Walleye

An evening on Lake Erie

August 23, 2018 by coolwaterfish 1 Comment

Bryce’s first time on a boat

MARBLEHEAD, OH – As part of a family mini vacation to the familiar stomping grounds around Ohio’s central coastline, I thought I would take the opportunity to try Bryce’s ‘sea legs’ out. As much fishing as Bryce and I have done together, it’s never been from a boat. The fishing trip was somewhat short notice as I had randomly gotten an ad in my Facebook feed from Rock Harbor Cottages & Reef Bobber Charters that seemed perfect. It was offering a couple hours of evening fishing for a very reasonable rate. What better way to see how prone Bryce would be to sea-sickness?!, no huge investment if he was miserable, yet plenty of time for some fun if it went well.

Bryce is hooked up

A White Perch

Plenty of good sized Channel Catfish

I’m not even going to attempt to build suspense (okay maybe just a little because their was a big fish), everything exceeded all expectations! Weather was amazing, Bryce wasn’t sick at all, the fish were biting, and Captain Brad was fantastic. For a bit of a novelty type trip that wasn’t high dollar, I was amazed how hard the captain worked – some casting instruction for my son, would do a long cast and let him reel in, worked hard for his own hook ups and hand the rod to him, set the boat up multiple times for new drifts. All I can say is that I was impressed. I helped Bryce too, but admittedly haven’t been able to fish much, so I enjoyed that the Captain’s efforts allowed me to do a bit of fishing too. I had expected to need to be ‘hands on’ with Bryce the whole time.

Yep, there was a big fish story!

I’ve fished with professional anglers that have explained the editing process often used when they record fishing shows. I mean do you really think every time they do a show the best fish is magically caught in the last 5 minutes before the episode ends?! Well our trip really followed that format without any editing… we ended on a couple very high notes. As we all were satisfied that we had achieved our goal to simply go out and catch fish, whatever was biting regardless of species – we would be treated to a giant fish hookup. Bryce was already tired from bringing in many fish and this one would take everything out of him. After 5 minutes of gaining ground and then hearing the drag scream – he asked for some daddy help. I was happy to oblige as I really wanted to see what it was. I also will say I didn’t do any better than him at controlling the fish, but simply had the stamina to wear it down. When I was able to finally get it close enough to see, we all were I awe of the giant catfish. Captain Brad did an expert net job once I finally managed to get the feisty monster to come head first towards the boat. He also took some great photos for us. At 30″, I don’t recall ever catching a Channel Catfish any bigger and certainly none more memorable!

Bryce checking out my Walleye before release

After the big fish, we were pretty much ready to head back to dock. In yet a another unexpected blessing, I felt the tug of a fish and a completely different feeling fight. I was kind of glad Bryce was tired so I got to bring in the decent sized Walleye. A cool toothy fish was a great end to the night and Bryce wasn’t too tired to steal some glory with a picture with it.

Pure happiness

I know this post isn’t about filling a cooler full or tasty Walleye or Perch… or even targeting the amazing sport fishery of Smallmouth Bass that Lake Erie offers. This really was a more personal post regarding a father getting to see his son catch fish on the beloved big pond and hopefully shaping memories of a great childhood. I hope one day he will have more days fishing on the lake that he could ever count or recall – but would know the first time.

The elusive full family photo

My daughter had well established before the trip that she was not interested in going on a boat yet. At 4, just a little scared despite loving the water. I was thrilled that she was willing to get on the boat at pick up, a good first step. It also gave me the chance to get all of us in a picture.

Filed Under: Fishing Tagged With: Channel Catfish, Lake Erie, Reef Bobber Charters, Walleye

First kayak outing of 2018, with a memorable catch

May 5, 2018 by coolwaterfish 2 Comments

LORAIN, OH – I always say, “it just takes a single bite to change a day”. That was exactly the case on my first kayak outing of 2018 on Cinco de Mayo. I woke up to a forecast that demanded I hit Lake Erie (only slight wind and out of the SW) and the only decision would be whether I wanted to hit a regular launch location or try somewhere new. After combing through info on some kayak fishing groups on Facebook, I settled on heading to Lorain.

