Lake
Erie West Basin Fishing Reports.
From The 2003 Fishing Season
These Reports are provided as a comparison of fishing in the West Basin of Lake Erie from year to year.
Report 9/11/03:
Walleye this
past weekend were tough, I understand the perch fishing wasn't
easy either. I managed to take 13 walleye this past weekend in
front of Fermi in 19.5ft of water. This was the most unproductive
weekend for walleye all year. The only good news was the fish
were getting bigger with 2 5lb 'eyes and another around 4lbs.The
weed situation was very good but I marked less fish this past
weekend than in the two weekends before. I have heard of no other
walleye being take'n in our end of the lake. I will be fishing
perch this weekend so no new information on walleye till after
the 20th. If I receive any information via email I will update it
when it is received.
Perch fishing was also tough this past weekend. Best areas are
out from Brest Bay and Stoney Point in 21ft and then in 24-25ft
of water. There is a decent number of fish but they are running
small. Another good area is out around the Maume Channel to
Sputnik.
Report 8/30/03:
Fished Fermi
today and was able to limit in about 1 1/2 hours after I figured
what color they wanted. I talked to another boat that fished the
islands and only got two small walleye. It isn't easy but walleye
can be had! I would recommend fishing in front of Fermi in 18-20
ft of water. Weeds were better today but I would only run crawler
harnesses. Color seems to be very important. Last week it was
Orange/Chartreuse today it was Blue/Chrome/Black blades on the
crawler harness. There are fish here, keep trying different
colors / combinations till you find what works and then repeat
it. Perch are going strong NE of Sputnik less then 2 miles.
Report 8/25/03:
Well it is
August in the West Basin and as usual the fishing is much tougher
than at most any other time of the summer season. The walleye
between Sputnik and the islands seem to have dried up. I fished
in front of Fermi on Sunday and caught a limit + catch of walleye
but it took some time to get them. I marked many fish in this
area so either the walleye were reluctant or they were not all
'eyes. I did not fish North of Sputnik this past weekend nor did
I get any reports from this area. Based on the weekend before's
results there are more cooperative fish here but they are smaller
(virtually all 15"). The fish I caught this Sunday in front
of Fermi were much bigger with several fish up to 3 lbs. It has
been a relatively cool summer, it is also the time of year the
Michigan 'eyes will start up again. Stoney point from 24' to 27'
of water should produce some fish, east of the Raisin River and
of course in front of Fermi from 18' to 20' of water will
probably be the best shots this holiday weekend without running
20 miles out into Ohio. Weeds will be a challenge everwhere up to
10 miles east of Stoney so plan on bottom bouncer / crawler
harness riggs, orange/chartreuse blades are working best for me.
Body baits will be nearly impossible to run with the weeds.
Report 8/18/03:
Fished
Saturday and did well with 20 walleye in the late AM. We
certainly could have done better but it was so hot we headed off
the water as soon as we had our limit. Ran crawler harnesses and
orange/chartreuse was the best color. Another boat fishing the
same area caught around 30 fishing harnesses as well. Same
program, 3 oz bottom bouncer 25' to 30' back. We were fishing 7
miles out of Brest Bay Marina at about 120 degrees. This would
put you about 2-3 miles north and a little west of Sputnik. The
fish were small but there seem to be plenty. I am still receiving
reports from various sources that there are still walleye in
front of Fermi in 20' of water. I won't be fishing Saturday but
if I am able to get out Sunday I am planning on checking this
area out.
Report 8/13/03:
Sorry for the
lack of information but I have not been fishing walleye and I
have not received much in the way of reports. I did recieve
reports from the weekend of 8/2-3 that confirmed that walleye
were still going strong running along the Canadian Ohio border as
reported in the previous report. I also got a report that said
fish could still be found in front of Fermi. I will be back on
the water this weekend and should be able to provide a first had
report then.
Report 7/26/03:
I fished
Saturday on the same troll from NE of Sputnik ESE. The strong
South wind did not allow my to hold course and I was quickly
being blown to Canada. I trolled bottom bouncer/crawler harnesses
and only picked up one walleye in about 40 minutes of fishing. I
move deep into Ohio to set up a troll to the area 1.2 miles from
the Canadian/Ohio border and then planned to troll WNW more with
the wind once I reached that spot. I started roughly 3 miles E of
Sputnik toward West Sister, there were many boats including many
charters working the area. I fished crawlers here and did not
catch any walleye, the white perch ate up the crawlers faster
than I could bait the hooks. I did see several walleye taken by
the drifters. I switched to crank baits and spoons to avoid the
white perch and started to catch 'eyes immediately. Did best
right between Middle and West Sister 1.2 miles from the Canadian
border. Thunderstick DJ's, Reef Runner Rip Shads and Jr. Streak
Spoons did equally well. I also received couple of reliable
reports of good walleye catches 6.5 miles out at 140 degrees from
the end bouys marking the Brest Bay Marina channel, water depth
is 27'-28'. This is just over the Ohio border from Michigan. I
saw a half dozen boats working this area drifting. The two
reports I received were for limit catches, one drifting, one
trolling crawlers. The word from the Detroit River is that it is
very weedy and fishing is tough.
