Western Basin Michigan Water

[ebijack]

Is there anyway I could see a picture of a set up? If I'm reading everything right the few options are like this...

1) Ive got my main line from the rod that connects to my board...From there I tie my bottom bouncer with my crawler harness connected to that? For drifting.

No board when drifting. Line from rod right to the bouncer and put in rod holder after setting depth. Also don't tye to each lure/weight. Use snapswivels or duolock snaps on your line and clip to each lure/bouncer.

[salmonslayer19]

goto You Tube and type in Lance Valentine Walleye. check his downloads, you can see what your asking. he has a spoon video,planer boards,keel weights,divers,jets,snap weights.... he talks about how to set rods up inside boat, he talks about rods and line, different weights and reasons for different weights....

type Walleye fishing in You Tube 6,000+ videos from all the big names and t.v shows

also type in: Linders fishing,mark romanak 411, next bite, trolling lake erie.

Next you are gonna want to join michigansportsman.com they have a section dedicated strictly with lake erie fishing. Also goto downriverwalleyefederation.com alot of seasoned vets on there, and tour pros.

[wakina]

Very good advise on the videos available!! One of the best pc's. of information I have ever gotten came off the show The Next Bite, they were using the minnow worm harness spacers from Bass Pro Shops and they were catching alot of fish, I have always been a believer that the main attraction on the worm harness was the blade and I still am. They were also using the XPS Hatchet Blades which they only casually mentioned but were plainly visable in the show, and they turned out to be the best thing that I have ever bought or seen on the TV for walleye fishing and they weren't even plugging the blade but the spacers. The blades are no longer available but the spacers are, which I do not use very often if ever. I managed to purchase a couple of hundred blades in each of the colors that produced fish in numbers while they were on close out at 3 blades per pack for $.99 two years ago, so I am set for life on those blades.

[BostonWhaler33]

Does anyone use the gulp alive minnows or night crawlers on their spinner rigs or do you use real night crawlers?

[wakina]

I have tried both and never had any luck I always went back to the real ones. Swim baits work better for eyes than the gulp minnows but they are a far cry from the real thing. I tried the gulp minnows on perch and didn't catch a fish but caught them on real shiners on the same rod with gulp on one hook and a shiner on the other!

[salmonslayer19]

Whaler you are getting off track here good buddy, Crawlers there expensive there dirty, they stink,they dick your boat up, CRAWLERS.... Gulp and other artificial baits are a WHOLE other chapter in the book of fishing.... LIVE BAIT

I dont know were you live in MI. but I was at Fishermans Cave in Erie today and Corey from Reel Naughty his mom had just Re-Stocked them with Blades,Beads,Hooks, and there Top Producing Harnesses they were 2.79 which is a great deal for there quality..... Jeffs tackle on way into SSP has some good Tackle right now.

remember the deeper into the trolling season the less availability for this equipment. I seen guys buying the whole hooks of purple blades and Confusion patterns, white was hot for jigging season so Whites are going quickly in the Blades.... A buddy told me Bass Pro rossford was out of shiner looking 1/2oz in line weights.

Sunday is gonna be a big day if weather holds to pattern for kicking off trolling from what I have read and heard from bouncing around the shops today, some will still be jigging but I know several charters who are booked and they will be trolling Breast Bay.

[ebijack]

I have Gulp in worms and minnow shapes for trolling and jigging. There are times where they will catch fish, but nothing like live bait. There are ways to catch 3 limits using only 1 doz crawlers but I find it a PIA and just use as many crawlers as it takes. There are ways to keep the dirt problem down to almost nothing. If you don't want to use harnesses, alot of guys troll spoons and or cranksbaits all season and do quite well. When the floating weeds become a problem is when I switch to spoons.

[BostonWhaler33]

I live in Novi but I know exactly where the Fishermans Cave is in Erie. Ok, LIVE bait it is! I just saw a few videos on the Gulp and it looked great. Unfortunatly I wont be able to make it down there until the 11th. Hopefully they still have some in stock. I'm also going to try the Gander Mountain in Novi to see what they have as well.

I'm excited to get exams over next week and put everyones great advice to the test! Thanks everyone.