shoreline

[Dewey]

Im gonna give the night time troll on the shoreline a shot this year. What kind of stick baits are you guys using? Can you pretty much go anywhere along the shoreline or do you guys focus on the mouths of creeks? 

-Eric

[J. Sparrow]

Never did the night troll thing, but I have thrown stickbaits from shore back in the day......... West of Erie, Pa., and we always were near a creek mouth. I can remember cleaning walleyes with steelhead smolts jammed in them..... I'm hoping to try trolling a time or 2 this year, but really don't know how or where to start....... 

[Flybuster]

as far as sticks go I like anything with a aggressive wobble. My best bait the past couple years has been a live target smelt followed by yozuri,reef runners and jointed  raps. If your in  buffalo the smokes creek area is the place to be early on as our local school spawns fishing can be tremendous between the windmills and Hamburg. As the year progresses I focus more on the windmill area anywhere from 12-25 fow. Word of caution on a calm warm moonlight night it's not unusual to see 100+ boats packed in a tiny area. Some of them don't have lights or care if they turn square in front of you 20 ft away. 

[justtracytrolling]

Does anybody cast sticks at night for em during the alewive spawn on Erie? If Im going at night for walleye Id much rather catch them feeding on top water than troll. Hard to beat hearing them smash a floater on the pause....they fight better in 2 feet of water too.

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[Flybuster]

Guys do cast from shore in the spring but I'm definitely not the guy to answer any questions about that!

[justtracytrolling]

Im not talking shore...im talking hunting em with a trolling motor and your ears at night. Once you pattern em its night after night of addictive fishing! It as close to fishing a blitz in saltwater as you can get walleye fishing. 6 hrs of bait splashing on surface every single night in the same spots....somebody's got to be doing it....

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[Dewey]

casting for them is a lot of fun. I cast husky jerks for them on oneida at night. The worse the weather the better the fishing. i live in the buffalo area but the in-laws live out near utica. Never really thought about casting them on erie. can you do this all summer long? I guess i always assumed that when it heats up they follow cold water out deep and stay there. Thanks for the replies guys. I just picked up another boat and have been excited to be able to go spots my old boat couldn't go (main motor blew) and do something other than troll for salmon and trout.

[King Slammin]

Its mainly a combat trolling situation in 5-7 FOW by buffalo. I've been out on my buddies boats each spring pulling husky jerks along the shoreline. This year I sold my 25' hardtop and picked up a 19' superfisherman so i'll be out there more.

[justtracytrolling]

I certainly KNOW nothing about Erie...yet...but in the finger lakes during the alewive spawn you can find fish in 1-3 fow on sand bars and gravel bars. This action can last a couple weeks or a couple months depending on water temperature it seems. This isnt to say they arent in 5-10 fow also...they just dont seem to hit right on the surface in deeper water. In my experience while the combat trollers are catching you can do as well or better finding your own water. I know if the ONLY way to catch fish is being in the pack combat trolling ill be getting skunked.

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[Smeltz]

I'll fish from Smokes to the Hamburg Beach at night with Rapalas, preferably with an electric.  Just like a    panther in the night.

[Flybuster]

It's a cool experience that's for sure. Band rockin at the bar fireworks at the ball park!! Fish on!!

[King Slammin]

10 hours ago, Smeltz said:

I'll fish from Smokes to the Hamburg Beach at night with Rapalas, preferably with an electric.  Just like a    panther in the night.

It's my favorite way to fish. A couple friends, few beers, and catching all the 3 or 4 lb males you can handle, with a few bigger ones, and non targets mixed in. I put some underwater lights on the stern to help net this spring and some better lighting inside. I can't wait

[Dewey]

3 hours ago, King Slammin said:

It's my favorite way to fish. A couple friends, few beers, and catching all the 3 or 4 lb males you can handle, with a few bigger ones, and non targets mixed in. I put some underwater lights on the stern to help net this spring and some better lighting inside. I can't wait

What kind of lights did you use? I thought about doing the same thing on my boat

[King Slammin]

I bought them from eBay. 