Report 7/21/03:
This weekend
I spent time in front of Fermi, north to the banana dike and then
out deeper, NE of Sputnik running east between Middle and West
Sister Islands. The waters in front of Fermi are still holding
walleye but the weeds make it difficult to fish. Drifting or
trolling crawlers are your best chance to fish this area
effectively unless the weeds thin out. I made a second trip on
Saturday and set up NE of Sputnik in 29ft of water and trolled
ESE. I picked up 10 walleye fishing by myself in 1 1/2 hours on
Saturday afternoon. We caught 30 more on Sunday running 6 rods in
4 1/2 to 5 hours. Same program in front of Fermi, crawlers 20 ft
back on 3 oz bottom bouncers. In the deeper water I ran the
bottom bouncers 30 ft back. I set up NE of Sputnik just west of
the shipping channel between the Detroit River and the Maume and
trolled ESE roughly 1.25 miles in Ohio water parallel to the
Canadian / Ohio Border. There are fish all the way and they are
running 13" to 3 lbs. I have been running at 1.6 to 1.8 MPH.
I do know of one boat that is running reef runners with snap
weights and doing very well. If you want to run cranks out in
this deeper water running snap weights or something else that
will get your bait deeper will improve your catch. Colors remain
mostly insignificant but I have noticed a shift in preference to
Orange / Chartreuse colored blades. I will be fishing only
weekends for the next several weeks so if you have any
information to add to these reports please email me. Thank you.
Report 7/15/03:
I fished in
front of Fermi through 7/12 and did very well with limit catches
every day. On the 12th, Saturday, caught some 30+ fish with the
biggest at a little under 7lbs. I headed between the Islands on
Sunday and caught about 25 fish but the action was slow and
steady rather than the fast action experienced in front of Fermi.
Historically I have identified July 12th as the end of the easy
catches of walleye from Stoney Point north to the banana dike.
That is not why I headed to the Islands on Sunday the 13th but
the reports I have received from in front of Fermi since then
have not been very encouraging (thank you for those reports). I
don't know what, but something seems to turn these fish off after
the 12th. If you are looking for those elusive late July 'eyes my
best advice is get an Ohio fishing license. I have some reports
of a good pockets of fish NNE of the Sputnik towards the turn
bouy to the Maume from the Detroit River channel. These fish are
in 29ft of water and are about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way from the
Sputnik to the Detroit River turn bouy. These markers are 7.9
miles apart. On a clear day you can see both markers. My best
recommendation however is head between the Islands (Middle Sister
and West Sister), again 1/2 way between is good to the Canadian
border. Crawler harness are still doing well. In the deep water I
have done best at 30ft back with 3oz bottom bouncers, color has
not been significant. Don't hesitate to try up to 40ft back.
Cranks are working in this deeper water as well but I would use
snap weights to get them down to the 16ft to 24ft range.
Report 7/8/03:
Walleye in
front of Fermi to the Banana Dike remain the most active. They
have moved a little deeper in recent days to 18' - 20'. Still
catching limit catches daily in the 2 1/2 lb to 4 lb range and
have heard of some larger fish. I have switched back to running
crawler harnesses, I find them to produce fish at a rate of 2 to
1 compared to crank baits and spoons. I have recently sped up to
1.4 - 1.8 MPH. Blue Black, Blue Green and Green Black continue to
be the most productive but all colors are working. I do have
reports of Stony Point, Raisin River, and the deeper waters in
Ohio all producing fish but the weather has kept me close to port
and I have heard of no reports better than what we are
experiencing in front of Fermi.
Report 7/3/03:
Sorry for the
delay in reports, I had no idea how long it has been. I have been
following my own advice and been working in front of Fermi north
to the banana dike. Most fish coming in 13' to 20' of water. It
does vary day by day so try all depths within this range and
concentrate on your best bite. I hate doing this going into a
holiday weekend possibly putting everyone in the same spot I am
fishing but I will, this is the best game in Michigan and from
the reports I am hearing Ohio as well. Some hit and miss reports
way south from Luna Pier to Turtle Island in 10' to 13' of water.
