Headin to the BIGWATER

[RIPNLIP]

I do a lot of Great Lakes fishing out of Erie Pa for Walleye & Steelhead. And Lake Ontario out of the Olcott/Wilson area for salmon/steelhead. Always trolling. Rather new to the jigging, drifting aspect on the Western end of Erie. I do know I have to hit the reefs/structure areas to eliminate the "bad water". On Lake Ontario it's all about the thermocline. That's how you fish the "good" water.

Anybody have any advice/pointers that may help us hit the fish sooner without the 1-2 day learning curve (4 day trip planned)? Would jigging with jigs tipped with a shiner or dragging a crawler on a worm rig with a bottom bouncer be better? Right now I see a lot of people trolling sticks. We would rather not troll as we do that all the other times we're on the Great Lakes. It would be nice to catch walleye with rod in hand instead of dragging them behind a boat.

We plan on coming the 1st full week of May.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all & please be safe. There are a lot of people waiting for your safe return.

[endangeredspecies]

Not a seasoned veteran. Fairly new to lake Erie fishing myself. But since nobody has posted a response yet, I'd be happy to offer some basic knowledge. 3/4 oz or 1 oz purple hair jigs tipped with minnows. (Purple seems to be their favorite color, take others as well though. Chartreuse, green, black, pink) Start in shallower water, 7-15 feet over in front of wild wings. If you're not having a lot of luck there, move a little deeper 17-25 feet. Drop it to the bottom or give it a little cast. Presentation is key. Sometimes they want a fast jerk with a slow drop, slow lift, fast drop. Try all different combinations til u find one that's working. Good luck

[noonthirtyjoe]

The guy above is spot on. I will add rod type is important. A fast tip and keeping contact with the jig is key as their light biting in the cold water.

[Hoytman86]

One more little nugget of knowledge to add to both of the other fellas, you don't always feel a strike with walleye. Most of the time you'll just feel the extra weight when you start to retrieve/pull on the line. This holds true even when you start casting weapons/harnesses as well. So when you cast your bait out, drag your rod, reel up the slack, the start to drag your rod again and it feels like you're hooked on a log, SET THE HOOK! They can't resist that fluttering action that happens when the bait is slowly falling to the bottom, and 9/10 of your bites will come in between the actions you're putting on the bait rather than during your actual retrieve strokes.

Good luck and be safe!

[Madd Matt]

I do a lot of Great Lakes fishing out of Erie Pa for Walleye & Steelhead. And Lake Ontario out of the Olcott/Wilson area for salmon/steelhead. Always trolling. Rather new to the jigging, drifting aspect on the Western end of Erie. I do know I have to hit the reefs/structure areas to eliminate the "bad water". On Lake Ontario it's all about the thermocline. That's how you fish the "good" water.

Anybody have any advice/pointers that may help us hit the fish sooner without the 1-2 day learning curve (4 day trip planned)? Would jigging with jigs tipped with a shiner or dragging a crawler on a worm rig with a bottom bouncer be better? Right now I see a lot of people trolling sticks. We would rather not troll as we do that all the other times we're on the Great Lakes. It would be nice to catch walleye with rod in hand instead of dragging them behind a boat.

We plan on coming the 1st full week of May.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all & please be safe. There are a lot of people waiting for your safe return.

I got a text message today asking a very similar question and I told them that I would respond on Walleye.com. This seems like a good post to put that response. They where also asking about the jig bite / technique.

Many older veteran jig bite fishermen will laugh a little if you tip your jigs with minnows. You can find that whole debate in another thread on here. I can't tell you facts, just my experience. I have done it both ways. The truth is that if the males are excited (which is why they are on the reefs) then it doesn't seem to matter if they are tipped or not. I will also say that I have definitely never had any experience that would indicate that they like it "better" without a minnow, but maybe just the same... So my opinion.. Tip the jig with a minnow just for fun and it won't hurt, and may help.

Keep in mind that many times close to the spawn the jig bite is great because the males are coming into the reefs to milk. Walleye are broadcast spawners and don't spawn over "beds" but more over "spawning areas" such as reefs and other substrate. The females come in and release their eggs (mostly at night some studies say) slowly, several hundred at a time. The males hang out in the spawning areas and "milk" the water. As the eggs fall through the water they are fertilized. The males are there longer and hang out, the females tend to spawn and leave the spawning areas. This is why you will catch some monster females, but tend to catch a lot more jacks.

