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Random Quote: If you want to catch fish, you have to drink like a fish...... Duh...or is that think like a fish???
I keep my boat at Bass Haven Marina on East Harbor and I've been drift fishing for 30 years on the lake but have never gotten set up to troll. Is there any trollers nearby that would take the time to show me how to get set up for trolling? My old boat was a Scarab Sport and the slowest I could get the boat down to was 5.1MPH using one engine and dragging two drift socks. My current boat is a Thompson 240 fisherman with an I/O so I'm hoping I can get the speed down around 1MPH. I know there are several different ways to troll, down riggers, dipseys, snap weights, jet divers, etc. I don't know if one technique is better than another. I have trolled for salmon and steelhead on Lake Michigan but I don't have a good understanding of how it's done on Lake Erie.
What would be great is if you could show me how you are set up and I could try to duplicate it. I would also like to make a list of what I need to purchase to get set up.
If anyone is willing to help me out I would greatly appreciate it. You can respond to this thread or feel free to PM me.
Forget the downriggers, jet/spoons earlier in the year. Later on big dipsies w/ crawler harnesses, speed 1.8-2.0 in the spring, speed up to 3.0-3.5 as summer goes on and slowing back down as the waters cool in the fall pulling crankbaits
Trollin on Erie has become our favorite way to fish up here. Give "Freebyrd" Steve a call. He has been at it for years and really knows the program. He works for South Shore Marine and has all of the best stuff. His # is 330.283.2155. Good luck
Russ,
If you go to the Ohio Game Fishing website I referred you to for questions about the Thompson and go on the Lake Erie Fishing reports forum there are THOUSANDS of posts on there going over about any Lake Erie trolling topic you might want to learn about. Plus that site gets TONS of current Fishing Reports updated daily for Lake Erie. The easiest thing to learn and get comfortable with for summer time trolling is dipseys and spoons. At some point you are going to want planar boards - either the inline boards or the big boards will work for you for trolling crankbaits (Reef Runners would be my recmmendation) or Jet Divers for spoons or worm harnesses. Before you spend any money on gear I highly recommend you go buy two books by Mark Romanack. Precision Trolling Big Water Edition which has info for all the Great Lakes specific techniques like jets / dipseys / inline weights, etc for depth to line out "dive curves" and also get the regular edition of "Precision Trolling" which will give you the dive curves for about every crankbait you might possibly use. READ THE FIRST 15 PAGES OF BOTH BOOKS MULTIPLE TIMES - great info about the physics of trolling. Do some researching on Ohio Game Fishing - search for the "Online Seminar" thread by Jim Stedke - it has several pages of discussion about all the different techniques. This should be a good start...
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FreeByrd running on Lake Erie 2003 25 CONTENDER
Steve- thanks for the advice, I didn't think about buying a book to help me but I will certainly do that.
My thought process is a picture is worth a thousand words so I wanted to actually see the set ups that guys are using. Seeing how they have their rod holders layed out and stuff.
I have used dipseys when trolling up on Lake Michigan, I really dislike fishing with them but then again I really don't like trolling for walleyes either. I want to use trolling as a last resort kind of thing when the water goes flat or we are simply not catching anything drifting.
Russ,
A trip to the East a little bit to stop in at Happy Hooker bait shop before you get to Davis Besse will put a lot of this in perspective. If you stop in when Dave isn't slammed busy he can get you headed in the right direction with stuff. Tim could do the same thing for you at Fisherman's Wharf in Port Clinton.
You may want to consider booking a "learning charter" with a trolling Captain. Tell him when booking he trip that while of course you'd like to catch fish, your main goal is to learn different techniques to incorporate into fishing on your boat. Also the OGF site I mentioned can be a tremendous resource for you.
Steve
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FreeByrd running on Lake Erie 2003 25 CONTENDER
Also go see Craig at Erie Outfitters 440-949-8934 He is up by Avon point.