Others from Sputnik to West Sister but I don't think they are
worth running to. Up until Sunday 6/29 I have been fishing
crawlers. On 6/29, after taking 20 walleye on crawlers, I
switched to crank baits for the first time this year and have
been fishing them ever since. The reason I switched was because
there are many small fish in this shallow water and you need to
check your crawlers on a continuous basis. If a crawler is out
for more than 10 minutes without catching a fish pull it in, it
is probably gone. On the crank bait front, those of you who know
me know I am a Thunderstick DJr. fan. Well I have put them away.
Reef Runner has come out with a new bait called a Rip Shad. It is
a great bait. They still have a very limited color selection and
seem to have some production problems in the early run of baits
because they seem to need some very serious tuning out of the
box. Once tuned though, they are outfising Stinger spoons, Mini
Streak Jr. spoons and Thundersticks. As I mentioned they have
limited color selection and I am only running Iridescent and a
rainbow color one with a strong blue back. They seem to run
shallow so if you want to run them in more than 22' of water I
would recommend in-line weights. They are catching many fish
including some hogs, which does expose a problem with these
baits, the hooks are too small. I have lost some nice fish
because of this. If anyone knows how to overcome this or has a
contact at Reef Runner in MarbleHead please forward the
information. Good luck to everyone, be courteous to your fellow
fisherman in those congested waters this weekend!
Report 6/24/03:
I fished
Sunday after not having fished since last weekend. I found the
going tough. The area East of the Raisin River channel to the
Sputnik has slowed substantially. I had to go 6 miles East of
Stoney Point (120 degrees from the point) in 29 feet of water to
find a decent number of cooperative fish and these were wide
spread. I received two reports from in front of Fermi from the
weekend and both reported just 5 fish. I received another report
from Fermi on Monday stating the area was very productive in 19'
feet of water. Right now the fish seem to be scattered, in my
opinion, the migration pattern is running late this year and
Fermi to Stoney Point is still going to go strong so I would not
give up on the area. If this isn't working for you, head deep,
28+ foot of water and you should catch fish, just maybe not what
you hoped for. Crawlers still seem to be the most productive but
I think that is because more people are running crawlers these
days. I have reports of Rattle Tots, Hot'n'Tots, Wiggle Warts and
Spoons all doing well at times so I would not hesitate to use
your bait of choice.
Report 6/17/03:
Fishing this
weekend remained hot. The best area going was, east of the Raisin
River Channel, bouys 1&2 on east to the Sputnik, these fish
extend somewhat to the south as well. I fished in front of Fermi
and did very well Friday and Saturday with catch rates of 9-13
walleye per hour but Sunday fell off dramatically. The fish in
front of Fermi are in 19'-20' of water, anywhere deeper seems to
be dead. If you are fishing here work the areas where you catch
fish. Crawler harnesses on bottom bouncers with any blue
combination blades, or when sun got bright, orange blades were
best. I also received a good report of walleye in 9' of water in
front of the Banana Dike on wiggle warts of Friday.
Report 6/13/03:
West Basin:
It is that time of year, from West Sister to Raisin River, fish
are most everywhere. From the Raisin to Stoney there are fish but
not as thick. From Stoney to the Banana Dike fish are red hot or
ice cold, you must find the pockets of active fish and work them.
If you are looking to score a limit this weekend I would work
East of bouys 1&2 on the Raisin River Channel east 2 miles
and south.
Report 6/9/03:
West Basin:
Things are really taking off on the lake. Areas holding fish are
from 1 mile East of Sputnik to West Sister Island. A small group
of walleye just west of the Sputnik including a large school of
9-12" perch. By just west I am talking 100 yards to 3/4
mile. I hear there are fish up toward the Banana Dike but I
haven't been there in a while to confirm. Fish are still holding
from Stoney Point to east of bouys 1 & 2 on the Raisin River
Channel. The best walleye fishing (for numbers) seems to be
located here, west of the Raisin River Channel, in 24' to 25' of
water. Fishing is also good south of this point. Truth is though,
I hear of fish coming from virtually every where. Best techniques
are crawlers on bottom bouncers. I have been running 3 oz bottom
bouncers 30 back trolling at 1.3 to 1.5 mph GPS speed. Blue
remains to be the hot color Blue/Chrome/Black and Blue/White are
the best but everything with blue is working well. Orange is also
having its moments as well as green. Another successful technique
is to run small stinger spoons off of the mini dipsy's. The word
I have is body baits are not working very well but I do have a
report or two of Rattle Tots taking a number of fish. Sorry, no
colors on the Rattle Tots.
