I am a little confused about the walleye this year. I have been following the reports and I can’t figure the migration movement this year. Normally the reports start with fish coming to the western basin, then up the rivers for spawn. Next is reef complexes and west of the islands. Finally moving east near put in bay and around Kelly’s Island before proceeding east. Seems like this year, the majority of the bite went straight from the rivers to the east side of Kelly’s. Did I miss something or have the fish from the rivers and reefs not made it to the west side of the islands yet.
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Weekend Warrior
Hello guys! (and Juls!)
Weekend Warrior Dad here just looking for a point in the right direction. Coming up for the first time this year Thursday with a buddy and we will be drifting/casting so thought I would see if we should go West to the reefs and jig or go East near Kelleys and jig/harness fish. Been seeing some stuff about E side of Kelleys being good but that could mean right off the airport or halfway to Cleveland lol :D.
Anyway, as always a general point in the right direction always helpful on the big lake!!
TIA and tight lines all!!
Satellite imagery
Can someone please share a link to where I can find current satellite imagery of Lake Erie?
Thank you!
Crooked Hook 4/26
After leaving Wisco at Midnight, we arrived at Mazuriks around 8:30. Was greeted by ODNR so I got my sticker first thing. Thats good because that sticker helps out even in Wisco for DNR checks. Set up on west side of Kellys only getting a couple in the herd so we kept trolling into the waves north hitting pockets of biters once we got clear of everyone. Twice we could not keep any poles in the water with triples and doubles being the norm. Direction and speed didn?t seem to matter in the 4-5 foot waves we ended up in. fishing was hot! Khaki, slim shady Smokeshow shad, see sick, and party zebra all did good set 80-110 bake naked with Smokeshow being the stud. Nice size range from 19-26. Long day?.
4/24/26 Report – New PB
One of my fishing buddies and I headed out from home at 3:30 in the morning so we could make the 3 hour drive and launch out of Catawba by sunrise. We couldn’t have asked for better weather or fishing conditions. Had about an 8 to 10 mph breeze from the south, just enough to make a nice walleye chop. We started setting our boards just north of the pack of boats jigging on Mouse reef and headed NNE. The water was slightly stained and the further north we went the more stained it became. I had a great satellite image from the day before, which was partly why I chose this area.
By the time we got 3 boards set we had one going off and that’s the way it went for the next hour or so until we finally got all 6 boards out. I set the Ulterra at a speed of about 1.9, (thanks for the tip Juls) and had the outside boards at 55 to 65 unassisted and the middle and inside boards from 50/15 to 50/27 with 2 oz. inline weights. It seemed like we had more action on the higher sets. We made the first troll to the northeast about 2 miles and then my buddy suggested that we head back south and repeat it, I agreed because why change what is working. On the next run we landed the largest walleye that I had ever got in my boat. It was a beautiful spawned out female measuring 31 inches. I had been telling my buddy, who is also a taxidermist, that I was not going to get a walleye mounted unless it was over 10 pounds or over 30 inches. Finally, after about 6 years of fishing Erie, we finally got one. It was one of those moments that I had to thank God for undeserved blessings! The fish was caught on a Party Zebra Bandit.
The bandits that did the best for us were Haley’s Chameleon and Party Zebra, we also caught quite several on a purple/yellow/chrome PWC lite and the normal PWC Seasick frog and Purple Tiger.
By noon the wind had died down to almost nothing and the bite died down as well, but when you drive 3 hours to fish you want to enjoy as much time on Erie as possible, so we had planned to stay most of the day. Well, apparently God had other plans for us, because by 1pm a cool northeast wind started blowing and increasing in intensity. The forecasters definitely got it wrong on that one! With whitecaps starting to form we decided to call it a day and were very thankful for the good day that we had.
