2009 Fishing Report
2008 Fishing Report
2007 Fishing Report
2006 Fishing Report
2005 Fishing Report
2004 Fishing Report
2003 Fishing Report

November 21st (tough finish to 2004)

Stiff Northwest winds greeted us at the dock this morning and the long run west looked doubtful . The V.Q. attempted to run west but was greeted with 3-5 ft. waves with whispy caps. The V.Q. decided to turn around (as a white cap landed off the bow-it was windshield wipe mode already) and fish behind the protection of the point and channel area. Tough fishing prevailed.. Two large Steelies were landed (10.2# and 9.5#) and 2 missed. A 22" Smallmouth Bass was also landed but that was all for a good part of the days trolling efforts. Attempts to fish the bay channel area proved worthless as weeds constantly were caught by our baits. Fishable area was limited. All strikes came at the area named last year as the Sanctuary. Once again, the sanctuary saved a day. Last year, this area produced a (4) man limit catch and 20 some hook ups. Our attempt at ending the year with three consecutive limits fell short but we tried. This will be the last Boat report for 2004. A summary may be posted at a later date. Stream fishing will kick in gear now until the tribs. freeze. Check out the stream reports.

November 20th (Prrrfect conditions)

Good water conditions allowed another long run west to the West side tribs. Today, we headed right to the area we found yesterday. We were not disappointed. We had (4) bites before all the lines were set and it took about three hours to finally get the program out in full. Fishing was good but the catching was tough. We were plagued with break-offs (5), jump-offs and missed strikes. In about 5 hours of fishing, we accumulated 35 plus bites but did land a limit catch. A batch of fresh and fired up Silver Steelies arrived at our spot and tested my crew and tackle. In fact, they may have won, less their (12) comrades. It was a great November day of Steelie fishing. I believe my crew was hooked on this fishery and will be back for more.

November 19th (AMEN.....green water & a calm Lake=good fishing)

With a favorable Lake and good colored water, the Vision Quest headed west for a half day of trolling. It took about 20 minutes before we boated our first fish. A slow start. It was not long and we were into fish 2 and 3. We found our best spot West of Godfrey where we had 3 doubles in about one hour. It was there, we finally slid the net under our 9th and final fish (Limit). It was perfect timing because the lake was starting to cap and roll out of the North East. Best colors were orange, red, Terminator and hot pink. Boards accounted for most of the fish and bites today. We ended up 9 for 15. Biggest Steelie was a 11.2# Male that ate a Deep Nitro Shiner in the prop wash. Water temp. was still mild for this time of year (47-49 degrees) which means Steelies can be caught in to December-weather-waves and water clarity permitting. The Vision Quest will be back at it Saturday morning. (check back later for pics)

November 10th & 14th (MUD-tough conditions)

Fished day and one half on 11/10 and 11/14 and found tough fishing conditions and colder water temps. Lake Erie settled down enough to get out and fish but water clarity on both days was 6" to 12" MAX. We were able to fish along the lake shore one day and the bay channel area the other day. Plugs disappeared in the colored water as soon as they were sent out. Numerous short strikes and missed fish were the norm. We were able to boat 9 fish out of 24 bites during this day and one half. Tough fishing conditions equalled a sub-par November score. Two Northeren Pike were landed on the same Steelie lures. One was 34" and the other 26". Both were released. Two of the Steelies were big guys. One was 11.25# and the other, 10.5#. Muddy water conditions are difficult to produce fish in whether these conditions are in a stream or Lake. Over the years and years of stream and Lake fishing in muddy water conditions, the results are normally the same: tough and sub-par. Despite sitting over and on the fish.

As of this writing, Lake Erie has settled down and clearer water conditions are here. The Vision Quest will be out Friday-Saturday and Sunday and will end the season Sunday. Excellent catches are expected each day if Lake Erie cooperates. Water temps are between 43 and 46 degrees. Check back next week for the season ending trips.

November 1st-8th (UGLY)

Lake Erie has howled most of the past week and not allowing any boat fishing or shore fishing at all. Winds in excess of 25knots have prevailed almost every day. Looks like this may continue for the next few days or so. Excellent fishing should resume as soon as the wind stops (or switches to south) and the Lake clarity improves. Check back again...

October 30th (Hot Again...)

Well, the wind stayed enough south today to allow us to get back to the west side tribs. And fishing was Hot again. The landing could have been better but we managed to box out early again but it took about 40 bites to get there. Same program as the previous day but green was not a producer. Hot pink was again, the meal ticket. Biggest Steelie was an 11.5# beauty. These fish are on fire. Many, many jumps, runs and fight until the end battles occurred. More won by the Steelies than lost. The crew from southern PA had their hands full trying to land these mint silver prizes but in the end, prevailed with a limit catch. Fishing should continue to improve as water temps. cool down. November should be the "Hottest" Steelie month of the year again when 40 to 7o bites are possible and almost routine.

October 29th (excellent)

Fished the west side tribs in 6 to 10 f.o.w. under rainy but ideal conditions with a group from PA and OH. Water temps were about 55 degrees (slightly warm for this late in the year) and water color was perfect. It was not long before we had our first fish hit a flat line out the back. We only had three rods in the water when this mint silver Steelie came to the net. Fishing remained good today. Ended the day with a 5 man limit, 15 for 35 overall. Bigest Steelie was a 10.5# Hen. Best colors were hot pink, black and green. The areas adjacent to the tributary mouths were the hottest today. We will be back at it again tomorrow as well as the wind remains more south than west. (Forecast is calling for south west gales) Should be fun...

