Walleye Charter FAQ

What is a Drift/ Cast Walleye Charter like on Lake Erie?

A slower-paced and hands-on type of Lake Erie Walleye Charter fishing with an abundance of leisure time to enjoy friends, fishing and the Lake Erie Charter experience. It is one of our favorites, actually.

What is a trolling Charter on Lake Erie like?

Our Trolling techniques as a Lake Erie Walleye Charter includes a multitude of specialized equipment and practices. With inline planer boards as well as larger boat-mounted reels for “big board’s we deploy multiple lines at once. While targeting specific fish marks and different depths with an even wider variety of baits and color patterns. We like Spoons, Cranks, and Worm harnesses depending on the time of year. Your Captain and first mate will work with your crew and have you trolling in a short time. This is a team effort style of Lake Erie Walleye Charter that everyone will be involved in.  

In General terms- What is a Charter trip on Lake Erie Like?

Besides being the best thing since Sliced Bread? It is a great experience and one worth coming back for- every year or better yet, every fishable day! I’ve been fishing this lake for 30 years. Some days she sends you running for shore others she sends you home with a cooler full. Sharing time on and near Lake Erie is time well spent. We hope you will allow us to share this great resource with you and your crew.

What should you expect from the Charter operation, Captain & 1st Mate?

First and foremost, we supply you and your crew with a stable and reliable vessel with a small galley and restroom on board. Our Pro-Line 2950 is about 34 ft long pulpit to swim platform and over 10ft wide. We will always deal on the level and be honest with you and your crew. We will never intentionally put anyone in a risky situation, and we work diligently to be proactive about all matters of safety. We work hard to keep you and your crew safe, happy, and on the fish. We supply quality equipment and a clean and orderly vessel for your trip. This includes rod/ reel combos specifically tuned for casting, drifting, or Trolling depending on your trip choices. It is everything you should expect coupled with the hottest lures and rigs for you to use right from our secret stash. For Trolling Charters, we supply quality line counter reels and specific Trolling rods and equipment. We have cranks, spoons, and harnesses in all the best colors that are producing numbers of Lake Erie Walleye.

How do we catch Lake Erie Walleye?

Our method is trolling, casting, and drift fishing for Lake Erie Walleye using cranks, harnesses, weight forward spinners and mayfly rigs. The weight forward spinner is one of my favorites. I make some of our custom rigs by hand each year. I also really like Erie Deary “Weapons”. Don’t let them just drag bottom- unless you want to catch a big ol’ Lake Erie kitty-cat. We are here to fill your box with Lake Erie Walleye. However, if some Lake Erie Whiskers action is what you want, then you just might get what you ask for. Although- I do not personally catch and keep catfish, they are a blast to catch.

How does the Charter begin?

It all starts when you click the booking submission button. The site will send us an email to verify your dates are open. We verify our schedules and email/ call you to lock it in. Once the dates are locked in all you need to do is follow the link we send and pay the booking deposit (within 24 hrs please)

The trip starts hours before the sun comes up. The Captain has everything ready to go when you arrive at your scheduled time. After a quick safety briefing with you and your crew of guests, we depart the dock. We will make our way out of the marina fairway and into the channel, headed out the cut. It takes us about 3 minutes to get out to the main lake. With our location, we do not have to idle for 30 minutes or more in a NO WAKE ZONE just to get to the lake. We’re right at the entrance and you get to fish sooner! Then we’re up on plane, trimmed out, and headed for our starting point for the day. Hang on because it can be a bit sporty at times on Lake Erie but our boat is over 12,000 pounds and takes it very well. If you need a seat find one and just enjoy the ride. Once we arrive at the start point another quick how-to session if needed just like that- Fishing on Lake Erie.

How does the Charter find Walleye?

Sometimes we will scout an area for some time looking for good fish marks on sonar. We only want to fish in waters that seem to be holding active Walleye. This may take a moment to dial in- but this is a crucial step. For the Drift/ Cast charter we will employ a cast, countdown, and retrieve method. When you get a strike or catch a Walleye, we suggest to keep track of your count down. You may wish to share that info with your fellow crew members. Now- you are getting the hang of it.

For the Trolling Charters, we start much the same way as the Drift/ Cast Charter. However, we will deploy big boards and multiple lines at once. We may have 10 or more lines fishing different zones and continuously adjust the presentation until we are dialed in. This is a much more technical and slightly more advanced method that can be very productive.

What’s it like being on Lake Erie?

The first half-hour or so will be the most challenging, likely. You need to get your sea legs. Trust that you will find them and before long you will not even notice the rocking of the boat. But still be careful, obviosity. We suggest those with motion sickness consider taking Dramamine as directed. Ginger snacks may also be beneficial to sooth things out. The Captain or first mate will assist with rigging, baiting, and netting as needed. However, you should plan to be active in your pursuit for Lake Erie Walleye Greatness. All right- Let’s wet some lines!

Charter trip wrap up

We would like to invite your crew to display the day’s catch on our fish board for photos. After you may choose to clean your own catch. You may also send them over to the professionals. They will clean, prepare and bag your catch- ready for your trip home. We can help facilitate in any way we can. We hope that your trip was a great success and you will consider booking another trip with us. If you and your crew feel we provide exceptional service, gratuity is appreciated.

We want all of our guests to feel welcomed. We will do what is necessary to keep you safe and coming back for more.

-Capt. Joe