Anyone Else Fish Lake Erie?

divemaster99 · Feb 12, 2015

Most people who know me on the fishing forum know that I'm a huge Erie fisherman. I go up 10-12 weekends every year (Mainly May-September) and fish both onshore from the beach my cottage is on and my marina as well as offshore on my 22' boat. I'm also a very big "oddball" fisherman as the locals would call it. Most up there fish for walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth, and steelhead. While I occasionally target them or catch them I mainly fish for white bass and white perch, Sheaphead (freshwater drum), and HUGE Sunfish with the occasional trip to the trenches for some walleye or rocky outcroppings for smallies. I also do steelhead for one or two weekends in the fall. Anyway, I'm going to be targeting some new species this year as well. These include early-mid spring inshore walleye, channel cats and/or bullheads, northern pike and/or muskellunge, and large amounts of yellow perch. I've caught almost all of these fish, just not in Erie so I'm not familiar with the best ways to catch them up there. So here is what I already know about these fish and what questions I have.

1) Spring Walleye- fish early April until early May at night. Should I use lures or livebait? Does is matter where i fish on shore? I've heard the walleye come near shore at this time to feed on steelhead fry but where I fish at by my cottage isn't extremely close to any creek mouths, it does have structure though.

2) I've tried night and evening fishing for catfish many times both on my boat and my pier with no luck. When should I fish (morning, afternoon, evening, or night)? What should I use for bait? What kind of setup/rig should I use? Where should I fish?

3) All I know about Erie pike is to fish in spring. When in spring is best? Where in Erie (Erie, PA) should I fish? What setups, bait, and/or lures should I use? Is it possible to catch them with lures in the main lake near shore or is the bay better?

4) I normally catch 20-30 perch a weekend but I always see people limit out with fin an afternoon, I fish where most of the boats are in a cluster. What setup should I use? What bait should I use? Anchor or drift?

Thanks to those who can help answer my questions and hopefully I have even more fish to show for it this year!

predatorkeeper87 · Feb 12, 2015

The only one of those I can help with is catfish because its generally the same fishing for channels and bulls anywhere haha.
Nightcrawlers for bullhead, cut bait for channels. You can do a split rig for bullhead if you want being that if you do happen to hook two at once you aren't gonna burn a reel out or snap a rod haha. Channels are a set it and forget it fish too from my experiences...
for both I generally fish medium to shallow between 4-10 feet of water in the later afternoon/early evening. They both feed shallow at night in every waterway I've ever caught cats in and I can't imagine Erie is any different. Fish shallow cover and submerged trees for the channels. Bullheads you'll be lucky not to knock one out with your sinkers no matter where you cast... haha

I'm not familiar with esox species fishing in Erie but if its similar to anywhere else, fast loud and shiny are the tickets for them. I generally target pike in creeks/creek mouths into larger bodies of water. Never went after musky...no time to do it right haha.

Walleye I catch by dams allllllll the time on live shiners...only way I've ever gone after them.

davenmandy · Feb 12, 2015

You want channels? Either chicken liver or live frogs/toads. Trust me. If you have a cottage, throw out a bunch of dog food the day before into the water, they'll be there the next day. If you don't care, put them in a container or buy the wet dog food and just poke holes in the container because that will keep the smell there the longest without the food disappearing. Anything that smells.is game for catfish. If they're not on the nasty bite (I leave my chicken liver in the sun for a day mixed with garlic and all sorts of nasty), try using something sweet like corn or a strawberry. Bread works sometimes but you'll probably get carp first. Channels are everywhere, but i find the big ones prefer the deeper holes.

Pike: anything big, shiny, rattling, annoying. The old saying is if water is clear use natural colours and if it's dirty bulk up the presentation and bright colours, but i find pike hit colorful whenever personally. Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, all with light yellow or bright orange have been my success. I never leave home without a 5 of diamonds spoon when fishing for pike either. Don't be scared to use big lures, many pike choke to death eating fish that are too big for them.

I hate perch fishing, waste of time to clean em all, they're delicious though. Use small pieces of worm or fish, and rig yourself 3-4 hooks in tandem, you'll get multiple bites.

Walleye are an ambush predator. They hide around inlets and eddy's waiting for fish to swim by. White jig and twister, or use a worm harness and jig it up and down. Walleye always best at dusk and dawn as that is when they see the best. Structure is your friend.