October 1st-October 25th

The shoreline Steelhead fishing is alive and well now. Mixed catch results are being had meaning some days are good and others slow. The past weekend was good fishing on Saturday and slow fishing on Sunday. Why? good question. The answer is simple.... The fish charged the creek mouths and even ran into the creeks. We received a significant rain fall Saturday night causing the creeks to boil and open up. In talking to anglers and reading reports, a huge run occurred Sunday morning as fish headed in toward shore in big numbers. I talked to anglers who watched Steelie after Steelie enter the tribs. Sunday morning. We also witnessed steady action from the anglers fishing the shoreline. That's the answer...For best results, troll the west side of Erie County from Walnut Creek to Elk Creek in 5 ft. to 15 f.o.w. Water is currently 54 degrees. As water begins to cool even more, the Steelhead fishing should improve and become more consistent. Most of the catches consist of Steelhead. Very few, if any Coho Salmon are being caught and no Brown Trout. Below are photos from Saturday. We worked hard for a 8 fish box but did hook up 24 fish. The fish were all god size. (7 fish in pic. ooops, left one in the box)

September 11th-September 30th

Walleyes and Steelies are being caught in the First Trench and the further west you troll, the better it is. Photo below represents a typical mixed catch. Most fish are located within 10ft. of the bottom. Downriggers fished deep, wire divers and 15 color L.Core all are taking fish. More consisten Walleye catches are occurring on the Ohio-PA border. Steelhead fishing is also great to spotty along the shoreline area. Good fishing depends on many factors such as water clarity, sun light, and temps. The inshore Steelhead fishery should improve as the water temperature continues to drop. Perch fishing remains good but in "deep" water. 70-75 ft. Why so deep? because the inshore temps are warm. I probed the 50 ft. depth recently and it was 68.9 degrees from the surface to the mud......

There was a decent run of Steelies up the tribs after the Sept. 17th heavy rain fall. Currently, the streams are low and clear and will remain this way. This will set up what I call a whack'em and stack'em event for the boats trolling the shorelines. The fish will be roaming in the Lake near the tribs waiting for a rain fall. They will become easy targets for trollers offering the proper lures.

September 10th (Awesome)

After intense rains and wind the past day and a half we were skeptical about what the fishing conditions and Lake would bring this morning. What we discovered was a relatively calm Lake , Sun and good fishing. We worked 70 f.o.w. to 80 f.o.w. on the west side of town and found our fish from 50 to 70 ft. down. Steelies and Eyes. We finished up with a two man limit of Eyes and a three man limit of Steelies. In addition, we put three back. We ended up 21 for 34 overall. All programs produced: LC 14 color, Riggers and wire divers on 1.5# back 160 ft. Glow Alewive, Watermellon and the steady Glo Frog were top producers. We will see what tomorrow will bring as the high weather pattern is supposed to sit on us this weekend and should bring excellent fishing condition and catches....

September 4th

Fished northwest of the city and started in 78 f.o.w. with loads of bait fish under us. It was a dead flat calm lake and the forecast was for it to be this way all day. After 6 rods were set, one fired, then another. We were fast into a double of quality silver. Both fish were landed and they were #8.5 and #9.5 Steelies. Before all rods were set up, we were a quick 4 for 7. Then a lull, then a flurry, then the "bath tub" effect occurred=high sun, no wind, dead flat calm water and it became very slow for a while. The few bites we got during this period were from the long distance lines-LC 14 color. No boat rods went off until we did get a little wind. We finished with a 3 man limit of silvers and finished 16 for 24 overall. 14 color LC with green-glo alewives, kevorkian glow aewives were god along with glow frogs (AM bite) and a variety of other silver back spoons. It apeasr that the steelies are starting to thin out and scatter. I believe there are silvers located off the creek mouths and all the way out to the Canadian line. A big north blow and rain will push these fish into the trenches and also in front of the tribs. in larger and more consistent numbers. Expect decent deep water silver action until this weather event occurs.

September (Good Start to September)

Sept 1st was started in good fashion=box full of fish....We went back no North Country again and to the bait laden waters. Fish were still there and we enjoyed a steady pick all day with exception of a mid day-lull when the seas turned flat and the wind stopped. 14 color LC, an array of different diver and rigger sets all took fish (and missed fish). No patterns, no hot rod, no hot color just everything working a little bit at a time. As usual, LC took the biggest and one odd ball fish. Our biggest Steelie #12.5 came on LC and the trips only Eye came on the same. Riggers 75-55 all took fish. We ended up our day with all three LC scoring including the Eye, small Steelie and the big Bow. Ended the day 19 for 32... Fishing out deep may continue to stay good if the bait and current weather pattern holds. Let's hope so....

