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Fished 2 1/2 days and we started about a mile north of the dump. Fished back and forth about 5 miles East and then back west. We limited each day with several fish over 7#. Water depth for us started at 44-45 but last day it was 39-41. Best speed was 1.4-1.5 for us (SOG) with a few fish while on turns. Sunspot by far the best bandit at 100 back. The deep fish seemed inactive other than a few. We also did well on blue and black headed wonderbread and a few fish on blue chrome on the first day. We were done by the time the sun came out on day 3 so unsure how that changed things up.

Thank you to my new friends who we networked with us out there. It helped me a lot as the fish on day #1 were more scattered and not biting. It was better fishing shallower and to the east. I had a significant phone issue yesterday morning, so was off the grid yesterday.

Launched from Catabwa right about sunrise saturday morning. Water was around 36 degrees and as calm and flat as it gets. Beautiful day to be on the water. Headed out to the southeast of south bass and checked the deeper water there in the “hole”. Didnt have great marks so moved around looking for fish. Just northeast of there the graph was lit up but too small of marks to walleye? I’m not certain on that. Kept heading north intending to go around to the north of kelley and check the 40ft plus waters. Got some decent marks in around 30 FOW between kelley and south bass so we decided to set up and give it a shot. Fishing was decent considering the amount of fish on graph. Trolled with the wind 1.6-1.8 on helix. 1.3-1.5 on fishhawk. We caught some really nice fish, most in the 22-25 range. Ran Bandits unassisted 80-120 back. Sunspot? I believe, taco salad and the blue firetiger seemed to bring in the most fish. My wife was along and her mom was looking after the kids so we were on a time schedule and had to leave just before noon. Ended with 13 Nice fish. Had a great time and a safe trip which is always the number 1 priority. Thanks to all of you whom share your knowledge on this forum, it has helped me greatly though I still have a lot to learn.

Woke up early, and did the usual morning routine, before heading to the building where my boat is staying warm and dry, to pick her up.

Eric was on his second day of fishing with me, and was right on time, when I picked him up at 6AM. We hit the gas station for ice, and off we went to Mazurik’s.


We launched at 6:30… and, while I waited for Eric to park the truck, the morning darkness was lifting, allowing me to see that the sky was full of clouds. I was hopeful, that after two days of cloud coverage at night, that the fish would be hungry, and biting, this morning. The air temp was 46 degrees. The wind forecast was for less than 10mph out of the south.


We took a right turn outside the break wall, and headed east. We started where we left off yesterday, and the Helix was still showing good marks, but they were really low to the bottom, as compared to yesterday.
We decided to give it a go, so the Terrova and the baby Merc were deployed and set to work together at a speed of 1.7-1.8 mph SOG (FishHawk was showing 1.3-1.4mph).


Eric ran the Bandits that were working yesterday, behind Off Shore boards at 70, 60, and 50 back, unassisted, and I ran some P-10s with 2oz snap weights at 45/45, 35/35, and 25/25.
(For those new to snap weights and are reading this for the first time, the numbers mean that you let out 45 feet of line and attach the snap weight…then, let out another 45 feet of line (total 90), and attach the planer board.)


We caught 4 nice eaters in that area, but it was slower than yesterday. Capt Bobby Greene told me that he had good marks where he was (4 miles from me…sorry, it wasn’t my spot, so I can’t give that up), so we picked up, and made the move over.


We picked a few, and figured out that the Green Clown P-10 at 35/35 was something they wanted, so I loaded up all three rods on my side with them, and we caught 5 on that color. Eric’s side was slow, so I dug out more P-10s and gave him a Chrome Marvin, Chrome Perch, and Blue Chrome. The Chrome Marvin and the Perch caught 3 more. We were done at 9:45.


Water temp was 36.6 degrees over 37-38 feet of water today.


We headed in after we caught our limits, so Eric could get an early start back to Nebraska. He said he had a great time and learned a lot, so that makes me happy!


Saturday, I’ll be at the Huron Fishing Expo, along with a couple other Capts, doing a Q&A panel at 1pm, so if you’re not doing anything Saturday…come on out! 🙂


I’m off until next Sunday and Monday, if Mother Nature lets us get out after them again. Fingers crossed!