The males are quite excited and energetic, and also biting at almost anything that moves. The walleye are not typically a protective fish over the eggs. Many people speculate that the males are in there "protecting" the eggs from gobies and other predators. Most marine biologist don't agree and say that fish that broadcast spawn do not protect their eggs like bass over a small bed.

So really, the males are just excited and energetic.

There could be 3 more threads on what causes the spawn to occur and for how long, but most would agree that water temp is a factor (along with others) in the spawn. Many would agree that the spawn is pretty much done (thus the jig bite is over) at 45-48 degrees. The best time is when the water temp hits 39-40 degrees because this is when the spawn begins.

Many long time anglers also agree that best time to fish the reefs during the spawn is from dark-1:00 am, but I would not recommend anyone that is not VERY VERY familiar with the exact area that they are fishing be out on Erie reefs after dark. This is when most of the fish come in to spawn. Walleye also tend to be in the same areas year after year and so the jig spots are pretty well known because of their repeat behavior.

Once the spawn is over many casters and drifters still do quite well and catch their limits throughout the Spring and Summer on the reefs with different lures, baits and techniques. But the Jig bite is pretty well over when the spawn is done. There tend to be a lot of questions in here about how long the jig bite lasts... the answer lies more in the temperature of the water rather than a calendar date (although obviously the two coincide).

The trollers right now are going after trophy walleye. That is why you see a lot of people trolling sticks right now. 2 weeks ago everyone was catching limits quickly and having 50% - 80% all over 28" and a lot of 30" fish being caught trolling. You definitely can catch the big females jigging sometimes too... just not as likely, and chances are that you will catch a lot more males than females jigging the reefs.

I would say that the real question that needs to be answered when you come is, "is the jig bite still on." Then you will know if you need to jig or change lures and fish worms etc...

I ran into a guy the other day that said that he still uses Erie Dearies almost exclusively and catches all he wants on the reefs. That wouldn't be my personal choice this day and age, but there are tons of drifters and casters out there that could better answer the question as to what to use on the reefs after the jig bite for best results.

I hope that helps and I hope I don't start a war.

-Matt

[cycleguy]

Matt-

As a new guy looking to make a trip over for a few days, this is one of the best postings I have read…. Thank you!

Chuck

[RIPNLIP]

Wow! Thank you for all the great information! It is really appreciated. Once I'm there I'll check in on the local bait store & see if the spawn is still "on", pick up my jigs or harnesses & head to the big water. Anytime anyone needs startup advice for the salmon on Lake Ontario. Let me know. While I'm no expert myself. Between my fishing buddies & myself we have about 40 years of knowledge we're willing to pass on. It's whole different ball game (and fish).

Again, I thank you all for your great advice! Tight lines to all!

[Bggeary]

Hey Rip do you fish out of Olcott? I use too. Maybe we could swap trips sometime?

[RIPNLIP]

Bggeary. I do fish out of Olcott on occasion. Usually we put out of Wilson. It's just 6-7 miles west of Olcott & a lot less boat ramp traffic. Plus if you're 4-5 miles out (300 fow) running straight north of Wilson you're very close to the mouth of Olcott due to the way the lake runs. We also put out of the Niagara bar, but mostly in the spring. Just like the walleye on Erie, when the salmon/steelhead are hitting on Ontario the fishing can't be beat. Catching salmon averaging 15-22 lb (big 1's to 33-35lb) & steelhead to 8-10lb on average, big 1's to 15-18lb. between Erie & Ontario we live in a great area of the U.S. to catch quality TROPHY fish.

As far as swapping trips, sure. That would be great.

[Madd Matt]

Cycleguy & RIPNLIP... Thank you for the compliments. Hopefully you catch some fish. There are a lot better guys in here to talk to about casting & drifting the reefs after the spawn than "I" so don't be afraid to ask. I mostly troll now and can't give good advise on the drift fishing after the jig bite.

PS- I will try to take you up on the salmon advice in a couple years when I can get up there!

Good Luck!
-Matt