Report 6/6/03:
Fishing is
tough but walleye can be had. I have reliable reports that some
Walleye are holding south of the banana dike in front of Fermi in
18 - 22 feet of water. Stony Point, Brest Bay and the Raisin
River Channel all hold a good number of fish, I have been working
this area and would concentrate in 20 - 23 ft of water in the bay
and than East of Stoney. I have numerous reports of great
followed by poor days around E Bouy. I don't know personally so
take it for what it is worth. There are fish along the Maume
Channel and then East from Sputnik to West Sister Island (2-5
miles, not on top of West Sister). Although I have heard of some
good reports from West Sister.
Report 6/5/03:
West Basin: I
have heard reports that the southern waters of the West Basin
have been dirty. I have also heard the fishing around E bouy has
been hit and miss, maybe caused by the lack of water clarity. I
have not been out much and am still fishing 3/4 mile East of
Stony Point. The waters around Stony remain fairly clear. I am
still trolling harnesses in the area of 1.4 to 1.6 mph. Blue
blades (various combinations) seem to be the preferred color. If
you are looking for a report for the weekend, I will be fishing
tomorrow and will post a report in the evening.
Report 5/26/03:
West Basin:
West Basin waters cleared quite well this past week. I fished
Sunday only and boated 30 walleye due east of Stony Point in
21'-23' of water, 3/4 mile to 1.5 miles from the point. Fish are
all through Brest Bay to the Raisin River channel but the best
reports I received were toward Stony. Crawler harnesses on bottom
bouncers were the most successful method. I received a second
hand report that fisherman did very well around E-bouy out of
Bolles Harbor on Hot'n'tots Monday.
Report 5/19/03:
Detroit
River/West Basin: The big blow May 10 through May 12 has really
messed things up. The West Basin waters still looks like coffee
with extra cream and I understand the river is not a whole lot
better. A strong East wind continued this past weekend and if you
got out consider yourself very fortunate if you put a walleye in
the cooler. River anglers did not do much better. I did get a
second hand unconfirmed report that someone fishing did very well
in front of McLouth Steel but I would take that report with a
grain of salt. The least dirty water that I could find in the
West Basin was in front of Swan Creek, and a little north of the
Fermi Stacks. There are fish in 15' - 18' of water, if they can
find your bait. Any slow presentation would be best. On a
positive note, there are bunches and bunches of fish in Brest Bay
to the end bouys of the Raisin River Channel. Once the water
clears things should pick up dramatically!
Report 5/9/03:
Detroit
River: Sorry I for lack of reports but there hasn't been much to
report. The river season has been a slow one, the only bright
spot is that there have been many wall hangers caught. Otherwise
fishing has been tough. Jigging has been the best method for
catching the hawgs.
Huron River: Again not a spectacular steelhead run but it has
been pretty steady. Wax worms drifted on bobbers have been
successfull. Those putting in the time are catching steelies.
Lake Erie: Other commitments and the weather have kept me off of
the lake so far this year. I just received my first report on
lake conditions today. 3lb - 6lb fish in brest bay coming on body
baits in 17 ft of water.
Report 4/16/03:
Detroit
River: Big fish are in the river with a couple of 13+lb 'eyes
taken this past week. The water is dirty making fishing tough.
Best area is in the Trenton Channel, jigging remains the most
effective method and early morning the best time of day.
Huron River: Walleye fishing remains good below the Flatrock dam
but remember these fish are out of season. Steelhead run has been
going on for about 3 weeks but you need to work for your fish.
Best methods are spawn below the dam and Hot'n'Tots down stream.
Most steelhead are being taken between 4:00am to 5:00am and
7:00am to 9:00am. The sucker run is very strong.
Report 4/13/03:
Detroit
River: Well the ice cubes have finally melted. Fishing seems to
be up and down is sync with water clarity, clearer the water, the
more fish. Biggest fish in the most recent RCL tournament (weigh
in 4/12/03) was 12.6 lb. The big boys are in town. The majority
of fish are being taken in the lower part of the river with
Trenton channel showing the best results.
Huron River: The walleye have finally showed up below the Flat
Rock Dam! They started about 3 weeks ago but the past week has
been the best. Steelhead are present but the are tough to come
by.
Return to 2004 Fishing Reports