August 29th (HOT fishing)

Today, we decided to go back to North Country but not too far this time. Set down on mucho' bait fish in 79 f.o.w. and was not disapointed. 3 rods out and deep rigger goes, missed it. Next, 14 color LC kills the only Walleye of the day. Before we knew it, we were 3 for 5 and time for a turn. Most of the other boats were fishing outside of us and having a slow start. We stayed on our N. and S. troll working 79-90 f.o.w. until the box was full. Ended the day with 18 Steelies (one toss back), (1) 27" Brown Trout and (1) Walleye. We missed about 8 other bites and finished 20 for 28 by 12:45. We landed (3) Steelies between #10.25 and 11#. Best baits and methods were 14 color LC with Glow Alewive and a new version: Glow-Kevorkian Alewive, Glow Frogs, a C-5 Al Davis fished off a wire diver and Watermellon Stinger. August is ending as strong as it started. There should be some awesome inside fishing later this fall.

August 28th (shortened trip)

Fished the Trench today. The picture looked good as we scanned around looking for fish and bait. There appeared to be plenty of bait that filtered into the trench. After our 7th rod was set, we were fast into a triple. We boated 2 and lost 1, all Steelies. After reloading a mess (were not prepared for that burst) we picked our way to an 8 fish morning with 3 or more misses. Mostly good fish with a #10.4oz. Walleye taking big fish honors. A 9.8#Steelie was close on his heels though. The big Eye opted for 14 color LC and a Glow ALewive. The good morning fishing as shortened when a STRONG thunder, lightning and wind storm blew through. We opted to call it a morning and racked rods at 10:45am. (see pic. of 8 fish morning and big Steelie and Eye)

Week of August 22-27 (WINDY....)

Wind, Wind and More Wind... The good thing is that hard south winds begin to bring cooler waters shoreward and move the fish in. Most boats unable to fish Tuesday through Friday or at least fish with any comfort. Waves have been consistent 2-5 ft at the deeper water locations. Things should be back to normal this weekend as lighterwinds are supposed to prevail. The V.Q. is scheduled to be on the water Friday thru-Sunday as weather-wind allows. Friday looks doubtful as of now.

August 22nd

Fished PM on Sunday and went on a "look" trip down west to see what was in the mid-waters (in between trench land and North land) Started 8 miles west of the Point (420) and out at the (97) line. We were fishing with two of my young kids, a neighbor and a friend and his son. 2 rods in and one went off, we were into a good walleye right away. My daughter Josie battled her "Big Eye" to the back of the prop wash only to have the hooks pull out. Oh well, try again. A short bit later, Luke Scypinski was into a nice 6# Steelie. He battled this fish to the net. It was about this time that my two youngsters started to get squeamish.. We decided to avoid a further form of seasickness (puking), so we decided to put it on a one-way troll toward the barn and a calmer ride. Everyone was able to land fish despite "ill feelings" and we decided to continue the one way troll and head in early. However, we were able to finish with a quality rack of fish and two silvers over 10# The largest was an 11.25# caught by John Sank. The other was a 10.5# also caught by John. Tainted Glow Frogs, Orange Crush and Glow Alewive fished off 14 color L. Core all produced well.Despite the conditions, shortened trip and some upset stomachs, we accomplished the goal of some time with the kids on the water and catching fish. We finished 9 for 13 on our one way troll venture.....

August 21st

3rd Annual Alex Roofing inter-company charter tournament was held. Team Vision Quest and Team Real Deal decided to run north and east to see what the fishingw as like there because the past two days were slow at the "North" waters for some of the charters. The fishing east was slow in the morning and as both boats worked hard for a few bites and 2 and three fish. Looking grim, we decided to pick up and run to the "North" waters to se if the fishing would improve, it did. We arrived to these waters around 10:45am and in time for an late AM and OK afternoon bite. Team Vision Quest which led throughout the morning by a fish or two finished strong and boxed 15 fish and many good ones. L.Core produced 6 fish with the balance mostly coming on 58 ft. out downs and a 65 ft. corner rigger. Glow Alewive and tainted glow frogs did well. Finished 15 for 20. Team Real Deal, fishing silver and purples finished with 9 fish for 12 bites. Largest Steelie was taken by Mike Petrasek (9#) (Pittsburgh, PA). Largest Walleye (7#)was taken by Candie Wright (Waterford, PA). (see combined catch photo)

August 14th nd 15th

On Saturday we were in pursuit of Walleyes that were in the first trench. After 2 consecutive days of north blow, these Walleyes decided to move. The fish scattered. However, we managed 5 fish (3 eyes, 1 Lake Trout and 1 Steelie) on our long set up troll. After a while and no more action, we pulled lines and went NorthEast to look for Steelies and a stray Eye or two. We managed 3 more Steelies and had an additional 4 bites in about two hours of fishing. One trophy Steelie was caught by Hayden (see pic.) a young boy on todays trip. This fish weighed in at 13# and the young man handled him skillfully. All fish were deep, the north winds pushed warm water into the trenches and pushed the cooler water near the bottom. Boards were useless. Lead core and deep set divers took all bites. Todays crew had to be in early to meet Nascar Drivers, so we wrapped up early (12:15) and headed to port with am 8 for 12 morning.

On Sundays PM trip, we went back North to Steelie Country. We were 1 for 4 before we had (8) rods in the water. This bite continued off an on until the evening lull. We had about a 45 min. void with no bites until a 4 fish flurry ended our evening trip. (3) divers exploded almost at once as were were into a triple. Lost one and got two, then a fourth rod (rigger) went and ended a nice flurry. We finished 17 for 25 which included a couple throw backs and some small fish which were mortally wounded. Riggers 55-70 with lazer spooks, glow frogs and circus freak, wire divers back 100-110, high divers on 3.5# back 180-200 and 14 color core all produced well today. The key was staying on the large schools of Rainbow Smelt. Biggest fish was another 13.25# trout. The Vision Quest has produced numerous 10# plus trout so far this season with many more expected.

