Fishing Seasons

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Walleye : End of March – November

Perch : August – November

Smallmouth Bass : August - November

Jig Fishing
Starting out in late March and going through the beginning of May, we start jig fishing for some exceptional hot walleye fishing. Sometimes I need to only go out of Port Clinton 1- 2 miles. Other times I will fish the near-by reefs.  It is not uncommon to catch 100  walleye per day.  This is one of my favorite times to fish.  Through my 35-plus years of experience, I know where to go.  I may start the day out on top of the reefs until the crowds of hungry walleye fisherman show up.  Then I use my knowledge of different contour breaks and structures to find fish and keep you catching walleye.  Usually you need to stay away from lots of boats to consistently catch walleye. Usually this time of year, you will see fish in the 2-6 pound range.  If you want to catch a trophy walleye, you need to come and fish with me in the fall, out of Channel Grove Marina, in Marblehead, Ohio and fish the Central Basin and Canadian waters.

Casting For Walleye
Starting out in the first part of May, I will transition into casting for walleye depending on water temperature.  This is my bread and butter. I usually use a gold weapon which I make myself.  Other colors are available, but day in and day out, I usually use gold. Also the old weight forward baits still work, but overall the weapons seem to work best.  At this time of year the walleye come off the spawn and move out into the deeper water.  As I mentioned before, to have consistent walleye fishing you need to stay away from the hordes of boats.  Here again, I use my experience and knowledge of Lake Erie to keep you on the fish.  A lot of time you will find many boats fishing in an area days after I start fishing there.  My knowledge of casting techniques are sure to make you are successful.  I will fish in the back of the boat with you to make sure you are catching fish and to help you. 

Perch Fishing
Starting in August, the perch heat up.  While you can catch perch year-round because the perch are dispersed over the whole lake, starting in August the perch start schooling in huge numbers and are easy to catch.  Perch can be caught into the fall as long as you can stand the weather to fish for them.  I move the boat to Channel Grove Marina in Marblehead, Ohio because of the big walleye and the excellent perch fishing. You can take 30 perch per day.  To catch the perch, we anchor up on a school and use emerald shiners on the bottom to catch our limit.  Most days we will catch your limit of perch and usually can catch some nice walleye also.

Late Summer and Fall fishing out of Chanel Grove Marina, Ohio
In the late summer and fall (usually the end of July), I run the boat out of Channel Grove Marina in Marblehead, Ohio.  The perch and trophy walleye fishing can be great.   While others will tell you that you can catch trophy walleye in the spring, the best time is usually in the fall to have a chance at catching a big walleye (8-12 lbs.).  While some springs you get a shot at some pre-spawn walleye, this is usually through the ice or a couple of days before the spawn happens.  In my experience I have found that the best opportunity to catch a trophy walleye happens in the fall and my catch records show this.

In addition to the trophy walleye fishing in the fall out of Channel Grove Marina in Marblehead, Ohio  the perch fishing is second to none. 

Fall Combination Trips
A lot of the time I will recommend that you do a combination perch and walleye trip in the fall. We will usually start out for perch and after we get our limit, we will start walleye fishing.  A limit of perch is the rule in the fall, usually it will take us 1-4 hours to get your limit.  If at any time you want to start on walleye, we can do this.

I usually start out on perch because I have found out that the walleye usually bite better in the afternoon than in the morning in the fall.  This is completely different than in the summer months when I like to be out on the water at sun up for the walleye.