jimski2

I will be out there. Water temperatures are up this year since we had no ice last winter. 55 plus degree waters are everywhere and the fish are suspended off shore. Sideplaners with stickbaits or worm harnesses in the top forty foot of water should work. Jets which float up on inside turns are good. Snap weights or rubber bands with one to two ounce sinkers are working well in Ohio waters all winter long. Lead core lines will work well if you use less than five colors now. 65 degree waters will move the fish from Sturgeon Point and east to deeper water to the west. The most important deal is to keep your lies far, far from the sides of your boat. Long lines off the stern are the least productive and foul up your lines when you are bringing a fish aboard. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

The perch are migrating from their spawning grounds now and a good place to try is off Sturgeon Point. The nine mile choke point there opens to sixty miles across the middle lake and they will follow the shale and mud lines as a regular route. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

The Cattaraugus Creek is flowing a heavy mudline along the south shoreline this morning. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

Yesterday fine weather but a light north wind. Current from the SW as the high NE winds from the weekend pushed the water to Ohio. Very few perch on the bottom as we searched from Point Breeze to Hanford Bay. One boat had 8 perch off the Catt in 56 foot of water. Another boat had 12 perch off Evangola, we searched from 15 foot to 58 foot of water. Maybe when some SW winds return things will pick up. Today's forecast has high NE winds coming again so cut your grass get your honeydoos done. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

With the return of 55 degree surface water temperatures the walleyes will suspend near the surface all over the lake, just not the beach at night. Daytime fishing will work on the East end of the lake till surface temperatures reach 65 degrees when the walleyes will move west of Sturgeon Point. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

Yesterday one boat with two anglers took almost 20 perch in 57 foot of water straight off the Cattaraugus Creek. Clear water was their reason to stop there . Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

When in less than thirty feet of water do not depend on your fish finder to mark fish as you are just a car length above the bottom. The shadow of your moving boat above the fish and the engine sound along with the pinging click will spook the fish away. The cone of your sonar signal is smaller to mark any fish that may be there. If after ten minutes or so and nothing happens pick up and move. If you are drifting use your tracking system and mark a hot spot and return to it. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

Post spawn perch usually congregate in the warmest water available like near shore and bay areas. They will suspend in near surface water that do not indicate on your fish finder machine. Our situation now is high turbidity near shore water keeps your fishing shut down. My game plan for the Perch contest is to drift near shore and anchor up on an active area. The high wind tornado areas in Wisconsin presently should hit here on Saturday and be aware of the contest cancellation situation. If this happens a random drawing will be used to determine prize distribution. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

The Canadian commercial fishery yields a million dollars of whitefish annually from Lake Erie. Why we do not land more is our problem.

Years ago the favorite spot for early spring perch fishing was off Smokes Creek near the slag piles.. There were hundreds of boats there at this early condition. This area is where the Buffalo Harbor dredging material was dumped and mostly sediments where the critters that perch eat are at.

Beads work, you have to try them. Nothing is more attractive than a shiny bright emerald though. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Erie United

Many times the perch do not bite as you look for the tip of the rod for a bite.They inhale a minnow, crunch it in their throat to remove the scales and break the bones. They spit it back out and then take it deep. You have to be able to feel the weight of the perch on the line as you slightly lift it and then set the hook. After they crunch the minnow it falls off the hook and you are mystified by the minnow is gone. A good set up is to tie the hooks to your braid with palomar knots directly, No snaps, swivels or contraptions to defeat the sensitivity of your rig. One hook should extend past the sinker to set in the mud, this is the good producer. With your line held tight to the sinker resting on the bottom, you will feel perch vibrations similar to a violin string and that is the perch crunching your minnow. You have to hold the rod at all times and you will notice the the guys doing the catching are holding just one rod. A light sinker of a half ounce or less will give you the sensitivity you need. Get the line up and put it back quickly before the school moves on. Fellows using three rods catch less fish as they are changing bait too often and not paying attention to the one rod that is being hit. Spinner blades and other attractions slow down the return to the bottom of your line. If you set out other lines use plastics that are not stolen as live emeralds are.

Years ago the favorite spot for early spring perch fishing was off Smokes Creek near the slag piles.. There were hundreds of boats there at this early condition. This area is where the Buffalo Harbor dredging material was dumped for over 150 years and mostly sediments where the critters that perch eat are at.

You got it John. Do not stop looking till you find them on your screen. It is just like hunting deer, keep on hunting first. Packs of boats mean nothing except lazy fellows trying to figure out if they can mooch off your catch. Probably ten per cent are catching, the rest of the boats are wasting their time. Too lazy to pull the anchor. In light winds I use a five pound anchor and up to 200 foot of 3/8 inch poly braided anchor rode. No chain is needed as the extra weight makes moving an ordeal, Then now we have the I Pilot anchor guys, the problem is when we have a wind shift the anchor guys blow over and you collide or at least their hooks hang up on an anchor line. When you pull up to another boat you have to consider if the guy is anchored and a wind shift will cause some nasty condition to develop. For the money spent on the I Pilot systems, the guys could buy a lot of filet mignon steaks for a few years. Perch fishermen are trying to feed their families, using a limited family budget. If there is an anchored boat nearby, consider what will happen when the wind changes. If you anchor up near the other boat. be prepared to quickly pull your anchor. Good fishing and show some fore thought when stopping near the other guy.

Years ago the favorite spot for early spring perch fishing was off Smokes Creek near the slag piles.. There were hundreds of boats there at this early condition. This area is where the Buffalo Harbor dredging material was dumped and mostly sediments where the critters that perch eat are at. The slag forms a good base for the perch eggs to mature. Seneca shoals off shore three miles due west was a good shale bottom to attract spawning fish in the spring also. When the water temperature reaches above 55 degrees the perch will move off shore to deeper water.

Sturgeon Point is a sand trap that requires expensive annual and even semi annual dredging. We need a ramp that extends to deep water that can be cleaned without trucks and backhoes.

Ohio walleye charter boat operators have been using the ice water worms for years. Imagine the mess you have with half a dozen anglers aboard.