August 8th

Back north we go for those exciting, acrobatic and thrilling lake Erie Steelies. Erie has a great Steelie Fishery. Started fishing at 7:00am and by 8:30 am we had 9 fish in the box and missed 2. A great start. Then the wind kicked up hard and before long, we were fighting 3-5 ft. waves and had 2- pasengers not feeling to well. Decided to start a east troll in lieu of working the productive trough N-S troll. Ended up landing 16 fish including a put back and had 8 more bites in 4 and one half hours of fishing. Pulled the plug at 11:45 AM. Green was hot fished off riggers at 50, 55 and 65. L.C. fished 14 color back took a few bites including a fish that took 13 colors of lead core and the now legendary Glo-Alewive with him. Most all fish were good size. Largest was an 11.25# Steelie and a 9.5# Eye. Fishing should continue to be strong during the month of August and early September.

Lake Erie is giving up good Walleye, phenomenal Perch and exceptional Steelhead fishing right now.

August 7th

Back north we go to Silver Country we go today. Started a little later than normal but my New Castle crew wanted a little extra sleep today. Despite a little later start and a slower than normal AM bite, we found two pockets of fish, stayed on them and would up with a hefty box. Several fish over 10#. Overall, we were 14 for 22 today. L.C. 14-color with Glo-Alewive was hot as well as froggy-glow-w.b., and s.b. lazer spooks. The cold temps. are starting to drop and we found fish as deep as 85 ft. down today. The area is still loaded with rainbow smelt. Fished 85-95 f.o.w. north and west of the point.

August 6th

Walleye fishing continues to be good west of Erie. Fish are in 28-38 f.o.w. Enclosed is a pic. from Fridays charter. Boards continue to produce best as well as downriggers. A variety of colors are working: Heinz, fire tiger, purple and metallic blue perch. Overall today we were 17 for 27 and finished up a little early.

August 4th PM trip

Did a perch trip this evening. Started straight north in 52 f.o.w. and the fishing was slow. Moved west 2 miles and was able to box 100 good perch (5-man limit) plus about 15 throw backs in 2 1/4-hours of fishing. Bottom depth was 51 ft. Waves were 2-3 ft. out of North East. Many jumbos.

August 1st PM trip

Went back out for perch on trip #2 nd did 5-limits in 2 hours and ten minutes. Size ranged from Jumbo to Dink. Action was steady with many doubles. Fished in 52 f.o.w. two miles west of the point. Shiners fished off bottom was all we needed.

August 1st

August is my favorite month to fish. Fish are bigger, starting to stage and feed and the Steelies and Walleyes start to hang out together. Fished north again, despite a drier picture on my fish finder, we managed a 21 fish day. 18 Steelies and 3 Walleyes lost 6 others. Fridays program did not work today and had to shift gears again to put fish in the box... Today 70 ft to 51 ft. produced on the riggers along with wire divers, 14 color core and small divers off boards. Conditions were ideal. A variety of spoons worked but were different than Fridays...

July 30th

Fished North 95-102 f.o.w. for Siver fish. Knew it was gonna be a good day when the first flasher-fly in the water was immediately pounded by a 8# Steelie. Today, flasher-Fly's, silver-glow alewives and doctored Stinger Tuxedo's were the answer to a box full of fish. 22 Steelies were landed, 19 kept, 3 released and 8 more missed. Three fish were between 10#-12#. Best depths for the riggers were between 46 and 65, wire divers 90-110 ft back and L.C. 14 color back. Saturdays trip may be moved to Sunday due to poor weather forecast oh, and it rained again. Steelie fishing should be strong out North until the fish move in prior to their fall runs. This years class size of Steelies is biger and better that last years. Expect many fish in excess of 10# between now and winter and expect a few in the 14-16 pound class.

July 24-25th

Most fishing boats cancelled their plans for the weekend. Strong N.East winds kicked in Friday night and continued through Sunday. Fishing may be slow for a couple days after things get back to normal. It is always with great anticipation and wonder how the fishing will be after a N.East blow. Could stink or could be great. You won't know unless you try, that is the one certainty. Let's see......

July 19th-23rd

Steelies and walleyes are being caugt in the deep waters now. However, not in glory day past numbers. A good day is 10-18 fish and this would consist of Walleyes, Steelies, and Lakers. Fish are suspended at or above the thermocline which is hovering about 55-60 ft. over 90-105 f.o.w. Riggers at 62-50 ft are taking silver fish while eyes are coming off divers and mini divers fished off boards. A variety of spoons are working and don't be afraid to fish some flasher and flies.

Walleyes are still being caught near shore in depths of 25-40 f.o.w. west of the Presque Isle condo's. Expect smaller Walleyes and a lot of junk fish mixed in. These fish are moving and migrating along the shore and some days the fishing is good and some days it is a struggle to get a decent box of fish. If you find a small batch of fish, work them and hoover em. Perch fishing remains excellent along the entire 40 miles of Lake Erie, PA shoreline.

