January 3. 2018 Ice Conditions on Presque Isle Bay in Erie Pennsylvania

The ice on Presque Isle Bay is getting thick enough to fish and one brave soul ventured out today at the foot of Chestnut.  The following video was shot at the Liberty Docks and shows cloudy but well covered ice.  I would give it two days.  By January 5th it should be good but use caution and test thickness.

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Lake Erie Perch Schools are Primarily Mixed Age Classes

Recently, I went out fishing on my friend Rob's boat and we have been doing pretty well on perch.
This year, we seem to be catching more White Perch than in other years.  Also, the age classes of the Yellow Perch seem to be mixed.

There are quite a few smaller fish mixed in with the jumbos.  Here is a video of our latest Lake Erie trip.  We caught quite a few Yellow Perch and White Perch.  My friend Rob also caught an extraordinary double that you can see in the video.  Good luck fishing!

2013 Ice Fishing Season Underway

Today, I headed out to Presque Isle for a scouting expedition.  This past week has been cold and I ventured out to see how thick the ice is, and to see if anyone was catching any fish. 

The ice in Misery Bay which is on Presque Isle is pretty safe.  It appears to be about 5 inches of good clear ice and a lot of fisherman were on it today.  The fisherman I talked to were catching quite a few bluegill but I suspect that a few crappies are being caught also. 

Ice fisherman were also seen off of the foot of Chestnut and off of the second parking lot on Presque Isle.  The ice at both places looked a little sketchy to me so I did not venture out on it.  I like ice to be 5 or 6 inches before I am comfortable.  All it takes is falling through one time and it changes your perception about ice fishing.  Sure, it is lots of fun.  But it is also important to be very safe and comfortable while you are doing it.  When I fell through the ice, there was no warning.  The ice did not crack nor shake; I took one step and then the next thing I know I was flailing for my life.  Luckily for me a couple friends were behind me and pulled me out with a big stick.  Falling through the ice is no picnic and everyone going out on the ice should be prepared in case you hit a spot that is thin and go crashing through.  It is always a good idea to go with someone and carry a big towel and change of clothes in your vehicle.  Also, be sure that you have those fancy hand picks that you can use to drive into the ice if you go through.  They will keep you up and can help you crawl out onto safer ice.

I filmed a short video today and you can see it at my youtube channel: JeffTom66.  Over the next few months I am going to be filming quite a few videos so please stop by and subscribe.  May your lines be tight and your hooks be happy!

Jumbo Perch Around Piers.

Today my cousin and I ventured down to the South Pier just after sunup and were attempting to catch some jumbo perch. The current in the channel was really strong making fishing difficult. We moved out to the end of the pier and in about 15 minutes I caught a whopper of a perch. A big fat 12 incher. My cousin then caught one of the smallest perch I have ever seen caught:) We had a couple more bites within the next half hour but by 9:00 am forget it, the bite was off and the wind began to really pick up.

One other fisherman caught 3 nice perch and that was about it for today at the South Pier. The nice perch are moving in with the colder water temps and there should be some good days coming up before ice starts forming. Good luck fishing the piers and make sure you bring enough weight to keep your bait in the water if the current is like today.

Fishing Improves for Local Panfish.

The cooler temperatures and more stable fronts have the fish biting pretty well. Last Friday my cousin and I caught 15 nice bluegill and 1 crappie off of the south pier. Other fisherman were doing equally well and the past couple days the fishing is improving. On Monday, there were a few fisherman catching quite a few crappies during the evening hours. I saw a gentlemen with about 15 average sized crappies.

The North Pier at Presque Isle is heating up. Yesterday, I watched a couple fisherman reeling in crappies one after another. And the best part is that they are pretty big. One fish caught was about a 12 incher. As the water temperature drops a couple of degrees, the fishing should remain good to excellent. If you are fishing the piers and not catching any fish be sure to move around and try to find a school. Some people are not catching any and 50 feet away they are killing them. Good Luck! It's time for me to go fishin'.

Silver Bass Showing Up

The past couple days I went for a walk on the South Pier to see how the fishing was. I did not fish but rather just walked around and watched others having fun. The weather has been pretty unpredictable with storms and then breaks. In between the breaks, I saw one guy all the way at the end of the pier reeling in nice sized silver bass one after another. He was using white plastic shads and the fish seemed to like what they saw. Another fisherman across the pier hooked into a nice sized channel catfish. It was probably around 26 inches. Pesky gobies were also being caught on worms.

Time flies and in a month or so, steelhead will once again be moving into the shallow waters in preparation for their fall runs. I talked to one fisherman who said he has been catching small ones already off of Trout Run at night. Sounds a little early to me but it is possible. Happy fishin'.