By the time we got 3 boards set we had one going off and that’s the way it went for the next hour or so until we finally got all 6 boards out. I set the Ulterra at a speed of about 1.9, (thanks for the tip Juls) and had the outside boards at 55 to 65 unassisted and the middle and inside boards from 50/15 to 50/27 with 2 oz. inline weights. It seemed like we had more action on the higher sets. We made the first troll to the northeast about 2 miles and then my buddy suggested that we head back south and repeat it, I agreed because why change what is working. On the next run we landed the largest walleye that I had ever got in my boat. It was a beautiful spawned out female measuring 31 inches. I had been telling my buddy, who is also a taxidermist, that I was not going to get a walleye mounted unless it was over 10 pounds or over 30 inches. Finally, after about 6 years of fishing Erie, we finally got one. It was one of those moments that I had to thank God for undeserved blessings! The fish was caught on a Party Zebra Bandit.
The bandits that did the best for us were Haley’s Chameleon and Party Zebra, we also caught quite several on a purple/yellow/chrome PWC lite and the normal PWC Seasick frog and Purple Tiger.
By noon the wind had died down to almost nothing and the bite died down as well, but when you drive 3 hours to fish you want to enjoy as much time on Erie as possible, so we had planned to stay most of the day. Well, apparently God had other plans for us, because by 1pm a cool northeast wind started blowing and increasing in intensity. The forecasters definitely got it wrong on that one! With whitecaps starting to form we decided to call it a day and were very thankful for the good day that we had.
Fishing with Frank and Ray…4/23/2026
Last night, before I went to bed, I looked at the forecast, and it was showing that fog would roll in around the islands around 9-10am, so I looked at the weather for Huron and Vermilion, and it showed no fog at all. I made the decision to head that way and told Frank and Ray I would pick them up at 5:15 in the morning.
When I got up and headed out to the back deck to check the weather, it was still showing the same forecast, so I felt confident I had made the right call. I hadn’t fished over there since the fall, so it was going to be starting from scratch. Especially, since I didn’t save any info on the Garmins from last year, and had new ones in this boat, with nothing on them. But that’s how I do it. I start fresh every year, so that I’m not fishing memories.
I picked up Frank and Ray, who will be here for the next 6 days, fishing out of Frank’s boat, and headed east. I was originally going to launch at Vermilion, due to reports of lots of mud and logs in the Huron River, but having driven that way the other day, and finding road construction (lots of barrels) between Huron and Vermilion, I decided to chance Huron and launch there.
We arrived at 5:40, and sunrise wasn’t going to be until 6:38, so we were very early. There was only one other boat there at the time, so after getting everything ready, we put the Vexus in the water. My plan was to just put-put down the river and let the sky lighten up a bit, so I could see any logs floating on top of the water. Luckily, there weren’t any in the main channel, but there were some off to the sides that were pretty big.
With it still pretty dark out, it was hard to see how muddy the water was near shore, but the marks were incredible, so we set up in 22 feet of water, and pulled cranks for about 20 minutes to a 1/2 hour. The sun was nearing the horizon, so I could finally see how muddy it was inside, and decided to pull everything and move over towards Vermilion, where I thought the water might be cleaner….it was.
Capt Sam, who runs the Pork Chop Express Charters, kindly gave me a starting point, and we took it from there. Thanks, Sam!
I won’t give any more details on the location, because it wasn’t mine to start with. I hope you understand. Just know, there’s fish all over the place. If you mark them…start fishing!
The sunrise was spectacular this morning! The air temp was in the low 60s, and there was very little to no wind. The water temp was 50 degrees.
I started with the program that worked for me at the islands the last time out, and made adjustments from there. To make a long story short, here is what worked for us.