July 16th-18th

Lake Ontario; Sodus Point Area= tough fishing, tough water (rough as heck) and moving water (cold to soup bowl temp.) described the time here. Vision Quest finished 15th in a narrow field of pro's and learned a lot about the water here and how fast it can turn. Once again, I learned the value of accurate information and a working down-temp. probe. Although we caught some good Kings, we did not catch enough to place in the top 10. A local Skipper claimed first prize by locating and staying on some good Kings and even more important, good temps. Many Kings came on Howie Fly's and flashers behind wire divers and drop weights fished down the chute. The rigger bite was deep, 115-150 ft. down. This trip provided a good start for next years trip when we will go in with more knowledge of the water and location. I could only expect better results.

July 8th-9th-10th

Tournament time again. Place=Oswego, New York; Lake Ontario. Oswego Pro-AM. This was the second year we fished this one. Last year saw a rough water and scattered fish. It turned into a one day tournament and Team Vision Quest finished 23rd out of 50 Pro's and 30th out of 90 boats overall. We looked to improve on that this year.

On July 8th we prefished. We decided to run far west in search of a lonely school of Kings. Most of the fish were being taken around the Oswego Port and to Mexico Port. We did well on prefish day boating 11 salmon and trout. We had (18) bites total. The largest was 22.5#. Not bad for just winging it and figuring out a productive program. Most fish were caught deep, deep, deep. Best rigger was 125ft. down and we used heavey drop weights and far stretched wire divers to reach the cold temps. and deep fish. Best lures were Glow Silver Alewive, Lazer Spooks and Dodger Fly combo.s

On July 9th, big wind and water delayed the tournament and turned it into a 3-hour affair. Which meant you had about 2.5 hours of fishing time to do your best. We went back to the prefish spot and found our bait and fish vaporized....We struggled and went 2 for 4. A Steelie and a King. We were in 18th place after the brief Day 1. (I hate when the fish vaporize after a good day one-this is the third tournament this year which this situation occurred)

On July 10th better weather prevailed. We scanned down the Lake to find new fish and bait. Two productive looking spots were found but our plan was to lok at the prefish waters again since we had time. We did and it looked good again. We set up and were 3 for 5 in the first 50 minutes. We boxed two good Kings and a 8.5# Brown. Good start. Then, things got slow and we worked hard the rest of the day to net (7) more fish including a under-King. Basically, the same program as before however, the fish were in closer, much closer-same water though. We managed (15) bites and landed 10. Good for 12th spot in the Pro Division and a little cash. We had one of the top boxes on Day 2 and finished 15th out of 65 overall. Next one will be the Wayne County on July 16th and 17th.

July3rd:

Fished west side of Erie (Walnut to Godfrey areas) in 22-31 ft. of water for Walleyes. Our morning trip produced (15) Eyes but (5) had to be sent home (under-size). The PM trip produced another (8) and 0ne put back. Same waters. Fish were taken on Deep Nitro Shiners with 2 oz., Winning Streaks with 2oz. and Deep Thundersticks run clean.

June 28th-July 6th

Walleye fishing remains fair in 22-40 ft. of water on the west side of Erie to the Ohio line. There are pockets of scattered fish. If you find a concentration of fish, stay and work them. Expect to catch a pile of trash fish and Walleyes under the legal limit of 18".

Perch fishing remains awesome from North East to the Ohio line in depths of 52-56 ft.

No deep water fishing is being done consistently at this time or productively at this time. Expect this to change as the inside waters warm up, bait moves and anglers put more effort at the deep water levels.

June 14th-27th

Walleye fishing remains good in close to shore in 22ft. to 35 ft. depths. As usual, the further west you go, the better the fishing is. Catches of 6 to 24 fish are occurring as well as MUCH junk fish. These walleyes are averaging 22" with occasional throw backs andthe occasional lunker. Crank baits run off boards are producing the best. Deep Nitro Shiners with 1.5oz. and 2oz. weights are working and the Deep Thundersticks. Colors vary. Also, riggers set at 15 to 24 ft. are catching an occasional Walleye but you have to run your leads back a minimum of 100 ft.

The deep water Eyes and Steelies remain scarce. Why? No one is fishing much for them and there are a fair amount of fish in close. Expect this to change by the July 4th weekend.

Perch fishing remains GREAT. The Vision Quest also did some perchin' this weekend for the first time and did well. Left dock at 6:20AM and rode through 4 to 6 ft. waves to get to 51 f.o.w. We returned and were tied up by 9AM with a three man limit (60) of perch. We also landed silver bass, sheepshead and some toss back perch. We fished between the Point and the Lighthouse. Reports of limit catches from west Erie county to Freeport (east Erie county) are being had. A lot of thes fish are Jumbo's.

June 13th

Went out today on the 2004 maiden Walleye voyage with a couple friends. After three days of East and N.East winds, I was a little pessimistic about what we would find. There has been little Walleye activity off the Port of Erie to date, with exception of a mild inshore fishery. We scanned out to 40-45 ft. and found massive concentrations of bait but cold surface water. We decided to set up off the lighthouse in 45 ft. because of the bait. Water temp down 25 was 51 degrees="chilly" and surf. temp. was 56 deg. The east winds had done their damage and rolled most of the mid 60 degree water out. We trolled around and headed north where we would find some water water. We did. It moved out to the 60 ft. plus depths and was significantly warmer both on the surf. and down at 25 ft. Fishing was slow as we managed a few Walleyes and one Steelie. We also dropped a couple eyes. Other boats fishing Walleyes reported similar or worse results. The perch reports were also skinny for this day as most fishermen struggled to catch even one limit... I heard reports from North East to Elk and all were comparable=few fish, ANY fish. The East winds had done their job... It will take a few days of west or southwest winds to stabilize the water and bring conditions back to the norm. Attached is a photo of one of the "big eyes" taken today. It came on a Daves Lures "Deep Nitro Shiner" clean off the planer board. This one ate my little special bait, "The Baby Brown" Good Fishing...

