Beautiful Night at South Pier.

I decided to fish for an hour or so before dark and went to the south pier where the perch have recently been biting.  The water was very calm and it was a beautiful evening to spend fishing.  The air temperature was in the 70's so I just sat there without needing a coat.   I fished for about  half hour or so without a bite and then I caught a huge goby.  Five minutes later I caught my first rock bass of the season and it was very large.  A couple minutes after catching the rock bass I caught a nice sized perch and then it was too dark to see my poles.  Most fisherman tonight had a couple fish but a couple had quite a few.  Also, it appears that the fisherman on the North Pier are doing better than the fisherman on the south side.  I watched them catch quite a few fish.  Good luck this weekend!

Slow Perch Day.

This morning was cold with a strong breeze from the north.  You know what they say?  If the wind is from the north do not venture forth.  That phrase was very correct this morning.  The south pier was lined up with fisherman hoping to catch some tasty Lake Erie Yellow Perch. 

Most guys left with nothing but a chill from off the lake.  I caught 1 fish and it was a good one (11 inches).  The guy next to me caught 4 fish, all keepers, and thanks to him I left with 5 fish in my bucket.  Everybody else that showed up early did pretty poorly and most early risers took off before I left at 8:30 am. 

Well, everyday can't be a great fishing day so maybe next time I go I will catch more.  Happy Hookin'

Cold Morning with Little Success.

It was a brisk morning and one in which I should have dressed warmer.  Nevertheless, the bite was short today.  The first fish I caught right after sunup was a very nice perch around 10 1/2 inches.  Then I caught 3 dinks and then another nice fish that was a little bigger than the first one.  I caught one more dink by 8:00 am and decided to quit around 9.  Two keepers are better than none.  Maybe I will catch more Wednesday.  Happy Hooking!

Perch Still Hanging Around in Bay.

This morning was clear and not too cold (about 48 degrees).  The bite was very short and fast.  By 6:45 am it was mostly over.  I kept two nice perch which were 9 and 11 inches.  I threw back a half dozen or so ranging from 5 to 8 inches.  I caught another small steelhead today but no big ones. 

Today I saw the first smallmouth bass of the season.  A gentleman beside me caught the 17 1/2 incher on a jig and boy was she full of eggs.  Yesterday right after I left, a fisherman supposedly hooked into a very large northern pike and had it up to the surface before it shook his hook. 

When you are fishing in the bay this time of year you never know what you are going to hook into.  I think with the weather changing tomorrow it may be a good day to fish.  Perhaps I will get up early again and head out.  Happy Hookin'

An OK Morning of Perch Fishing

This morning was calm and cold.  A slight breeze from the east had little effect on the bay and waves were nonexistent.  Right after light, the fish were biting again.  I quickly caught two fish about 8 1/2 inches and then I caught 5 small ones that I threw back and a 9 inch steelhead that I tossed back to get bigger.  I caught two more perch about the same size as the first keepers and that was it for the day.  After 6:45 am I had very few bites and did not catch any more fish.  The bite was early this morning and did not last long.  Four keepers though will have me thinking about heading out again tomorrow.  Happy Hooking!

Perch Hitting Well in Presque Isle Bay.

The weather was cold and rainy this morning but the Bay was like glass.  There was a small breeze out of the south to start the morning.  I set up in the dark and it did not get light too quickly.  After fishing for about 15 minutes without a bite, I thought that today was going to turn out to be a skunking.  But then, my pole started bouncing and I heaved in a nice perch.  The next half hour I could only fish with 1 pole as the fish were biting almost as soon as the bait hit bottom.  I caught about 15 fish today and threw back 6.  The keepers were all  nice fish from 8 to 11 inches.  Once again, I saw a few jumbos caught and all the fisherman today had decent catches. 

The bite today was totally over by 9 am.  I am starting to think that there are so many minnows in the bay that the feeding fish quickly get stuffed and then they are done eating for the day.  It pays to roll out of bed when it is dark and get out there before the fish shut their mouths.  Happy Hooking!

Perch Fishing Improving in Bay.

I set up in the dark this morning and right after light the bite was on.  I quickly caught 10 fish within the first 45 minutes, and the nice thing was that 7 of them were keepers.  Then it was like someone flicked the off switch.  The wind shifted from the south to the west and waves kicked up to about 1 footers.  Still not bad fishing conditions but for some reason the fish did not like it as well. 

I didn't have another bite within the next hour but a couple nice fish were being caught and the weather was not too bad so I decided to fish a little longer (plus the price of minnows is outrageous now so I gotta get my money's worth:).   Then I caught my two biggest fish of the day on a double to the applause of the other fisherman on the pier.  A few minutes later I caught a steelhead fry (about 6 inches) and then a few minutes after that I caught my last perch of the morning. 

The perch I caught today were nice sized fish ranging from 8 1/2 inches to 11 1/2 inches.   I kept 10 and had the most out of about 10 fisherman.   I did not catch the biggest fish, though.   A fisherman right next to me caught a big bullhead (15 or 16 inches), and a bigger drum which was the first one I've seen this season.

Here is how the other fisherman around me did.  One had 4 nice perch, One had 5 nice perch, and all the other guys had 2 or 3 when I left.   A few of the perch I saw were jumbo class (12 to 14 inches). 

I appeared to be the luckiest guy today but I have had my days of catching zip while others reeled them in.  Just the luck of the draw.  Happy Hooking!

Slow Day of Perch Fishing

Today I headed out to the bay in pursuit of jumbo perch.  There was a stiff southern wind so the water was calm.  The first half hour of light I caught 5 small perch and then the next few hours I caught 3 more small perch.  Did not bring home any jumbos today.  I talked to a couple friends, as well as, another fisherman who were going from place to place trying to locate fish.  Today, no one was doing well perch fishing.  Some days they just don't bite.  Will be heading out next week.  Good luck fishin' 

Perch Starting to Bite in Bay

Went Perch fishing today in the bay with friend Rob Cocina (FishRoberie blog).  We caught a bunch of dinks and I managed to catch only 1 keeper.  Saw a few nice perch caught but the size is primarily small.  Still waiting for the Lake Erie Jumbo Perch to come into the bay.  Going out again tomorrow, hopefully, will have better luck.  If you are heading out perch fishing stay in the bay as the piers are striking out so far.  Good luck fishin'