Lake Erie Walleyes

Our annual Walleye Trip 2010

 

      We recently made our annual Lake Erie walleye trip.  This trip was made with family, my dad & brother, an old friend, & a new friend.  This is our fourth year over there, & weather has been different each year & this would be no exception.  Erie Quest was our charter & Walleye Willis was our lodge

 

     We started our trip with an evening at Walleye Willis. This is our third year staying there, & now we reserve it for the following year before we leave. The lodge is owned by Chris & Willard Shaneck. We stayed in the “Lodge” upstairs of their home. With a deck overlooking Meinkes Marina & Cooly Creek, it was an amazing sunset view. They also have the “Bunkhouse” behind the lodge. It doesn’t have the view as upstairs, but guests are welcome to come set on the benches by the channel. Both have a gas grill, which we used to grill our 1 ¼” thick steaks, & Texas toast! They also have dock space if you decide to bring your own boat. They don’t have a website, but you can see it’s a great place to stay. Give Chris a call & book your stay. Call early, they fill quickly!! 419-836-7862

 

      Captain Rick Millette, of the Erie Quest is the hardest working guide I know on the great lakes.  We left the dock at a sunny 7am, to find an increasing south west wind. With the winds building to 30 mph, we found 2’ to 3’ waves & dirty water.  So in search of cleaner water, we made the 8 mile run east, toward Crane Creek.  We began each drift about ¾ of a mile from shore in 10’ of water. With the SSW wind, we would make a good drift from 10’ to 18’ of water in about a mile.  With that kind of wind, we used the 96” drift sock to slow our drift. I took 3 different Feathercast Rods to test in jigging. All were a fast tip rod, but different blank design. They were all paired with a US Reel.  We were snap jigging with ¾ oz jigs. This time of year, you can tip these jigs with live minnows or half of a night crawler.  We picked up a few walleyes on each drift as well as several freshwater drums.  In search of a better bite, we ran 2 miles farther east to Turtle Creek. The bottom structure didn’t change, but the water was a little clearer there. After a couple of drifts with less success, we ran back west the 2 miles. The dirtier water seemed to hold the fish in the bright sun. About 2 miles from shore, there was a distinct color line. Beyond that color line, the water cleared some & the bite shut off.  Near the end of our 8 hour trip, Captain Rick said reel in, let’s make one more drift. As we moved back toward shore, a line of clouds moved in. This was the front the wind was bringing. With these clouds, this drift made for the most productive of the day. So in the interest in fun & not just money, we made another productive drift. So for our 9 ½ hour trip, we ended the day 3 fish short of our limit.  But there is no limit to the good times with friends on the Erie Quest. I didn’t mention that Captain Rick stopped by the lodge the evening before our trip. I learned a lot in those few hours with the captain I consider a friend. Did you know there are 7strains of walleyes on Lake Erie? Some of them never make a run up the river to spawn.  With over 26 years on the Lake Erie, & over 2200 charters, Captain Rick knows what it takes to put you on fish in any condition. Check out his website www.eriequest.com or give him a call, 614-579-8198.

 

      I was testing a new series of walleye blank to compare to other models. The new Feathercast rods performed as expected. The extra-fast tip of this rod provides great sensitivity needed for a walleye bite. Rarely do walleyes hammer a jig like a bass. Sometimes they just pick up the jig, or it just feels heavy. With this extra-fast tip though, you will need a superior drag to sustain the hard pull with the light line. The US Reels gave me just what I need with the large diameter spool spinning reel. This lightweight combo allows you to fish the entire day without fatigue. Not easy to do using a ¾ oz jig in 3’ waves! Check out the website for more info on these & other rods, as well as a new walleye jig.  www.FeathercastRods.com