Western Basin Walleye Fishing Reports
for
July, 1999

Covering Michigan waters & Toledo, Marblehead, Port Clinton, & Sandusky, and Huron Ohio Waters of Lake Erie

We are doing Perch in the 8 to 12 inch size all along the shipping channel
and in 22 feet just north east of e-buoy.

Remember Ohio perch limit is 30 fish, 50 in Michigan and the Ohio DNR will
board the boat and count fish so be legal.

July 28 1999
Western Basin Area
Reported by Ohio Division of Wildlife
Melissa Hathaway

Western Basin: Western Basin water temperatures is 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Western Basin fishing
has been spotty the last few days. A good number of anglers have already switched to yellow
perch fishing and a number of limit catches of perch have been reported. When fishing for
walleyes, trollers continue to have the best success

Best reports for walleye fishing are coming from 4 miles northwest of West Sister Island, the
area from the Toledo Shipping Channel to West Sister, the Flats area west of North Bass Island,
north of the Reef Complex, Niagara Reef area, and 6-7 miles off the Vermilion Sand Bar. Again,
trollers are doing best, but some fish are being taken with bottom bouncers with worms, and
weight forward spinners and mayfly rigs with worms. Catches are in the 16- to 24-inch range.

Yellow perch fishing is good with some anglers reporting limit catches. Best locations are
South of Kelleys Island, off Catawba and Marblehead Peninsulas, Cedar Point fog horn area, the
Reef Complex, between South Bass island and Kelleys Island, and Green Island to Rattlesnake
Island. Anglers are using shiners near bottom in 20 to 25 feet of water. Fish are measuring 7
to 9 inches. A little further east, best locations are 1 mile north of Huron, and 1 mile north
of Beaver Park. In these two areas, anglers are fishing in 30 to 35 feet of water. Fish are 7
to 10 inches.

July 26, 1999
Rattlesnake Island Area
Fished both Friday & Saturday about 3 miles WNW of Rattlesnake. This
school of fish seem to moving southeast about a half of mile per day at
this time.

Took 12 walleye on Friday and limited with 20 on Saturday. 2 on board
both days and fished only 5 hours Saturday because of high wind and
waves early morning.

Gave up on the Dipsy Divers with Stinger Spoons both days and went to
trolling 4 oz. bouncers with harnesses. Regardless of what some of you
may have read in the Columbus OH Dispath's Sunday edition, bouncers and
harnesses are still a very productive method (at least for me).

Hot lures were very bright reflecting silver blades with various colored
fire tiger patterns.

All fish were good "eaters" averaging about 20 inches.

One hint: stay out of the packs especially if you're trolling.

Good luck to all.

Capt. Ralph
 

July 23, 1999
Western Basin
Reported by Ohio DNR

Western Basin water temp. is 77 degrees.  Walleye fishing has been spotty with some anglers catching limits and others only catching a few fish..  The best locations are North and Northwest of West Sister Island, south of Middle Sister Island and North of the Reef Complex.  Good locations include 4 miles northwest of West Sister Island, area from Toledo Shipping Channel to West Sister Island, the Flats area, North of the Reef Complex, the Niagara Reef Area, and 6-7 miles off Vermilion at the "Sand Bar".

Trollers have reported the best success.  Some fish continue to be caught with bottom bouncers with worms, weight forward spinners w/worms and mayfly rigs with worms.

Yellow perch fishing is good.  Best areas are south of Kelly's Island, off Marbleheasd, the Cedar Point area, the Reef Complex and the area between South Bass Island and Kelly's Island.  Fish are measuring 7-9 inches in 20-25 feet of water.

July 22, 1999
Bolles Harbor, MI Area
Captain Ron Dubsky of Ice Breaker II Charters reports from Bolles Harbor,
Monroe that the schooling Walleye in the 15 to 22 inch class are being
caught by the old number one buoy at the raisin river with other schools in
the Ohio waters around the turn-around buoy and in between West and Middle
Sister. Drifters and trollers are doing it. Trolling warts 70 to 84 feet
behind the boards and using small spoons on the dipsey's and rigger's are
producing nice eyes. Speed is important, 2.6 to 3.0 is working best. Colors
bright with red are working well.