June 6th:

Day #2 of the tournament. We headed out again to our same spot with intentions to run far west to where some 12 fish boxes came from. We scanned through our spot but again, found a weak looking picture and clearer water. Fearing a bad day, I headed west toward a for sure 12 fish box location. (yeah-right) On the way, we discovered a very nice break. 56 degrees to 59 degrees with debris. I decided to fish here in hopes of connecting with the motherlode. The spot did not pay off despite looking good. It produced (1) slot Laker, (2) small Kings we had to put back and one bump. With the clock ticking, we headed west again. When we found the spot that produced for others on Day #1, it was vacant...Not good. We set lines and immediately boxed a decent Coho and lost another fish???? After several more passes and 2 more hours of effort, we landed (2) small Kings-put backs and 6 XL Sheepshead (yes Sheepshead-Mombo's and they even came down at 80 ft. over 260 ft. in 42 degree water at ball). We decided to pick up again and run back to our Day #1 spot. While setting up, we hit a 5# King. A short bit later, we hit a large Salmon on 11 color core and dropped it. We finished the afternoon by landing a 18.5# Laker on 10 color lead core. "Biggest laker of the tournament" A bad Captains decision on where to fish cost us a shot at the top 10 this year. Location, Location, Location... Day #2 fishing was good for others and poor for others. Our placement in the tournament was 26th in the Pro Division and 37th out of 81 overall. Next tournament stop: the Oswego Pro-AM July 9th and 10th and possibly the Wayne County (Sodus) Pro AM July 17th and 18th.

June 5th:

Day #1 of the tournament. Our "good water" was now replaced with clear and cooler water and an obvious different looking fish finder screen. The curse of the Pro Am began. We motored north until we found our warmer colored water. This water ONLY (sarcastic) moved out 150 foot further in depth but it was there. The wind continued and we were into 2-4 footers from the north east. A very bad wind for Lake O. With no second spot to go to, we decided to set up on a meager looking picture. We fished hard and managed to land (8) tournament fish, (3) small Kings we had to put back and (2) slot Lakers. We also broke a potential qualifying over-Laker due to angler-cable error. We missed a couple other bites. After Day #1, we were hanging in 14th spot. One good fish from 10th place. Overall fishing was slow as the average boat in the tournament managed 4-5 fish. The top boats managed to boat 10-13 fish and find themsevles in a good position for Day #2.

June 4th:

Olcott New York: Started out about 6AM to find a spot for the weekend tournament. Decided to go right back to Friday evening's spot and it proved to be a good move. It 4.5 hours of fishing, we had (21) bites which included a few small Kings, and (10) tournament qualifying fish. We missed several fish again. Our program consisted of (2) divers, (3) riggers, (1) lead core and (4) board lines. The board lines failed but riggers, divers and core were all good. We picked up and ran far east to check out a second spot but it was dry. So the day was successful, we had a program and baits that worked and were confident about starting the tournament on a good note. However, the east winds started to blow...

June 3rd:

Olcott New York: Pulled the boat up to Olcott with our team and launched around 5:00PM. We were there to fish the Niagara County Pro-AM tournament being held this weekend. The Lake was blowing hard from the Northwest. We decided to head out and wet a few lines anyway. We motored out to 150 f.o.w. and worked out to 300 f.o.w. Fishing was decent. In 2-hours, we hooked up (12) fish but only landed (6). We dropped (2) good ones on lead core missed a few short strikers. High Lite was a 8# Steelie caught within 5 seconds of dropping my diver into the water. This fish must have been in the top few feet of water. Reports from there was that fishing was pretty strong and it should be a good tournament.

June 1st-June 6th:

Bass Fishing remains good but the fishing and size of fish has slowed and shrunk recently. Most of the larger Bass have spawned and are moving out. Walleyes continue to be caught in 20 to 40 f.o.w. on East and West side of Erie. The best catch I have heard of so far has been (12) Walleyes. Best lures for this time of year are smaller deep running plugs such as The Deep Nitro Shiner by Daves Lures. These are a perfect size and come in a variety of fish catching colors. Not many boats have been looking in the usual early season-deep water Walleye haunts yet. I bet they are there-they always are. The Vision Quest will be in seek and destroy mode this coming week.

Perch fishing is steadily improving. The size is large. Fish in 38 to 45 f.o.w. and keep your minnows on the bottom. Don't be surprised if you latch onto a Walleye of large Bass now.

May 22nd

Back Home finally and on my "HOME TURF-so to speak...Today, we were taking David Storm from Daves Lures LLC out to introduce his new line of Deep trolling plugs to Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass. Also on board was Walt Young the managing editor of PA Outdoor Times and Captain Jack Solanik of Scrapper Charters.