These are the courtesy lights I bought. I have 4 in the cockpit and 2 in the bow to replace. http://m.ebay.com/itm/RV-MARINE-BOAT-TRAILER-LED-BLUE-OBLONG-SHAPE-COURTESY-LIGHT-3-BY1-25-S-S-RIM-/301594742842?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

These are the underwater lights. I haven't used them yet but I figured for the price, it was worth a try before spending the money on ocean LED's. http://m.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-3-5-quot-BLUE-w-316SS-COVER-24-LED-UNDERWATER-PONTOON-BOAT-TRANSOM-LIGHTS-/271608829461?txnId=1607929433017

[Dewey]

looks good on the transom. Ive seen them on some of the big boats on lake ontario staging for tournements in the dark. I just thought the light was a little bigger. thanks for sharing

[King Slammin]

It looks small but there's 24 LED's in each light, putting out 650 lumens. Its pretty bright too. I haven't tested in water yet though. I'm hitting the bar on Tuesday for a shakedown, so I should know better by then.

[Dewey]

I've been waiting for a little bit warmer day myself to get out in my boat. I normally fish all winter in the Niagara but the old boat slowly broke and I don't want to be unfamiliar with my boat while I'm up river. 

[Fishkiller16]

On ‎3‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 2:21 AM, justtracytrolling said:

Does anybody cast sticks at night for em during the alewive spawn on Erie? If Im going at night for walleye Id much rather catch them feeding on top water than troll. Hard to beat hearing them smash a floater on the pause....they fight better in 2 feet of water too.

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there aren't really any alewive left in erie our main forage is smelt, emeralds ,perch, and gobies.

[RD9]

absolutely you can catch them casting till early summer. May 1st on. You don't have to do it at night either. Just move off the reefs they fish at night to 10 to 40 ft. You can catch a lot of eyes early May till the water warms in tight and listen to all the guys say fishing sucks because the water is to cold. Prepare to weed through big small mouth, Browns, Lakers and steelhead. Short cores way back dragging bottom and slow. Very few do it because it's difficult and the old school thinking is water is to cold. I also know several guys whom cast same areas and catch many. 

[justtracytrolling]

Tnx...i figured as much. Just the type of thing i enjoy. Trolling is fun for sure but hunting em in super shallow water casting is addictive...the thump on the pause! Do any charters offer this?

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[pap]

1 hour ago, RD9 said:

absolutely you can catch them casting till early summer. May 1st on. You don't have to do it at night either. Just move off the reefs they fish at night to 10 to 40 ft. You can catch a lot of eyes early May till the water warms in tight and listen to all the guys say fishing sucks because the water is to cold. Prepare to weed through big small mouth, Browns, Lakers and steelhead. Short cores way back dragging bottom and slow. Very few do it because it's difficult and the old school thinking is water is to cold. I also know several guys whom cast same areas and catch many. 

RD9 I don't want to sound like a smart ass, but why is it difficult? Do you get snagged often, if it's so productive why don't other's adapt. I troll at night from the end of the Black River out to the last set of bouys and back, I don't run near the amount of rods 4 at the most. Thanks for sharing? PAP

[RD9]

Difficulty for myself whom fishes out of Dunkirk is the variance of the structure. From my experience the eyes are tucked off the deeper side of the reefs they come up on at night.  We run short cores 2's, 3's, 4's and deep diving husky jerks but the short cores by far out produce the diving baits and or a downrigger. Even with a GPS with map function it's easy to get to shallow or deep. To shallow cost you gear in a hurry. There is many in ny whom do it but it is talked about less then in pa and oh. Bass guys every spring come from the south and catch those annoying eyes on tube jigs regularly. 

[pap]

AAAHH gotch ya,  Yea I have a buddy that is a bass guy and he fishes a lot more than I, I use him like a walleye dog if he bitches about the eyes in that lake I question him to death then I go but like old saying goes  Always ain't always . Thanks for the info much appreciated!! PAP.