Running behind Off Shore boards at a speed of 1.9-2.0mph on the FishHawk were…
“Bandits” on the port side…colors were:
“Khaki” at 120 back/unassisted (took the most fish this morning)
“Green Lantern” at 90 back (Slim Shady Custom)
“RC Crush” at 80 back (DJ Custom Eye Lures)
“IB Infected” at 50/24 2oz (DJ Custom)
“WalleyeX” “Brawlers” ran on the starboard side…colors were…
“Horizon” 50/27 2oz (second for taking most fish)
“Blue Shiner” 50/30
5 fish were caught on dipsies….3 fish came on the zero setting at 40 back, and 2 fish on the 3 setting at 60 back. BadMo Arrow spoon (smaller one) with green/black/chrome took the 3 on the zero setting, and a yeck spoon that DJ painted a bright blue belly on it for me, caught 2 fish on the 3 setting.
I’m very happy to see the spoons starting to work so early. I love fishing with dipsies. 🙂
We had our 18 fish in the cooler by 9:45 and headed in at a nice 38mph pace. The lake was pretty flat since there wasn’t any wind to speak of, so it was a nice ride in. I think Ray was napping on that ride, but I couldn’t tell behind his sunglasses…that’s how smooth the ride was.
There wasn’t a lot of boat traffic over there, like there is by the islands, so it was nice to not have my head on a swivel every few minutes.
Frank and Ray got their refresher training before their adventures begin tomorrow, and are now more confident heading out on their own again.
Tomorrow’s trip will start a little later than sunrise, because Steve and Jeremy are driving up from Columbus….and, well, Jeremy has no control over his dad’s tardiness. lol It is what it is….we still love him. 🙂
We will be launching out of Mazurik’s and finding new water to fish this time.
Stay tuned….
Capt Juls
Jigging off Turtle Creek
Buddy caught 3 walleye and a “huge” yellow perch jig fishing out off Turtle Creek Wednesday afternoon. He said it was slow.
Limit out of Meinke
Launched boat 1st time this year and set up about 3mi out on 20FOW
Trolled Bandits at 7-12 ft down at 1.3-1.5 mph any thing chrome and shiny
Got out 2 man limit in 3hrs and was back at the dock cleaning out fish 19-27″
No wind to speak of and no waves.
Hope to rinse and repeat tomarrow
Trolled Bandits at 7-12 ft down at 1.3-1.5 mph any thing chrome and shiny
Got out 2 man limit in 3hrs and was back at the dock cleaning out fish 19-27″
No wind to speak of and no waves.
Hope to rinse and repeat tomarrow
Worm harness only
So, this is my first trip up to the great lake this year. I left Dayton Ohio around 1:30 am and arrived the mazuriks boat ramp around 4:30am. I am a solo fisherman, so it was just me. I took out and fished the ese corner of Kelleys Island orienting ne/sw runs. I set out a rod with a worm harness and a bandit. Around 8am exactly, I got my first bite, but it just nipped the tail of the worm. So I pinched off a little and threw the rig back in. This time I was making a turn and the 23 inch walleye slammed it. Long story short, I caught onto a pattern where if you slowed down or raised your rod tip up and down periodically, That would really trigger the aggressiveness. These walleyes were following the rig and waited for it to deviate. I reeled in my bandit and put it away and and got out another worm harness. I fished it at a different depth than the other one and both caught fish. In 90 minutes, I had my limit. All fish were 19″ and up. Biggest was 24″. I was running about 1.7mph. Anything faster and no bites. This was a great day up on lake Erie.
Fishing with Jim (“Lumpy”) and Jacob…4/22/2026
After rescheduling the 3-day trip with some Nebraska fellows that were supposed to fish this past Monday, Tuesday, and today…I was able to pick up a trip for this morning.
Mother Nature has given us a reprieve, and it was supposed to be nice today through Friday, with winds coming back in on Saturday. I’m taking the weekend off, because my sister and brother-in-law are coming down from Wisco for the weekend, and I want to spend all my time with them. 🙂
The temperature when I went out to the back deck at 2am was in the high 50s, and the wind had settled down to almost nothing out of the WSW. It was looking to be a nice morning on the lake, and I was looking forward to it.