Drifters are catching fish both on the bottom and suspended. The count down
method is working well with gold and fire tiger being the good colors.

Perch fishing is also very productive down by Turtle Island in 15 feet of
water and all along the Ohio shipping channel. We are even catching large
perch trolling for eye's. This will be a great perch season.

The Walleye's are near the end of the run here in the Western Basin. With
the water temperature on the rise I see a few more weeks then they will
begin to more to deeper waters in the central basin.

July 20, 1999
Toledo Shipping Channel Area
Fished 1 mle. E. of Toledo shiping lane from 7:30am to12:00
caught 14 eyes 15-20 inches. Color of the day was green and
black, black&gold. water was flat.

                             Good Fishing H.&O.

July 19, 1999
Michigan Waters
We fished over the weekend, July 17-18th in MI waters, approx. 4-5 miles
out from Sterling State Park.  We marked numerous fish.  At times the
depth finder was lit up like a Christmas tree!  We threw everything in
the box at them, but we only managed to catch 2 'eyes.  We were in 22-24
ft. of water.  We did manage to catch a couple of bigger fish though,
one of them weighing almost 9 pounds!!!  Too bad it was a sheephead
though.  Well, hopefully we'll better luck next time, and good luck to
the other fisherman out there.  I wouldn't rule this spot out though,
because we marked an aubundence of fish there.
 

July 19, 1999
Erieau, Ontario Canada Area Waters
Fishing for salmonids has been very good off Erieau, Ontario the last 10
days. Remarkable trips with up to 50 fish ripping it up for Capt. Joe
Bellanger (one guy landed 27 another had 23) were recorded this weekend.
Walleyes are still a little slow, but when located, they were very large
fish. Small spoons (3") by Stinger, Silverstreak, Spike and R.A.C. have
been working well on both downriggers and dipsey divers. Set spoons  50'
back of cannonballs and 35' to 40' down. Power Dives and Hot Lips are
taking a few fish off the boards. The walleyes and steelies want the
dipsey/spoon combo buries at 170 to 190 back on #3 setting. Shorten
appropriately for other settings.
Capt. Mike Z.

July 19, 1999
Luna Pier, Michigan Area Waters
The walleyes are really hot just south of Luna Pier.  Four of us caught
40, 15 to 23 inch walleyes in 5 hours Saturday morning (7/17/99) and
another 40 this morning in just 4 hours.  The walleyes have moved into
10 feet of water.  We started  fishing about 1.5 miles south of Luna
Pier and fished about another 1/2 to 3/4 miles to the south and circled
back.  Chrome and chartreuse 1/4 oz hot-n tots trolled about 60-70'
behind the planer boards.  There were only 6 or 8 boats in the area on
Saturday, but today there were around 20 boats including 8 charter
boats.  One of the charter captains at the Luna Pier Harbour Club said
he expected the walleyes to be in close for another week or so.

"Virgil"
 

July 19, 1999
West Sister Island Area
Fished Friday and Saturday about 12 miles out of West Harbour on a 330
heading. Captured 35 Friday with 4 on board by 4:00 pm and limited
Saturday by 10:30 am with 2 on board.

Trolled 2 dipsy's with stinger spoons and two 3 oz. bottom bouncers with
harnesses both days.

Hot colors were perch look-a-likes before 9:00 am and gold with hot pink
or chartreuse the rest of the day.

Good luck.

Capt. Ralph

July 16, 1999
West Sister Island Area
Took the afternoon off on Thursday, July 15 and fished the waters off West Sister Island from 5:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m.  Between four of us we landed 10 nice fish with the largest being 24''.  The color of day was gold......with Golden Nuggets producing the most success.  We were in about 26-29 foot of water and fishing on the bottom.  We generally fished on the E/NE side of the island.  The waves were 2 feet or less by the time we headed for shore.