If i were you I'd be going after the steelhead all day long lol.

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predatorkeeper87 · Feb 12, 2015

davenmandy said:
You want channels? Either chicken liver or live frogs/toads. Trust me. If you have a cottage, throw out a bunch of dog food the day before into the water, they'll be there the next day. If you don't care, put them in a container or buy the wet dog food and just poke holes in the container because that will keep the smell there the longest without the food disappearing.

I used to think this worked for all cats but I've found it applies waaaay more to bulls than channels haha at least in my neck of the woods lol. I may get some small 6-10" channels on liver or something similar, but big cats have only ever taken cut bait or live bluegills filleted down the ribs and sunk to the bottom. That was something I forgot to add, bigger bait=bigger cats. You throw liver or small live fish on that line and the bites on you'll hit small cats all day, but throw a 5-6" sliced up bluegill on your hook and the few cats you do bring in are going to be massive haha.

pike...yup you buzz an annoying spoon past a pike, doesnt matter the size they'll hit it lol

davenmandy · Feb 12, 2015

predatorkeeper87 said:
I used to think this worked for all cats but I've found it applies waaaay more to bulls than channels haha at least in my neck of the woods lol. I may get some small 6-10" channels on liver or something similar, but big cats have only ever taken cut bait or live bluegills filleted down the ribs and sunk to the bottom. That was something I forgot to add, bigger bait=bigger cats. You throw liver or small live fish on that line and the bites on you'll hit small cats all day, but throw a 5-6" sliced up bluegill on your hook and the few cats you do bring in are going to be massive haha.

pike...yup you buzz an annoying spoon past a pike, doesnt matter the size they'll hit it lol

Haha I didn't want to say the filet of fish for cats (and pike as well for that matter) because where I'm from its illegal, can't use any game fish as bait (then again is bluegill a game fish), I'm pretty sure can't even use any locally caught frogs and such in some areas either, something along the lines of not using any live bait that is found in the local ecosystem. Never paid too too much attention, I just don't kill more than what I feel is excessive. But i agree, get a ton of bait on there, they have huge mouths.

Btw to answer some more questions OP, I'm pretty sure pike like to hunt in the shallows late spring early summer and drop deeper after that. Try throwing a mouse or frog lure on some weed beds or lily pads and let then drop. Channel cats you can fish for 24h a day.
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predatorkeeper87 · Feb 12, 2015

davenmandy said:
Haha I didn't want to say the filet of fish for cats (and pike as well for that matter) because where I'm from its illegal, can't use any game fish as bait (then again is bluegill a game fish), I'm pretty sure can't even use any locally caught frogs and such in some areas either, something along the lines of not using any live bait that is found in the local ecosystem. Never paid too too much attention, I just don't kill more than what I feel is excessive. But i agree, get a ton of bait on there, they have huge mouths.

bah I forget its illegal in some places! According to the PA laws as I understand them, any game fish may be used as bait, its the baitfish that have reg's on them for use hahaha.

Thekid · Feb 12, 2015

I use 3" green sunfish and prepared bait in the summer and catch the majority of my cats in the 4-5 lbs range and have had one or two 14 pounders.

In the spring I use winter killed shad that are found on the banks cut in halves.

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divemaster99 · Feb 12, 2015

Thanks for the tips guys! I always fish channel cats in the allegheny using both suspended rigs and bottom rigs with a ton of success but for some reason I just never catch cats in erie. I never catch keep any of the perch I keep, let them all go, which is really funny when the food fishermen a boat next to you are thinking "Why does he keep putting back all his food!?!?" lol.

divemaster99 · Feb 12, 2015

Thekid12 said:
I use 3" green sunfish and prepared bait in the summer and catch the majority of my cats in the 4-5 lbs range and have had one or two 14 pounders.

In the spring I use winter killed shad that are found on the banks cut in halves.

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Might try that this year then. Erie always has thousands of dead gizzard shads on the bay shores in the spring from the winter die out.

ParaMag12 · Feb 12, 2015

where I catch walleye- susquahanna river, Rapala is king, black and silver, black and gold, dark orange and light orange the medium sized original ones. I go in the morning when theres fog over the water or when its overcast dont like fishing at night only for catfish (The exception) and for smallies X-raps do the trick black and gold, dark blue and light blue , Rebel crawdads are the **** any color will do it


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