When means this is a great trip for the spouse and or kids to get out and enjoy a day on hte water.

It's not uncommon to catch several fish in one area, so when you catch a fish, mark the area with a buoy and drift it several times.
There's more than one way to catch big Lake Erie smallmouths, but these 10 tips, gleaned from more than a dozen years of Lake Erie tournament experience, will help you put bigger smallmouths in the boat from … Don't let Lake Erie's size or reputation keep you from catching the biggest smallmouth bass of your career.

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At times like this, look for structure in the 30- to 40-foot depths.Though much of the best smallmouth bass structure is relatively close to shore, most of this cover is several miles from the nearest safe harbor. Fish over 5 pounds are common and mules over 7 pounds are never out of reach.

Mark Rose and I spent two good days on the lake.

Here's...Game & Fish headed south to battle giant bass in old Mexico to test the latest baitcasting...All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. © 2020 Outdoor Sportsman Group. One of the popular launching sites east of Cleveland is at Fairport Harbor. Scuba divers tell about being surrounded by 4-pound bass by simply banging two rocks together, so adding noise to your favorite lures could improve your fishing. This warmer water stimulates action up and down the food chain, starting with plankton. The daily creel limit is five bass, combined species, with a minimum size of 14 inches.Be sure to have both Ohio and Pennsylvania licenses if you wander over the border. This is a popular tourist destination, with numerous facilities for anglers.Contact the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau, 109 Madison Street, Port Clinton, OH 43452; or call (800) 441-1271.The eastern side of the islands area, including Kelleys Island and the nearby shoals, is north from the entrance to Sandusky Bay. Carry insert-style jigheads in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2-ounce to cover the deep-to-shallow bases.

Fish over 5 pounds are common and mules over 7 pounds are never out of reach. Lake Erie is an unbelievable smallmouth bass fishery, arguably the best that North America has to offer. Smallmouth tend to hold along these steep-breaking ledges. From mid-April into early May, fish start to migrate from wintering areas, which are usually the first major dropoffs adjacent to spawning areas, and begin to stage on underwater points between 15 and 30 feet deep.

Springtime smallmouth action here usually gets started by mid-April, sometimes sooner. It drastically shortens the learning curve, by allowing you to actually see what is underwater and then compare it to the reading on your graph. Erie tackle shops are reporting exciting smallmouth bass opportunities in Presque Isle Bay, the lower section of Elk Creek, and Lake Erie. With the bluffs of Lake Erie's central basin shoreline a mere 2 miles distant, my boat's sonar unit displayed an abundance of arches in the 20- to 30-foot depths. Contact the Erie County Visitors Bureau for local information.Smallmouth hotspots off the central basin shoreline are too numerous to mention them all. Plenty of big smallmouth can be caught in the Great Lake from spring through fall.

Lake Erie, according to Bassmaster, was named because its “average smallmouth weighs in at 4 pounds and true giants live there, as well. Round gobies make up a big part of an Erie smallie’s diet, so consider color patterns that mimic this invasive critter.
Jigging spoons, vibrating blades and various lead-head jigs can be productive.In shallower, clear water, a boat might spook shoreline smallmouths. Members; 1,353 3,018 posts; Location.

During most of the year, anglers may keep four bass per day, and the minimum length is 15 inches. Rattles work so well that I modify all of my tube jig molds to incorporate a rattle chamber into the heads.Underwater cameras are great tools for smallmouth fishermen. Insert glass rattles into soft plastics and use snagless rattling sinkers to add sound to your drop-shot rigs.