July 16, 1999
 Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
  Ohio Division of Wildlife
305 E. Shoreline Drive
Contact:  Melissa Hathaway or
Sandusky, OH 44870
Doug Johnson,  (419) 625-8062

Lake Erie Walleye Action is Hot in Summer

        Sandusky, Ohio - Known nationally for its superb spring walleye
fishery, Lake Erie now draws anglers from throughout the country for its
extended walleye season that begins in March and lasts throughout the entire
summer.   In fact, as summer heats up so does the fishing with catch rates
(numbers of walleyes landed per hour of fishing) peaking in July.
        "Western Lake Erie is maintaining its title as the Walleye Capital
of the World more so today than ever before," said Mike Budzik, chief of the
Division of Wildlife.  "The area gained its national reputation throughout
the 1980s due largely to the spring walleye action from March through May.
Then the fish would shut down and most everyone went home."
But this is the 1990s.  The ecosystem has changed and walleye feeding
behavior has changed.  Anglers have adopted new tackle and fishing methods.
Western Basin Lake Erie now has a productive summer walleye season,
especially during summers that provide many good-weather fishing days that
keep anglers on the water.
"Summer catch rates compare to those of the mid-1980s when catches were at
an all time high," Budzik said.  "Nationally, catch rates are second to
none.  When it comes to fishing, Lake Erie has consistently provided quality
and quantity for two decades."
Last year the catch rate for private boat anglers in pursuit of walleyes on
the Ohio waters of Lake Erie (Western and Central Basins combined) was .49
(one fish for every two hours of fishing), the best since the period of 1985
to 1989.  The private boat angler catch rate peaked in July at .71 (one fish
every 1.5 hours).  Anglers who hired the services of one of over 900
licensed charter boat captains fared even better with a catch rate of .87
fish per hour.  This was the highest recorded since 1977.  The peak catch
rate for charter boat anglers occurred in July at 1.16 fish per hour.
Walleye action on the Western Basin peaks in July with action in the Central
Basin turning on in July and peaking in August.  Looking at 1998 creel data
for the Western Basin (Toledo to Huron) shows a walleye catch rate at .52
fish per hour with a peak in July at .81 fish per hour.  Charter boat
anglers caught walleyes at a rate of .87 fish per hour and peaked in July at
1.26 fish per hour.
In the Central Basin (Huron to Conneaut) walleye fishing heats up in July,
but August brings the peak in fishing action.  The overall walleye catch
rate for private boat anglers on the Central Basin was .50 fish per hour
with a peak catch rate in August at .57 fish per hour in 1998.  Once again,
charter boat customers had some advantage with an overall catch rate of .83
fish per hour with the catch rate peaking in August at .97 fish per hour.
Good reproduction throughout the 1990s has sustained the lake's large
fishable walleye population.  This year walleye anglers are catching fish
from a large 1996 hatch (the most successful spawn in the past 10 years),
now measuring 15-18 inches.   Anglers are also seeing many fish from good
hatches of 1993 and 1994, now in the 20- to 24-inch range, as well as some
older, larger fish measuring 24 plus inches.
The current state record walleye stands at 15.95 pounds caught in March 1995
in the waters off Marblehead Lighthouse.
A fishing report compiled from weekly Division of Wildlife creel surveys is
available by calling toll-free 1-888-HOOK FISH (1-888-466-5347).  Callers in
the local Sandusky exchange should call 625-3187.
####
 
 
 

July 15, 1999
Western Basin Area Waters
 Walleye fishing may be picking up. We caught six walleye,
15-17 inches in a three hour
                  time spand. There was a southeast wind that brought a
good drift, but once the wind died,
                  so did the fishing. Used erie dearie, bottom bouncer, and
drifted a spinner off the back of boat.
                  west of rattlesnake,large school of fish.

                                               NET GAIN- LAKEFRONT MARINA
 

July 14, 1999
Western Basin Area Waters
Fishing has been good.  We're averaging 5-6 fish/fishermen in the party.  Fish seem to be moving slowly east.  Catching on Weight-forward spinners, Erie Dearies on a 15 count.  Trollers are doing much better than casters at this time.  They're trolling spoons and coming in with many limit catches.  This bite should continue just west of the Islands for another few weeks, let's hope so anyway.

