2021 @ “The Catt”

[ciscokid]

1 minute ago, ciscokid said:

Seriously that's the best I have ever done with bb'ers and eyes suspended over deep water 45 to 50 ft down. So I am no expert and I prefer fish closer to the bottom and slightly suspended but fish is where you find em; stable weather always helps.  Wind out of the west the fish bite the best.  

[Jimdski]

The coldest bottom waters can be oxygen deficient due to decay of planktons and  other organic substances.That is why fish stack up off the bottom waters.

[ciscokid]

JUST MY 2 CENTS ALL FISH HAVE  A PREFERRED WATER TEMPERATURE IF AVAILABLE ESPECIALLY WALLEYE, SALMONIDS AND TROUT AS FISH ARE COLD BLOODED.  THEY WILL SEEK OUT THAT PREFERRED  TEMPERATURE WHENEVER AVAILABLE.  HOWEVER WHEN THE LAKE TURNS OVER THE TEMPERATURE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TOP TO BOTTOM; WATER IN THE WINTER  IS VERY COLD PRETTY MUCH TOP TO BOTTOM YET WALLEYES ARE STILL CAUGHT NEAR THE BOTTOM PERCH TOO EVEN IF SLIGHTLY SUSPENDED; WITH MY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING I BELIEVE THAT COLD WATER IS MORE DENSE AND SINKS WHILE WARM WATER WATER EITHER RISES OR IS FORCED UP. ACTUALLY COLD WATER HOLDS OXYGEN BETTER THAN WARM WATER. I THINK THAT'S WHY TROUT NEED COLD WATER STREAMS AND LAKES. GUYS/GALS THAT FISH LAKE  ONTARIO FOR TROUT AND SALMON ARE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT TEMPERATURES AND THERMOCLINES AND WOULD APPRECIATE THEIR 2 CENTS. I BELIEVE IF THERE IS A THERMOCLINE ON ERIE THE WALLEYES WILL BE ABOVE IN THE WARMER WATER. I BELIEVE I SAW A THERMOCLINE IN ERIE ON FRIDAY AT 50 FT. THAT WHY I BELIEVE THE EYES WERE MOSTLY SUSPENDED AT 45 FT OVER DEEP WATER. THERE WERE NORTH NE WINDS ALL WEEK & THE DEC GUY WHOSE CREW ONLY STUDIES L ERIE TOLD ME ON FRIDAY BY PHONE WHILE WE WERE FISHING THAT COLD WATER HAD BEEN DRIVEN INTO SHALLOW WATER AND THE PREVIOUS THERMOCLINE WAS BROKEN. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG I AM ONLY ADDING MY 2 CENTS  TO WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY SAID & WOULD APPRECIATE ANYONE ADDING ANY OF THEIR PERSONAL EXPERTISE.  i  KNOW A LOT ABOUT FISHN  BUT ALWAYS NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CATCHING.  

PS: I AM NOT SHOUTING. THIS IS SHOUTING!!!!! KIDS MAKE ME LAUGH THEY DON'T HAVE OLD EYES YET. 

[J. Sparrow]

I think there's plenty of O2 below the thermocline off the Catt and Dunkirk to support fish. We marked bait (smelt?) and fish (trout?) below the thermocline on Friday..... and plenty of target fish (walleyes) and some bait were marked above it....

I don't know that a thermocline "breaks"..... I believe it more or less undulates under the blanket of warmer water sitting on top of the cold water. If the wind piles up the warm water in one direction, the colder water gets squeezed somewhere by the thickening layer of warmer water on top. It's hard for me to visualize exactly how it happens for a given wind direction, but on Ontario and Erie an E and NE wind sure makes it happen.......to the point where on Ontario, the sudden drop in temperature can kill warm water species....... and often on Ontario when it happens warm water species (particularly bass) wind up in high concentrations at the creek mouths or just inside...... can be some very good fishing for them then. 

[Jimdski]

A "dead zone" has been documented for years now as organic materials decay on the deeper waters and consume oxygen from the waters,

[ciscokid]

JIMDSKI YOU ARE QUITE CORRECT THERE IS A DEAD ZONE IN LAKE ERIE IT OCCURS MOSTLY IN THE CENTRAL BASIN BECAUSE OF THE IDEAL WATER DEPTH. THE WESTERN BASIN IS TO SHALLOW THE EASTERN BASIN  IS TO DEEP. READ THE LINK BELOW IT'S AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE TITLED "WHAT THE HECK IS LAKE ERIE'S DEAD ZONE?" THE SPARROW AND I DID SEE SOME SORT OF BAIT FISH ON THE BOTTOM SO I DON'T BELIEVE A DEAD ZONE EXISTED OR WAS THE ISSUE. THX FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION IT MADE ME RESEARCH THE DEAD ZONE. I BET IT DOES INFLUENCE THE MOVEMENT OF WALLEYES WEST TO EAST. 

http://www.rockthelake.com/buzz/2017/11/heck-lake-eries-dead-zone/

 

[J. Sparrow]

Walleyes can survive in oxygen levels at 3 - 5 mg/L, and can tolerate less than that for short periods of time. The current bottom O2 levels in the eastern basin are in the neighborhood of 7 - 11 mg/L, so it's probably not the O2 levels that are keeping the walleyes suspended, it's probably temperature. 