Jacob and his Dad Jim met me at Mazurik’s at 6:15, and we were in the water by 6:30. I decided to head to the east side of Kelly’s this time, because all the boats that had launched ahead of us were headed north up the middle, or to the north side of Kelly’s. I didn’t want to play bumper boats with them, so we headed east instead.
Mother Nature has given us a reprieve, and it was supposed to be nice today through Friday, with winds coming back in on Saturday. I’m taking the weekend off, because my sister and brother-in-law are coming down from Wisco for the weekend, and I want to spend all my time with them. 🙂
The temperature when I went out to the back deck at 2am was in the high 50s, and the wind had settled down to almost nothing out of the WSW. It was looking to be a nice morning on the lake, and I was looking forward to it.
Jacob and his Dad Jim met me at Mazurik’s at 6:15, and we were in the water by 6:30. I decided to head to the east side of Kelly’s this time, because all the boats that had launched ahead of us were headed north up the middle, or to the north side of Kelly’s. I didn’t want to play bumper boats with them, so we headed east instead.
As the Vexus approached the SE corner, the Garmin was marking plenty of fish. The sun was still below the horizon, so it was hard to tell what color the water actually was at the time, but the fish were there, and so were we, so I shut her down and deployed the FishHawk, Ulterra, and the baby Merc.
As the kicker and bow-mount worked in tandem…one pushing, and the other steering, a northerly course was set at a speed of 1.9 on the FishHawk. Speed Over Ground (SOG) would show 2.2mph.
Water temp was 49.5 on the surface and 50.7 down 18 feet, where the FH was hanging out.
I started with the program last used, which was the WalleyeX Renegades on the starboard side and Bandits on the port side, running behind Off Shore boards.
The Renegades ran both unassisted and assisted, with a “Craw” color running on the outside board unassisted at 100 back. The next in line was another “Craw” at 80 back.
The assisted Renegades were “Horizon” at 50/17 with 2oz and Blue Chrome at 50/30 2oz. (For those new to snap weights…this lingo means you put the weight on at the 50 mark, and then let out another 17 and 30 feet before putting the boards on. Total line out would be 67 and 80 feet).
The Bandits ran three unassisted and one assisted. Colors that caught were Blue Chrome at 50/27 2oz.
Fruit Dots (black-headed wonder bread) at 80 back
The Bandits were not doing as well as the WalleyeX baits, so eventually, we ended up swapping the Bandits out for more Renegades and put a few more fish in the box from that side of the boat. The program was the same.
It was by no means a fast bite, but we still caught our three limits. They had thrown two keepers back early, because I was sure we could catch more/bigger ones, and we ended up one short of our 3-person limit when we came in. Oops…lol
They didn’t mind, though, and were very happy with the day’s catch.
It was a very fun and relaxing morning. Those two picked on each other relentlessly, but it was all in good fun. They had driven in from MN and stopped to fish before heading to Maryland, where Jacob is stationed next. He got his Master’s in Electrical Engineering through the government, and has been reassigned out there. I can’t remember which branch he’s in, and I don’t want to misrepresent by guessing.
They have their own boat and wanted to learn how to use the inline boards, because they bought some and have all the trolling gear now, but just wanted to gain the knowledge and confidence to run a spread in their own rig. They accomplished that mission, and I have zero doubt that they will do just fine when they attempt it. They both did great with setting the boards out and bringing them in. We had zero tangles this morning, and they did most of the setting. I mostly just watched and gave advice. 🙂
They both said they learned a lot and had a great time, so my mission was accomplished, too.
Tomorrow, I have long-time customers, Frank Smith and Ray, who usually fish with me one day and then fish out of Frank’s boat for a few days following.
Friday, I have my longest customers, Steve and Jeremy Chapman. Steve was my very first customer when I started this venture 15 years ago. They’re more like family to me than “customers” after all these years, and I always look forward to fishing with them. 🙂
Stay tuned….
Capt Juls