Jumbo Perch Moving through the Channel.

The large jumbo perch are schooled up on both sides of the channel leading from Presque Isle Bay to Lake Erie.  Today I decided to try the North Pier and was not disappointed.  Quickly after getting there I put 4 jumbos in the bucket.  The current was strong and difficult to fish.  I managed to put 11 fish in the bucket; 8 jumbos and 3 about 8 inches or so.  I let a lot of smaller perch go today.  My friend Randy who was using larger minnows than mine, caught 6 real big fish 12 to 13 inchers. 

For the first time in my life I had something strange happen.  I hooked a big smallmouth bass and when pulling it in, noticed that I also had a perch on!  I have caught a ton of doubles of perch but never a perch and a bass at the same time.  And, this bass was no runt.  It was at least 17 inches.  Thanks Randy for netting and releasing it back to get a little bigger.

I also caught a large rock bass today so the warmer water fish have begun to hit.  We probably only have a few more weeks of good perch fishing left before the fish move out into the deeper Lake Erie.  Get out there and catch some!  Good Luck!

Good Perch Fishing in Presque Isle Bay

Today the wind was blowing stiff out of the west.  This afternoon it became cloudy and dark with a little bit of sprinkles.  The fish were biting pretty well off of the Border Patrol where my brother, my friend Rob, and I fished for a few evening hours.  Rob caught some nice jumbos again.  I caught quite a few fish.  I kept 9 fish and my brother kept 3.  I threw back about a half dozen.  The perch fishing has been pretty good so far this spring.  Look for it to really pick up over the next two weeks as spawning fish spawn and then feast.  Good Luck fishing!  I will be going back after them early next week.

Cold Presque Isle Bay Temperatures are Keeping Perch from Leaving.

Yesterday was blustery, windy and cold and I still got up to go fishing with my friend Rob (RobFishErie blog).  The wind was pretty strong out of the east and the rain must have been just above freezing.  We decided to try off of the Border Patrol one last time to see if the fish were still holding there.  The fishing was slow but the fish we caught were large.  Rob caught a 14 incher, and a couple just under that.  My five fish were also nice sized (a fisherman gave me two). We must have fished about five hours to catch this many fish so we think that the fish are moving out towards the piers.  Also, they appear to be done spawning so this week should be hot as the spawned out fish gorge themselves to regain the energy they spent spawning.  Gotta go for now, this afternoon is nice and the fish are gonna bite!  Come on back and see how I've done!  Good Luck!

Perch Fishing In Presque Isle Bay

Today I saw a break in the weather and decided to do a little afternoon fishing for perch.  Fishing pressure was light as storms just passed and the weather was improving.  It did not take me long to start catching fish.  I caught three nice perch within a half hour or so and then the weather took a turn for the worst.  It must have dropped about 10 degrees and the wind started blowing hard out of the east. 

I did not catch any fish for about an hour and then the weather started improving again.  The wind subsided and the waves calmed down.  The fish started biting again and I fished for a couple more hours.  I was pleased to have my brother John with me and he caught two nice perch.  I ended up keeping eight fish for a total of 10 in the bucket.  I only threw back three fish today so most of them were nice fish.  My friend Rob showed up too.  And soon he caught a few nice fish.  All in all it was a good afternoon of fishing.  The perch seem to be cooperating from Liberty Pier to the channel.  I heard a report that the fish have moved into the channel and are being caught off of the south pier now.  I have not fished the south pier yet so I cannot verify this.  I like to invite all of my friends and family to go fishing.  So far, my friend Mike has not gone and Randy won't go until it hits 60 degrees.  Now is the time to catch jumbo perch from shore so get those poles ready and give it a shot!  Good luck fishin"

Perch Showing Up in Bay

This morning I got up before light and headed out to the Public Dock.  The fish I was after was perch and the fishing pressure was very light due to high winds and black clouds.  Shortly after setting up, I hooked a small perch.  I caught two more small perch and then I caught a nice one.  I ended up catching another nice one and two more small ones before literally getting blown off the dock.  A storm moved in extremely fast and drenched me before I could even get my lines out of the water.  I was soaked by the time I got back to the car but hey, at least I did not go home skunked:)  Good luck fishing!