Peleebound - If you don't get someone inviting you out on their boat - and they may not because they don't know you - best advice of the threads here were to hook up with a charter. At least a walk-on, which is cheaper thant the rest. I also see some where they don't fill up they advertise on here for pretty cheap to fill out the boat.

Even still, it's tough to learn all the tactics in a single trip. It's kind of like trying to learn to deer hunt in 1 trip and from internet postings. Nothing replaces time spent on the water, learning the ins and outs for yourself.

What works one day, may not work next trip, which is why a charter only helps so far. If you're talking bouncers and harnesses drifting, I don't think you can have too many harness lengths, blade colors and sizes. Change them around until you find what works that day. One day it's big blades and dark colors; next day it could be small blades and flash. 3 foot leaders today; 5 footers tomorrow.

Erie is a fickle beast. Windy days are generally better for drifting than the calmer days. We've done well on days when there are 4 to 6 footers out there. On calmer days, you probably need to troll.

Go back on old threads here and you can learn a lot. Big picture, what worked last year is probably still working this year, depending on the day.