It used to be the heavyweight champion of northern smallmouth tournies, and guys would make runs from LSC to Erie for the bigger bag. Not the case this week...20 lb average could win it...Is this a trend?
It used to be the heavyweight champion of northern smallmouth tournies, and guys would make runs from LSC to Erie for the bigger bag. Not the case this week...20 lb average could win it...Is this a trend?
Just a shot in the dark, but time of the year?
Don't live there and never fished there.
Bigguns go deep in this heat following the schools of bait fish ,we hit many a big smallie trolling for walleyes out deep makes it hard to get them when they’re suspended and moving every day
Canada off limits?
Most guys making the run from LSC to Erie were fishing Canadian waters. The U.S./ Canadian boarder is closed and Canada is not allowing anyone to fish their waters unless you are Canadian. Some guys are getting refunds on their Canadian license which I’m surprise that they agreed to that. Canada is off limits for all tournaments at this time.Originally Posted by Bluegill22
August happened to Erie. Happens every year.
Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.
--Voltaire
The famed Erie smallmouths are in Ontario, PA and NY. They're fishing out of Sandusky Ohio. Ohio has no real closed season on smallmouths thus fewer fish.
The limits coming out of St. Clair are also smaller than what you would typically see if they were allowed to fish Canada. Rest assured that the fisheries are fine. The guys are just constrained a little bit.
Great response! Although it's opened our eyes (forced us) to trying new water as we fish St.Clair almost exclusively. In general, except this year, we would be in Canada as well. Less boat traffic and bigger fish. I think the same is in play for the Canadian shore on Erie. We find them more predictable on that side of the pond.
Beat to death no closed season to help spawning effort.....15 years ago there were zillions now .....
I’m surprised it’s fishing as well as it has. I’ll guarantee that if Canadian waters were open, that’s where 90% of the field would be fishing, and catching more/better fish. Having said that, catching 19 or 20 pounds a day [or more] in mid-August in very close inshore waters only is impressive. The tournament site is the shallowest end of Erie, and they’re restricted to mostly shallower waters. Those guys are really, really good. All those brown fish need to do in the latter part of summer is migrate offshore another 5-10 miles to get away from most of the typical fishing pressure, plus arrive in deeper, cooler water with greater expanses of productive reef structure. That’s where they are, although clearly the fishery isn’t nearly what it was 20-25 years ago, at least on the western end of the lake.
P.S. Not sure what is meant by “no closed season.” Closed every year until nearly the end of June.
John Clark — Findlay, Ohio
Yet, there are areas of Erie, like the central basin, that get much less fishing pressure compared to the western and eastern basins, but their smallie population is also down compared to 15 years ago. I think the explanation lies elsewhere.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Just wondering some of you locals that have fished Erie ... is the night bite good or does many fish it at night this time of yr?
I've always thought the goby boon had a down side. They are the perfect food for a smallmouth, and have fattened them tremendously. Down side is they eat smallmouth eggs as fast as they lay them. Way bigger fish in the great lakes now, but I think the population is dropping. Just my gut feeling.
I thought I had read something to that effect. But, I didn't want to post it without verifying it and I was tied up with something else at the time.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Frank Scalish on bass talk live this week forecasted almost the exact daily weights
He said that over the years all the tournaments have been relocating/taking the trophy size smallmouth from the US southern boarded in that area for years
Dangerous to run in daylight. I'm not going out at night. Better have radar.
I have not night fished Erie. But, many years ago a friend of mine did smallie fish at night in the spring in the Conneaut/Ashtabula area. He did not do well. However, he fished the deeper water than we normally fished in the daytime. I can’t help but think that the smallies go much shallower at night.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
As mentioned above Erie has changed, the days of finding a depth drifting and dragging a tube or drop shot for a quick 20lb bag are over. I don't know what role they play but it seems like there a million more drum in smallmouth areas. I'm not by any means a fishery biologist but i place the blame on the drum some how
Perhaps the fishing isn’t what it used to be (I’ve only been bass fishing Erie about twice a year for the past 8 years so I can’t say from personal experience) but it still beats the heck out of anywhere else in Ohio and many other places for that matter. I’ve always read the bass move off the late spring / early summer areas in July and August and require more experience to locate, and a number of members here also confirm that. Throughout June and into early July I’ve never had trouble locating good smallmouth, despite the fact that I’m not up there all the time, so I know a ton of good fish exist still.
This article says 122 boaters in the tournament weighed a 5-bass limit, so even if size was down a little that is still a lot of fish:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cle...outputType=amp
You’ll have to read past the current reports on the excellent walleye, perch, and steelhead fishing though to get to the bass part.
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