Captain John Les., Teal Point Lodge & Charters

July 14, 1999
Western Basin Area Waters
Western Basin water temperature is 74 degrees.  June mayfly hatches have subsided.  There has been good weather the past several days.  Walleye fishing is picking up, although still spotty in some areas.  Best areas reported are 4 miles northwest of West Sister Island, the area from the Toledo shipping channel to West Sister Island, the Flats area, north of the Reef Complex, and the Niagara Reef area.

Trollers have been reporting the best success.  Anglers are also using bottom bouncers with worms, weight forward spinners w/worms, and mayfly rigs with worms.  Gold and Charteuse are the most popular colors.  Fish have been in 16-24 inch range.

Yellow perch catches have been reported good in the following areas:  South of Kelly's area, off of Marblehead, the Cedar Point Foghorn area, the Reef Complex and in between South Bass and Kelly's Island.

July 14, 1999
Luna Pier, Michigan Area Waters
Three of us fished in front of the Consumers Power Plant (three stacks)
south of Luna Pier this morning between 9:30 and 1:30 and boated 21
walleyes between 15 and 23 inches long.  We were trolling chrome
hot-n-tots with chartreuse backs, 55 to 65 feet back of the planer
boards in eleven feet, that's ELEVEN feet of water.  Trolling speed was
around 2.5 mph.  Chrome and blue hot-n-tots will also work if you can
keep the 8-9 pound sheepshead off them long enough.  There were only 2
or 3 other boats trolling and a couple boats drifting or anchored in the
area all morning.  With the brisk SW wind it was nice to be able to
catch a mess of fish within a mile or two of shore.

"Virgil"
 

July 7, 1999
  Canadian Waters of Lake Erie (all basins)
GENERAL
Last Thursday's thunderstorms and high winds disrupted and changed fishing patterns. Generally, smallmouth bass fishing has continued to be excellent across most of the lake; rainbow trout and to some extent salmon fishing has been very good from Long Point to Point Pelee; walleye fishing has been slow to steady across most areas; yellow perch have made a good showing at traditional spots at Long Point and in central basin piers; reports of pike catches have been increasing at Long Point, Port Maitland, and the Kingsville dock. Lastly, there have been increasing reports of musky being caught in places around Long Point: remember that the minimum size limit for Lake Erie musky is 40".  The mayfly hatch was still occurring in the western basin and probably was affecting success rates for walleye. Remember, if you catch a tagged smallmouth bass, please remove the tag  (clip or cut off with sharp knife -- do not pull out), and mail the tag with information about date and location of capture and total length to the address above.
 

EASTERN LAKE ERIE
PORT COLBORNE  - PORT MAITLAND
Recent winds have restricted offshore fishing for walleye. On Saturday, good catches of walleye were reported from the area 5-10 miles south of Port Colborne in 60-80' of water. Raspberry-coloured worm harnesses and fire tiger thundersticks were best producers fished from downriggers or planer boards. Smallmouth bass fishing was excellent with most parties catching close to their limits on Phoenix salt tube jigs within the 20' contour. Best colors were white or green.   At Port Maitland, anglers did very well on smallmouth bass. A few walleye were taken; as well some perch and pike were caught from the Port Maitland pier.

LONG POINT BAY
Deepwater anglers plying the waters off of the tip of Long Point continued to enjoy good catches of rainbow trout, coho and Chinook salmon although walleye fishing was slow. White/black backed  Lyman plugs and silver/blue NK28's were top producers fished at depths ranging from 35-52' in 65' of water.  Smallmouth bass fishing was good at: Bluff Bar for anglers using soft shell crayfish or those drifting with worms and spinners; in front of Port Dover at the 15' contour; deep channel Inner Long Point Bay for those using worm/spinner combinations and J7 silver/ black rapalas.  Good perch fishing was reported this week in the Bay. Best spots included east of Pottahawk Point, offshore waters south of Port Rowan, and the deep channel at Inner Long Point Bay.  There were reports of some musky being caught at Bluff Bar: remember the minimum size limit for musky on Lake Erie is 40".