Captain Jack was piloting the Vision Quest while I was running the program. Fishing was very good. We fished from about 7AM to 2PM and boated (53) fish. They consisted of (48) Smallmouth Bass, 10 of which were 19" plus, (4) Walleye and (1) 8.5# Brown Trout (bonus fish). We fished in 18 to 34 ft. of water and ran mostly boards and 2 riggers. Riggers set 80 ft. back and 8ft to 16 ft. down produced well. The Deep Nitro Shiners produced wonderfully. They caught all of the mentioned fish and even about (14) we did not land. Our best colors were Brite Red, Fire Tiger, Brown Trout and Metallic Sunglasses. David was "impressed" with our Smallmouth Bass population and size. He found it odd how casually we could flip back a 6# bass back into the water. Today was part of a two day program put together by Bob Chandler. The Daves Lures team came to Erie to fish with their new line and see first hand how good they really are. It was great having them in Erie and to have entertained them.

May 14-15-16

We were in Michigan fishing the Blue Water Classic this weekend and reports of small and few fish were true. When we brought our catch in during the prefish day, one of the fish was a 7# skinny King and the guys told me that that was about the biggest King landed that day. At first I thought they were kidding, especially after coming from Lake Ontario but they were not. After three HARD days of fishing and searching, we were able to account for 24 landed fish but many were small Kings. We finished 56th in the tournament out of 145 boats. It was a tournament of every fish counts.... On day 1, we dropped a beautiful Steelie that would have won big Steelie of the day and possible tournament and would have been worth 10 points. On the second day, we dropped a very good King that would have taken big King of the day and tournament an would have given us about 14 more points. With both fish, we were somewhere in the top 7...Should'a Coulda's don't count though.

There were (29) Zero's on Day 1 and (50) on Day 2. We tied the 2003 winner and the 2002 winner and the boat docked next to me, a prior winner, had fewer points and in fact, reported 2 bumps on the pre-fish day and 3 fish overall. That may give you an idea of just how tough it was. Most of the winning boats rand 30-25 miles North. The fish were in 60-110 f.o.w. The average fish was not even 5# and this DOES include Kings. (Biggest King was 10#-overall)There was NIL bait fish on the sonar and very, very few marks. The tournament was great and well organized and we plan on attending it again but with more knowledge. I attached a photo of the morning start on Day 2, it was the best photo of the trip and showed some of the impressive rigs...

May 8th:

St. Catherines Niagara Bar area. Last trip fishing these water until next year and fishing was decent. Went 11 for 18 in 5.5 hours of fishing. Fished from the tip of the bar-north to west of there about three miles. Best fishing was in 42-50 ft. of water. Riggers were best. Glow Alewife, glow frog and s.b. Lazer Spooks performed best. Highlight of the miserable weather day was a double mature at the same time just before quitting. It was a nice sound hearing two 47H Daiwa's spinning the drag tune...

The weather was poor, East winds with 2-3 ft. chop, rain, hail, overcast 42 drgrees and doom and gloom. By the time we arrived, got the program going, it was about 7:30AM, we finished about 1:00PM. It sounded like the AM bite everywhere was good but then it got tough. I know we had a lot of colder water and blue screen action. We lost some time searching for better water and temp. When found, we had fish.

May 1st and 2nd:

Fished in St. Catherines, Ontario where the Vision Quest is still berthed on Saturday evening for a short 2 hours and Sunday morning for 2 hours and ten minutes. Fishing was excellent. In that short time period, we managed to land 17 Kings and missed 9. We fished 40-52 ft. of water and used 4-5 rods because anymore was chaos. Riggers set at 25 to 42 ft. were good as well as a wire diver at 70ft back on #3. In fact that diver rod was out of the water or fighting a Salmon longer than it was idle. Smokin' hot it was. There was only three of us on the boat and running a second diver with the same set up was not an option. The krinkle-glow silver back Alewife spoon was hot behind a black diver. White back Spooks and blue and green dolphins/silver backs were also good. This has been some excellent Salmon fishing up North and West this year. Hopefully, we will have one last taste of it next weekend prior to heading to Lake Huron to fish the Blue Water Classic.

April 25th

Day two of the Tournament. The weather did not look good... 20 knot winds out of the East and rain. The tournament comittee decided to delay the start until 9:30. AT 9:30, they deliberated and finally let us fish. At 10:30, we were allowed to head out and be back at 3:00PM. We were glad and were on a mission to make up for our Saturday. We did. It was a bit sloppy out there and we fought thunderstorms, lightning and rain but we did well. We managed to boat (13) Kings and lost another (6) in a short time. Our fish averaged just under 14# where day ones catch averaged just 10#. We fished at the Welland this day. Best baits were Mag. Spooks, AL Davis and Green Dolphins fished on riggers from 25 ft. to 40 ft. and short divers. Lead core also accounted for some fish fished at 8-color. If it was a one day tournament, we would have been in the top 10. But that is the beauty of a 2-day event... A lot of people moved down in the standings after day two because of the different and more difficult fishing conditions. Days one's "shoot fish in a barrel" changed to a more typical day of tournament fishing. We moved from the bottom quarter to the top one third. Only the top 15 were able to cash in. Our results were not what we expected but I came away learning just how good the fishing can be in front of my nose and next year, won't rule this water out... We finished 23rd overall out of 66 teams and made the second bigest jump from Day 1 to Day 2.