Currently most of the better fish have moved more east and are from Loraine to Avon point as well as all the way over to Cleveland. I fish Erie on a fairly regular basis and if you would like to come with us I will be happy to show you the ropes. I troll cranks, spinner harnesses and spoons and do quite well on Erie. Here is my latest PIG
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David Kuhlmann
2007 Lowe FM 185
2007 Mercury Verado 150 HP
Mercury Tempest 19"
Wireless MotorGuide 60" 24 Volt
Lowrance 111C HD
Lowrance LMS 520C
If you think you can or you think you can't Your Right!
For rod holders and Harnesses, as well as fishing discussions and reports you need to go to www.GreatLakesGuideOnline.com as well as all the sites listed above.
Another vote for mini dipsy's (mini-discs) and spoons. Without knowing your boat, the easisest set up is get a set of quad rod holders for each side. Mount them on gimbals if you need them out of the way when drifting. Run planer boards off each side and have a bucket of releases. Using line counter reels or counting passes, stagger you lines so the furthest out is the longest lead. If a fish hits, it will pass beind the other lines out. You stagger the leads to see which the fish prefer, then run most of your lines back that length. You can run 4 rods per side, then regular dipeys or riggers also.
I fished out of Otter Creek for years before my old buddy passed. Started with Wiggle Warts and such. Spoons and discs are easier.
Russ,
I'm over at bass haven south park. I clean my fish there at bass haven marina. I'm a die hard troller and be glad to show ya what little I know. I'll PM ya my cell number,
Mike
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"it's a fine time to wet your line, we're going fishing!" Jason Wilbur CD "behind the midway"
Thanks for the offer Mike. I am at dock K12 on the west end of the marina. Where is Bass Haven South Park? Is that part of the main marina? If so what is your dock number?
Thanks for the offer Mike. I am at dock K12 on the west end of the marina. Where is Bass Haven South Park? Is that part of the main marina? If so what is your dock number?
Russ
Russ,
bass haven south is mobile home park across the street from bass have marina. On the south side of 163.
Mike
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"it's a fine time to wet your line, we're going fishing!" Jason Wilbur CD "behind the midway"
Howdy,
I run my 23 Proline express out of toledo beach marina. (and tow to Fl keys for winter). All great advice posted. I use only artificials, and if you do have downriggers mounted, I use them with a rapala (bl/sil, clown hottest) about 20ft back and about 4 feet off the bottom. They take as many fish as the dipseys. Easy to use, and with the relatively flat bottom of Erie, easy to set off bottom and have at it. Have to "pop" them and check every 15mins. Easy to tow a walleye or weed and not know it.
Happy trolling!
Listen to freebyrd. I fish the central basin out of Cleveland and west to the islands so this may be a little different for you I’m not sure where Bass Haven Marina on East Harbor is. “I'm hoping I can get the speed down around 1MPH” that is a little slow 1.4 in the spring. This speed can be obtained by using Amish Outfitters BEEFY Bag trolling bag. I have 282 Scout Abaco with twin Yamaha 200 HPDIs. I use one engine and two 28” bags in calm water and change as necessary. In-line boards with harnesses 1 oz in the day or stick baits at night like husky jerks. In the summer go deep and speed up to 1.8 to 2.5 or more. Big Boards can be used with harnesses with 2 oz weight, spoons, and crank bait like Rapala deep tail dancers but you need to go 160 and more back. I prefer dipsy divers and jet divers with spoons and/or harnesses. OGF is a good place to get info along with Erie outfitters.
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Thanks,
Tony
280 Scout Abaco twin Yamaha 200 HPDIs
going out tomarrow on the western side of erie leaving the dock at 5:30 am anyone out there look for my gold boat lol dont bother haileing me i keep the radio turned down
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1971 Century raven 165HP mercuriser
1990 chevy 2500 pickup
soon to be 240 imperial 210hp mercruiser
Any Lake Erie walleye trollers here?
I'll PM ya my cell number,