Stay tuned….


Capt Juls

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We left out of Lorain at 730 and headed NW to about 48 ft of water. Set up the terrova and headed northwest at 1.1 to 1.5 on the finder. We ran bandits 120 unassisted,50/40 w/2 oz snaps,and 50/30 w/2 oz snaps on the left. On the right, we ran 110 unassisted,50/35 w/2 oz snaps, and 50/25 w/2 oz snaps. The morning started off quick when our middle board went off and we netted a nice 25″ male. Shortly after that both unassisted lines produced quality fish as well. Most of our bigger fish came on the unassisted rods. Had a two man limit in about 2.5 hours. Orange crush and taco salad were our winning colors today.

After a good 8 hours of sleep, I got up at 2am to have my coffee, check the weather apps, and get the dog outside to relieve himself. The weather apps informed me of a decent morning ahead. It was calling for cloudy, chilly, and damp to start the morning, but the fine mist that was in the air, early this morning, dissipated by the time we headed out of Mazurik’s, at 7am.

Eric drove in from Nebraska yesterday, to today and tomorrow.

We headed east from the launch, and marked fish the entire way, so we didn’t go far. We were over 35 feet of water, and the marks were mostly below 20′, but there were several that were hanging in that 15-20′ range that I like to target, so we broke out the Bandits, and P-10s, to start.


With only 6 lines running behind Off Shore boards, I let Eric run the Bandits on his side, and I put out 3 P-10s with 2oz snap weights. Working off the program that worked for me during the previous trip, I set the outside one at 35/35, the middle one 30/30, and the inside one 25/25. I’m sure I didn’t let them run long enough, but I wasn’t “feeling it”, and took them off. I replaced them with Bill Lewis PWCs at (outside to inside) 70, 53, and 40 back. (The Bill Lewis PWCs run a lot deeper than Bandits, with shorter leads…. example: Bandit at 65 back, is 15′ and the PWC at 65 back, is 20′).


Eric ran the Black Headed Wonderbread at 70, RC Crush at 60, and the Red Headed Wonderbread at 50 back.
Speed was 1.2-1.4 on the FishHawk, and showing 1.7-19 on the Helix’s GPS/SOG…as we went from west to east.


We just kept going around in slightly different circles, as we worked an area that had different groups of fish, moving west. When we would get over good marks, we usually got bit. The more scattered fish marks, were on the move, I think, and their goal was to keep moving west, but I could be wrong….I don’t speak fish, so they couldn’t tell me what their plans were for the day. 🙂


The Black Headed WB was by far the best color this morning, with RC Crush coming in with a close second. A “Slim Shady Custom” called, “Mint Condition” (pictured in the photos) caught the biggest girl of the morning…a nice 28 incher… (Eric released her).
Blue/Chrome at 60 back took one fish, and a Bill Lewis Black Headed WB at 40 back took one, too.


We switched out some colors that weren’t producing and ended up running colors that all had taken a fish or two.


The bite was better earlier in the morning, and slowed down as the morning progressed. It was still a pretty steady bite, just not as fast as we all know it can be on this lake.


The water is still cold….35.5 off of Marblehead


Eric had fun, and is looking forward to fishing again tomorrow, and that makes me happy! 🙂


We will be out again tomorrow…same bat time and same bat channel.


Stay tuned….


Capt Juls

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I’m planning on making the drive from Hartville to Catawba on Monday and was wondering if the docks are in yet? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Paul

What’s the best site to find satellite images for Lake Erie

My alarm went off this morning, for the first time since last fall, and I woke up startled, wondering why it was going off…then, I remembered…I was going fishing! I jumped out of bed to get my coffee, and make sure the weather was still going to be nice today. To my delight, it was.

Steve called me the other day, asking if he and his friend, Mick, could get out with me today, so I checked the weather and wind forecasts, and told him, “Yes”.


I don’t usually run this early in the season, but with the mild weather upon us, I thought it was a good idea to take advantage of the nice weather, while we have it.
My boat is over in heated storage at the moment, so I left the house at 5:45 to go over to the bldg and grab her. Then, I hit the gas station, to gas up the Vexus and get ice for the coolers, and headed to Huron.


