Steve,

I have been fishing Lake Erie for many years out of a 15′ boat. The Sylvan that you have will work just fine providing that watch the weather. Erie can kick up in a hurry and if you are caught off guard, it can be a very hairy ride back in. Jason is right about a radio, I have a hand held Humminbird that I keep in the boat and turned on the whole time I’m out. It’s not so much for talking, but more for the weather reports.

My rule of thumb is I really don’t venture out more than about 4 or 5 miles from shore. On Lake Erie a South wind is safest unless it’s really howling and you can pretty much fish any where you want. West winds aren’t too bad as long as they are under 20mph. North and East winds are usually pretty ugly.
If the fish aren’t biting in the Sandusky Bay area you can always ferry your boat over to Kelly’s Island and fish over there. The Smallmouth should be real hungry at that time of year. I hope this helped you out.

Wes

Brian,

Great pictures! It’s fish like those that make me happy that Lake Erie is in my backyard.

Wes

Robby,

Man you get around. I see you on GFO, in Great Lakes Hunting and Fishing, and now here. It’s nice to see another Ohioan posting. Nice fish by the way. Are you willing to give me a few pointers on where to catch a couple just like those?

Wes

DeeZee,

Most of the fish came out of the deeper water 21′ to18′;. The smaller fish came out of the shallow end of the drifts 16′ to 14′. The ratio of fish caught on Shiners to Vibees was about 3 to 1, but I was the only one fishing the Vibees. I figure I held my own. The structure that we were fishing is a series of ledges that run parallel with the shoreline. They are not very pronounced, only a foot to 18″ of depth change between them, but the fish were holding right on the breaks.

Steve,

This monster was caught in the Conneaut area of Lake Erie. She came out of 17′ of water on a white tube. It was 6 oz. off the state record and it sat in the cooler for 7 hours before being weighed. I sure wish it was me in the picture though.

Wes

For some reason I was unable to Hyperlink the picture to go with the post, so they are now attached

Steve,

You can Catch Smallies all summer long, but the bruisers are in between now and the beginning of June and then again in the late part of September and October. I have seen a couple of 6 1/2 lb. fish taken recently from the Conneaut area.

Wes

Ron,

It was great meeting you too. You have an open invitation to come and fish with us anytime. It doesn’t matter when you come down either, Perch, Walleye, Smallmouth, or Steelhead, there’s always something biting on Erie. If that’s not enough incentive, out Perch Fry is even better than the Walleye Fry we had on Friday.

Wes

Steve,

It was nice to have met you guys. Thanks for letting us stay the night. It’s a shame that we didn’t get a chance to fish together, maybe next year. You guys caught some really nice fish and have some great pictures. I’m glad your trip was productive. The offer still stands for some summer fishing or maybe for the Fall bite.

Sednerd,

I run a 15 footer on Lake Erie and it gets me out and back every time (knock on wood). As DeeZee said it’s just a matter of knowing yours and your boat’s limitations. The Western basin is ideal for smaller boats, you’re never more than a couple of miles from shore or an island if you have to seek refuge. It can be intimidating at first, but it you take your time and think about what you are doing, you’ll be fine.

Wes

Hoosier,

The reason you have not seen a great deal of reports for the Western Basin is because the weather took a turn for the worse last Thursday. We’ve had high winds and waves ever since. Jason and I tried to go out on the bay on Saturday and got blown off.
Before the blow they were picking up fish off of Marblehead. Most were anchored and using a verticle presentation. Swedish Pimples and Rattle Snakies tipped with minnows seemed to be the ticket. They were also picking them up under the railroad bridges on the bay using blade baits. If you have ever fished this area before you know that more fish are snagged than are legally hooked. I prefer to stay away from the mayhem. There were also reports of some fish beginning to be caught trolling the reefs, some nice fish too.
Hopefully the lake lays down for you in the next couple of days. I hope this helps you out.

Wes

Jason,

I had a great time yesterday. We survived the cold and caught some nice fish. We’ll have to go up there again real soon. Here’s a couple more pictures from the trip:

J’s 2nd Steelie

My best Steelie of the trip

Kim,

It’s nice to see you in this neck of the woods. I’m ready to hit Erie this spring for Smallies, but I think the bite will be a little later this year. We have to get Jason out with us a couple of times and let him see what it’s like to fish and still be able to see land

Wes

Thanks for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to working with all of you. I hope that everyone has a great year of fishing.

Jason,

I’m looking forward to fishing Erie with you again this year.

Corey,

I’d love to come down and fish the tourneys on the inland lakes, but wouldn’t it be easier if I just gave you the money now instead of having you beat it out of me in a tournament?

Bluefin,

That Steelie was a little over 11 lbs. She put up one heck of a fight.

H2O,

I see Jason and Jim fairly regularly, so if you think that they are in need of a wedgie, just let me know. You’re right about the Smallmouth fishery, it’s phenomenal. I’ve attached one picture and I’ll post a couple more pictures soon.

Wes

DeeZee,

I mostly fish the Central Basin, the Vermilion and Ashtabula area for Smallmouth, Vermilion and Lorain for Walleye, and the Cleveland area for Perch. As for Steelhead I fish the tribs from the Vermilion to the Conneaut.

Jason,

What’s up bud? I was down at Edgewater the other night and got about 250 Smelt in about an hour and a half. I could have caught a bunch more, but somebody(me) has to clean them

Wes