April 24th

First day of the tournament and it started out wrong... Our good water near the Bar turned to mud water and ice..37 degrees in 42 ft. (was 44 degrees less than 24 hrs. ago) The boats working this area never moved a rod and understandably so... We picked up and ran west a ways to where we had some fish the prior morning. On our way, we noticed 50-60 boats working the Welland Canal area. Our second rod set went off and a 2-year old King was quickly in the net. A good start for spot #2. Then we missed our next 7 fish, not good. We managed to land 4-5 more Kings there and a Laker but it got slow and we trolled back to the crowd (Welland Canal). Just before lkeaving, we hooked a 20# plus King on a Fire Tiger Deep Nitro Shiner fished off a side board. The strike and battle were savage. After 15 minutes, the Major broke us off and it added to our everything go wrong day...

When we neared the Welland, we found good water and rods started to go. We boated severel more Kings and lost some. Time to go in now. We ended the day with (11) Kings and (1) Lake Trout, however, our Kings were small. We discovered at the weigh in that the Welland boats "thumped" good fish and this was witnessed by many good fish being weighed in. In fact, it was so good at the Welland, I referred it to "shooting fish in a barrel" After day one we were in bad shape in the standings.

April 23rd

Lake Ontario; St. Catherines: We are here to fish a Scotty Downrigger Tournament which is 4/24/and 4/25. We fished this the last 2-years and finished in the top 15 payout spots each year (7th and 11th) Today was a pre-fish day. Time to wet lines, find some fish, check wwater conditions and see what they are eating etc... Fishing was good for only the two of us. We landed (10) Salmon-our legal limit- and (8) Lake Trout and lost (6) more. The largest was a 23# and 18# King. We found excellent water just west of the Bar in 42 ft. Lead core and riggers worked well.

April 18th

Lake Ontario; Oak Orchard: I was a guest today on the Free Spirit and we were fishing for Browns, Coho, Lakers and Kings. The day started slow due to FOG, lots of FOG. After waiting for an hour for it to lift, it was obvious it was not going anywhere. We headed out and set down in 18 ft. of water and trolled in to 12 ft. . Fishing was slow, wind was east at 20 knots, waves were 2-4 ft and the day ended early when lightning, wind, rain, 40 degree air temp. and the threat of 50 MPH winds developed. We managed some small Browns and a wet cold tail. So much for the forecast which called for southeast winds, 70 degrees and sun...

April 17th

Fished today along the western shoreline around the Walnut Creek area. Warmest water was just East and West of Walnut in 6 to 9 ft. 45 degrees. Water color was fishy green. Ideal conditions but not a lot of fish. I had my son and two friends out for a morning fishing trip and expected good fishing but it was somewhat disappointing. We boated (2) Salmon and (3) Steelies and lost a few more. My son, Noah (5 year old) was 2 for 2 and managed the big fish of the morning. One of the Steelies, a recent drop back, had a #12 egg hook still in his nose and carried the scars from the stream. Boards took all the hits with small minnow baits in orange, Al Davis and red. Riggers were quiet and did not go at all this morning. Observed a couple other boats fishing nearby and never saw a net go in the water and never saw a fish landed from shore. There were several anglers fishing off of the Walnut Creen channel entrance and never saw any fishy activity. Good Lake , good conditions but tough fishing today.

F.Y.I. A friend fished Friday (a gorgeous day) in the Bay and immediate Lake area and only hooked one silver fish... Another friend, fished Saturday afternoon in the Bay area and never moved a rod...It would appear that our spring Salmon & Trout fishery may be at a close already? Tomorrow I get to fish with Capt. Paul Czarnecki as a guest aboard the Free Spirit III out of Oak Orchard. We will be fishing for Browns and any silver fish that gets in our way. Will post results of this trip...

April 10th

Decided to fish the Presque Isle Bay today for Salmon and Trout with some friends and to put a damper on my case of cabin fever. Today was the first trip of 2004 for the Vision Quest. Expectations were soured a bit by two reports from other trolling buds. that reported 1 fish and no fish the day before during there few hours of trolling. Could these fish have already moved out of the Bay and into the Lake? (I wondered) The day started slow, the usual haunts produced Zero fish the first hour and I started to wonder...Finally, we broke the ice with a fresh chrome Steelie which hit a 6 ft. down rigger and a Stinger "Tuxedo Spoon" This was followed by a board fish which ate a sparkle bomber. hmmmm. We worked this area for a couple hours and boxed 5 more fish before deciding to look for better water. We did not find better water but managed another good steelie and a couple misses. We finished with 8 fish in the box (7 Steelies and 1 Salmon) for a half days trolling efforts. Water was 42-43 degrees and good color. Best baits were "Orange Crush" and "Tuxedo fished 6ft and 9ft. down on the riggers. Our best weapons, the boards, were pulled due to the amount of floating weeds in the bay. We made the decision to pull this program after constant cleaning and resetting of lines. Despite eliminating the most productive spring program, we managed to put some fish in the box.

My guess is that these fish are already starting to move out to the Lake due to lack of baitfish and warming temps. This time a year ago, 20 plus fish was the norm but water and baitfish patterns were different. Also, the lack of Coho Salmon this year as compared to last year puts a dent in the box score. The PA Fish Commish. has decided to eliminate the Coho program and were seeing the last of the menial stocks. However, last year there was a good amount of Coho present in the Bay until about April 20th. The Vision Quest boated a bunch in April including 20 in one morning. That will be a distant memory unless they decide to resume the stocking of Coho Salmon in LakeErie.

Happy Easter.