Stumble It !
Lake
Erie '09 fishing will be good, not great
The Wicklund group from Michigan enjoyed a great day on the water.
Click on pic for larger image.
Mega Bites has been out of the water about two
months now and already I am thinking about prospects for next
season. And I’ve been asked a few times already to put a label on
it. So, OK.
I think it will be “good” as opposed to “great” the past few
seasons. The reason for the slight downgrade is because sport
fishermen - and Canadian commercial fishermen - keep eating into
that colossal 2003 walleye hatch.
It’s been fish from that class that has given us some of the best
walleye fishing in many years. We can’t expect it to last very much
longer. The spawning success since ‘03 has been disappointing so we
aren’t seeing much growth in the lake’s overall population.
That said, the spring fishing should be very good. This is because
most Lake Erie walleye spawn in the Western Basin around the reefs
and Islands. The fish population in April, May and June is
concentrated which makes for better fishing.
After that, the success rate will fall off because many of the
walleyes will move out of the islands area into the deeper, cooler
waters of the Central Basin. And the Central Basin is a very large
area. Hunting them down often takes days before a school is located.
Big fish should be plentiful, so trophy hunting won’t be impossible.
Average fish size should still be around 22 inches. But we’ll see
some in the 16-18 inch range and quite a few 25-inchers.
Yellow perch action will be nothing short of great most of the time.
Smallmouth bass populations seem to be holding their own and white
bass numbers appear to be improving yearly with the catfish.
Like I keep saying: I can hardly wait to get that jig in the water.
Capt Tony Denslow
Bookings for the 2009 season are trickling
in and most are for weekend days. If you are planning a weekend trip
call now and make your reservations. Deposits aren't due until March
1, 2009.
Do you fish during the winter? If you do,
email me and let me know how you are doing. Give us some tips on
lures and bait. I'll use your reports in News Reel and that may get
others interested. There are lots of small lakes, rivers and
reservoirs all over the Midwest that hold walleyes and plenty of
panfish. A platter of fresh-caught bluegills and crappie would taste
pretty good after the turkey and hams we've all consumed lately due
to the holidays.