Steve and Mick drove in from MI this morning, and met me at the Huron ramp a little after 7. We were to meet at 7:30, but as usual, I was early. I had time to get everything set up, before they arrived, and was finished by the time they showed up, so we launched a little early.


We headed out of the river, and headed east towards Vermilion…searching water from 38-44′ of water. I wasn’t seeing the kind of marks I wanted to see, since Mick has never caught a walleye over 28″, and was hopeful to do that today, and I figured that the water would be a little cleaner to the east, than what I was seeing out in front of Huron.


I had already used up an hour looking, so I took a friend’s advice, who said he was working “stained” water at Huron, but was loaded with good marks…to go and fish over that way. So, off we went…headed back west.


When we got there, I could clearly see the cavitation plate, and the prop was slightly visible, so I was more positive that fishing would be okay there. The fish marks were all sitting below the 30 line, and not coming up, so I’m guessing with the clear sky last night, and the back end of a full moon, that the fish were feeding heavily overnight, and would get hungry again more towards the afternoon. And, from what I heard on the radio, it sounded like a lot of people were struggling, and asking if anything is working. The responses were few.


We set up with Smithwick P-10s on both sides, running with 2oz snap weights behind the Off Shore boards. We only put 7 nice fish in the box this morning, and lost 5 others, that didn’t hook themselves well enough.


Most of the fish came on a Fire Tiger color at 45/45…(for those new to snap weights…45/45 means, that you put a weight on at the 45 mark, and then let out another 45′ of line (total line out is 90), then, put the board on.
50/45, 45/45, 40/40 all caught.


At one point we took the P-10s off the port side and replaced them with Bandits. The Black Headed Wonder Bread at 120 back (unassisted) took two fish, and lost one . The other colors got changed out and set deeper, but the outside board was the only one to go, each time.


We were running 1.2-1.4 mph, but 1.3 was showing every time we caught a fish.
The FishHawk was showing 1.3, but the GPS was showing 1.7-1.8 mph.


Steve and Mick had a fun day, though, and said they want to come back again, soon, and will be watching the forecast. I’m looking forward to it, because they were a lot of fun to fish with. Both of them had positive attitudes and were just happy to be on the lake, on a nice day, spending time together.


I’m happy to report that everything was working the way it should be, after sitting for a couple months. However, I have to do the latest updates on the Humminbirds tomorrow, so fingers are crossed they both update without any issues. 🙂


Stay tuned….


Capt Juls

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Got to take a friend along with me today and had a really great day on beautiful Lake Erie. We launched out of Vermilion just before sunrise and got out on the lake in time to see the sun rise over the calm waters. Headed northeast until we got to 42 fow and started checking for good marks. It wasn’t until we got out to about 47 fow that I started see the kind of marks that I liked. We pulled mostly P10’s and DDHJ’s. For the first couple hours we had a pretty consistent bite and within about 3 hours we had our limit. Speed was 1.2 to 1.6 but it seemed like change in speed triggered the bite as much or more than just a constant speed. About the time we had around 8 or 9 in the boat I noticed my outside board going off. I was running a Livingston EBS Walleye 136 in Tequila Sunrise on that board. I think it was set at 40/20. After releasing the board and letting it drift to the back of the boat I began to slowly reel it in. I wish I could say that it pulled as hard as any walleye I ever caught, but it definitely did not. In fact compared to the other ones that I caught that morning, this one came in as easy as any of them. All I can figure is that it must have been swimming towards the boat most of the time because when I was able to see it I was quite shocked at the size. My net man got the net caught on the boat on his first attempt to land her, but then was successful on his second attempt. Whew!!! It was definitely the fattest walleye I ever caught and she weighed in at 9.67 lbs. I know most of you have probably caught bigger eyes than that, but for me it was my PB!
I want to thank you all for all your input on this forum. I know for myself I wouldn’t be nearly as successful without people sharing the things they have learned, and a special thanks to Capt. Juls. So I guess in a small way this post is to give back to you all for all that I have benefitted.
Good luck to all and God Bless!

Does anyone know if Catawba or Mazurick ramps have the docks in yet.