoreline. There are numerous of both in the Western Basin, but almost all of them have bedrock / rock foundations. There are also sand or gravel bars right close to shore, usually near a water outlet (river or stream). Sometimes these are called shoals. Generally speaking on Lake Erie, people refer to shallow areas extending out from shore as "shoals" and shallow areas out by themselves as "reefs". If you look at Lake charts, you'll see this is gennerally true. So when refering to a shallow area for which you don't know the actual name, think "shoal" if it runs out from the shoreline and "reef" if it's out by itself.

[itsbob]

Hey Billy, Thanks for the posts. We need people to post how they do fishing and what they used to catch them.Alot of people don't post on where they fish or post a general area. I understand that a particular area can get overrun with boat traffic and shut down the bite. But if you want to post where you fished, we all would appreciate it.