Bass Islands Mid-July

[West Basin]

Brianks1,

By far the biggest issue you will have is boat wake. Mid-July is right smack in the middle of vacation / boaitng season on Erie. A LOT of boats, many of them big (30 foot and larger), will constantly be coming and going all around South Bass Island, especially in the channel between SB and Middle Bass. Even during weekdays. The nicer the weather, the more boats. Heading out into open water anywhere near South Bass is going to be a safety challenge with boat wakes.

Your best bet is to fish real early in the morning and in the evening after 7pm. Boat traffic is a lot less at those times. There are still plenty of walleye around in mid July, just not the big numbers / big schools that are pressent in May and June. Depending on how far you are willing to paddle, you have a lot of options. You can launch at the State Park Campground on the west side and fish around Green Island. Launching from the Harbor, you can go North and fish the shoal that extends NE from the NW tip of the Island (big red buoy at the entrance to Put-in-Bay marks the end of the shoal), but a lot of boat traffic. You can head North and fish between Raddlesanke and Middle Bass Islands (mentioned in another post). There is good structure and deep water on the west and north sides of Suger Island, the little island just to the N of Middle Bass, as well as a little reef just NE of it. Good spot to get away from most the boat wake, and I've caught a good number of walleye there in July in the evening. Going east from the harbor, you can fish the area between Middle Bass and Ballest Island (protection from boat wakes), as well as Long Point of Middle Bass (extends east from the east point of Middle Bass). The North East point of South Bass has lots of rock structure that drops off to deeper water, but it's the worst place for boat wakes, so I'd only go there real early in the morning.

It's a distance to paddle, but I'd recommend the area around and off Suger Island. It's away from the boat traffic and affords protection from boat wakes.

On any given day, you may not find a decent size school or "pod" of walleye, but there are always a few small groups, and singles, around. It may take some time and catching sheepshead, catfish, and the occasional Smallmouth Bass, but you should get a walleye now and then, especially is you happen into an area where some are holding.

Enjoy it. Just make sure you are prepared for large boat wakes, keeping an eye out for them.