CENTRAL LAKE ERIE
PORT STANLEY  - PORT BURWELL   - PORT GLASGOW
At Port Burwell, fishing had slowed down somewhat because of the winds.  Boats were catching various combinations of 1-4 salmonids/walleye per trip. Fish were scattered east and west of Port Burwell at depths of 55-60'.  Deep diving body baits such as blue/silver bomber long A's and hotlips continued to produce. At Port Glasgow, prior to Thursday's blow, good rainbow fishing was located about 7 miles south of Port Glasgow.  The Glasgow pier afforded good perch and pike fishing.

ERIEAU
Prior to Thursday's blow, anglers were consistently taking salmonids and walleye in the ratio of 60:40 from the waters east to southeast of Pointe aux Pins.  Both planer boards and downriggers were used with watermelon-colored spoons and deep divers most productive.

WESTERN LAKE ERIE
With mayfly and other insects still hatching, walleye fishing has continued to be spotty this week. Anglers reported tough fishing with a few 12-18" walleye taken off of Grubb’s Reef and 17-20" walleye off Colchester. Anglers were averaging 2-3 fish per trip. Smallmouth bass fishing was great throughout the western basin where ever structure existed. The bait of choice was Venom salt tube jigs. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass were taken in Kingsville Harbour.  Good rainbow trout fishing was starting to take place just east of Point Pelee in 38-50' of water for anglers using black and purple spoons or deep divers off downriggers or planer boards.
 

July 6, 1999
  Stoney Point, Michigan  Area waters
Plenty of 2#-3# walleyes  stacked in water 22' to 28' deep off of Stoney
Pt., MI.  Trolling Hot-N-Tots, Rattle Tots and Flat Warts 80' behind
boards. Also doing well with small Big Jon diver disks with 3"
Silverstreak spoons. Running these back 50' on a "0" setting. Lots of
fish have a great day. Pulling everything at hot speeds, 2.8-3.5 mph.
Capt. Mike Zielinski
"MICKEY'S MAKO"

July 6, 1999
  Near Dumping Channel, Michigan  Area waters
We were approx. 2 1/2 miles west of shipping channel. Limited both days using
chrome rattle tots 115 to 125 feet back with 10lb. XT mono. Trolling speed
was 1.8 to 2.2 mph. Seems to be a nice school of fish out there. By the way,
we never got any deeper than 24' of water. Most action seemed to be in 22 to
23' water column.

 July 4, 1999
  Western Basin Area
Western Basin water temp. is 70 degrees. Heavy mayfly hatches that occurred last week and that left walleye stomachs full have now subsided.  Walleye fishing has picked up as a result and should get better in the western basin.

Best fishing has been reported in the Toledo Shipping Channel and south of Middle Sister Island.  Also, the area around West Sister Island has been producing fish.  Areas northwest of Green Island are also good.

Walleye have been in the 16-24 inch range.  Trolling has been productive as well as bottom bouncers with worms and weight-forward spinners and mayfly rigs with worms.

Yellow perch anglers have been successful off of Perry's Monument, south of Kelly's Island and in the area from Marblehead Lighthouse to the Cedar Point Foghorn.  Perch are averaging 7-9 inches.  Anglers are using spreaders with shiners near the botoom in 20-25 feet of water.

Smallmouth bass fishing remains good in the Bass Islands area, Kelly's Island area and the Reef Complex.  Catches are measuring 14-17 inches.  Anglers are using softcraws and leaches as well as casting leaded-hair jigs and plastic worms in 10-25 feet of water.  Scented baits are especially productive.

July 3, 1999
  Western Basin Area
Fishing seems to have improved in last few days in western basin.  The mayfly hatch is about over.  Looks like July may be the peak month for the western basin as it was last year.  Recently we've been catching fish North of West Sister Island at 48.05 and 50.05 on the 83 line. We've also caught fish at 47.00 and 48.02 west of Middle Sister Island.

Some have been having success by the Camp Perry Area.

Captain John Les., of Teal Point Lodge and Charters.