[Coldfeet]

All fish have a preferred Temperature range. Cold water species such as Trout and Salmons head to deeper waters come summer and thrive below thermoclines.  Bass prefer warmer Temps and stay in the upper Temps. Walleye and Perch like the same temperature range so as the lake turns and is at this time somewhat unstable they'll go to the preferred zone.  Which happens to be above the thermocline.  Most of our electronics if tuned properly can pick it up.  So as bait rises with the thermocline so do the predators.   These surface temperature drops will also trigger the trout to prepare to invade the creeks.  So fishing cooler shallower water will trigger lots of hook ups with steelhead now

[Jimdski]

23 hours ago, ciscokid said:

JIMDSKI YOU ARE QUITE CORRECT THERE IS A DEAD ZONE IN LAKE ERIE IT OCCURS MOSTLY IN THE CENTRAL BASIN BECAUSE OF THE IDEAL WATER DEPTH. THE WESTERN BASIN IS TO SHALLOW THE EASTERN BASIN  IS TO DEEP. READ THE LINK BELOW IT'S AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE TITLED "WHAT THE HECK IS LAKE ERIE'S DEAD ZONE?" THE SPARROW AND I DID SEE SOME SORT OF BAIT FISH ON THE BOTTOM SO I DON'T BELIEVE A DEAD ZONE EXISTED OR WAS THE ISSUE. THX FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION IT MADE ME RESEARCH THE DEAD ZONE. I BET IT DOES INFLUENCE THE MOVEMENT OF WALLEYES WEST TO EAST. 

http://www.rockthelake.com/buzz/2017/11/heck-lake-eries-dead-zone/

 

 

[Jimdski]

God article, you got it. The eastern basin is only affected off Dunkirk and Barcelona deeper waters.

[Greg]

Hope to get out tomorrow. Any walleye reports; Sturgeon, Catt, Dunkirk, anywhere?


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[backinthegame]

Fished 830-2 yesterday, put nine good fish in the box and a bonus slob perch. 80-84fow, slow grind, lots of marks, light bites.  10-color with sticks was the best, northern lights bomber was the hottest pattern.  Slowest day I’ve had since June.  Thermocline nonexistent after all the wind and mixing.  72* water from surface down to 69’.  Lots of marks and bait.  Good luck!

[tds840]

Was out there Tuesday also with pretty much the same results, fished 80-85 FOW as that is where all the marks seemed to be.  10 colors out using stick baits caught us the fish with pink, white, and chartreuse appealing in the early morning and once those shut off, were switched over to blue and silver sticks.  

[glowgetter]

Care to share what port you guys are fishing from  ?

[glowgetter]

1 hour ago, tds840 said:

Was out there Tuesday also with pretty much the same results, fished 80-85 FOW as that is where all the marks seemed to be.  10 colors out using stick baits caught us the fish with pink, white, and chartreuse appealing in the early morning and once those shut off, were switched over to blue and silver sticks.  

any location 

[glowgetter]

8 hours ago, backinthegame said:

Fished 830-2 yesterday, put nine good fish in the box and a bonus slob perch. 80-84fow, slow grind, lots of marks, light bites.  10-color with sticks was the best, northern lights bomber was the hottest pattern.  Slowest day I’ve had since June.  Thermocline nonexistent after all the wind and mixing.  72* water from surface down to 69’.  Lots of marks and bait.  Good luck!

any location info ?

[backinthegame]

The Catt. Or Dunkirk, whatever is closer for you to trailer to.  We have been fishing an area roughly halfway between.

[tds840]

Sorry about that ! We launched out of the Catt. and stated straight out front in 80 FOW. Worked our way West a few miles, I’d say not quite the midway between Dunkirk and then turned back East. For about an hour and a half or so the lake picked up and we had to run West and troll back East with the waves until it laid back down again. Saw several guys about midway drifting but not sure how they were doing.


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Edited September 16, 2021 by tds840

[Rutnut]

Picked up a 2 man limit yesterday, straight out of the Catt 75-78’ , ran all harness’s , best was hammered gold willow leafs ran 10 ‘ off the bottom. Riggers and dipsys run 150’@#1
I


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[ciscokid]

GREAT JOB BUT IT MUST HAVE BEEN RUFF?

[Coldfeet]

Spent entire week at sunset rented cottage there. What a crap week. Winds every day kept us off the water. We went out trying it but 2 days off shore winds which were supposed to be under 1 foot we found 2 1/2 footers out 60 ft. Not one fish suspended no baitfish  couple bumps on bottom but why bother rigging up when it's a baron wasteland.  I refused to go out to 80fow due to waves. My boat isn't capable of handling 4 footers.  I'm throughly disgusted. 

[Ric66]

2 hours ago, Rutnut said:

Picked up a 2 man limit yesterday, straight out of the Catt 75-78’ , ran all harness’s , best was hammered gold willow leafs ran 10 ‘ off the bottom. Riggers and dipsys run 150’@#1
I


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we should have went for walleye instead of perch. Could only manage 11.

[Dcra]

We went out yesterday specifically to get perch, lots of other boats did too. After 2 hours, & trying a lot of spots, we didn't have any & didn't see anyone else get one. I wish I had a friend like Jimdski that gave me a tip. We gave up & switched over for walleye. Fished 3 more hours, put 7 in the box & returned a short. Got a couple bonus perch also. Fished 71-78 fow just east of the Catt, all caught on riggers about 5' off the bottom, black/purple harness with a silver back was the only one that caught fish. Dipsys didn't produce. It was good to be back out on the water again. 

[Coldfeet]

Perch are west at least that's the word. Out in front of Chaut creek Silver creek area

[Rutnut]

The lake was perfect for fishing yesterday 1’, little bit of a chop later for about an hour then laid back down...


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