A couple photos of what I consider one of my best kayak catches to date!

I would launch at a small un-groomed beach next to Jackalope Lakeside. This area was familiar to me from shore fishing on the Mile long Pier, but I had never taken the kayak out anywhere near here. As I was running a little bit late, I somehow managed to leave my paddle leash at home, a minor annoyance but the type of distraction that can mentally start making you assume it will be a bad trip. Nonetheless, I found myself trolling two crankbaits by 4:15 p.m. with all the hope and optimism that had been stored from the long winter.

After an hour with no action, I began to do some free fishing with a variety of tactics employed. This resulted in nothing more than a few Round Gobies picking at some nightcrawlers when I tried live bait. I suppose this lack of success was a good thing as it prompted me to return to trolling the crankbaits. After resetting for trolling, it only took a couple minutes before the rod on my right side suddenly bent in half. The rod didn’t bounce, it just quickly had weight on it. I was worried that it actually had just become hung up on something but once in hand I could feel the movement of a fish. As I played the fish closer to the boat, I could see in the clear water it was a Walleye! I suspected from the fight style, it was, but there was nothing like the confirmation when my eyes saw it. I managed to get it netted on the first attempt, and overall from strike to landing everything was smooth. Just the way you like it on a good fish.

The relief of seeing the fish in the net

As most people know, I am a huge fan of catching ‘rough fish’. I can’t help but mention that I felt good about my credibility as kayak angler by catching this fish. For nearly everyone around here, if you are on Lake Erie, this is the target and generally accepted as the most coveted sport/food fish. While I’m not the type to be overly consumed with what people think of me or my angling ability, it mattered to me to get this fish, maybe because I needed to prove it to myself.

While the fish looks small, I love this photo showing the entire kayak (Photo credit John Peden)

In a rare moment of luck, there was a photographer on the pier that looked eager to get good subject matter for some photos. I yelled out asking if he would take a few fish pictures for me, and he obliged. After exchanging contact information, I was treated to some really nice images that just made a great day even better. I remain appreciative that the memory of the day was uniquely captured by this chance encounter. Thank you John Peden! (view his Instagram here)

Parting shot (Photo credit John Peden)

Look for me to return to this destination soon as I hope to build upon my initial success!… maybe a larger fish or multiple keepers or God willing, BOTH!

Filed Under: Fishing, Kayak Fishing Tagged With: Lake Erie, Walleye

Cleveland kayak fishing… again

July 15, 2017 by coolwaterfish Leave a Comment

CLEVELAND, OH – I had so much fun that was documented on the last post… I had to go back and do it again! Sure enough, plenty of cooperative fish with multiple Walleye, Rock Bass, Freshwater Drum, and even a Common Carp caught. There really isn’t any additional commentary to add, just that I enjoy this venue a lot. There is a substantial amount of boat and wave runner traffic, but this setback does not outweigh the good fishing and neat urban environment.

A freshwater bonefish, AKA Carp from the Lake Erie near shore

A small Rock Bass at the marina

Lots of small throwback Walleye in the lake this year

This Walleye went 14″, the best of the day, but still not a keeper

The pictures speak for themselves at how fun of a day it was, but I did want to acknowledge one thing I noticed. My PFD was not on. I was fishing very close to shore and was hot, most often I do wear my PFD and would always recommend that. I can assure everyone the PFD was right behind me, not even an arms length away.

Filed Under: Fishing, Kayak Fishing Tagged With: Cleveland, Common Carp, Lake Erie, Rock Bass, Walleye

Cleveland shoreline fishing, from the kayak

June 3, 2017 by coolwaterfish 2 Comments

CLEVELAND, OH – One of the top things on my ‘to do’ list after getting into kayak fishing was to get to the downtown Cleveland area to fish the shoreline and near shore waters of Lake Erie. For whatever reason, I just hadn’t made this a reality. I guess I’m a creature of habit and usually end up launching off Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio. Nonetheless, I am happy to report my first trip to fish downtown is in the books. Of course, I am now kicking myself for not doing this sooner as it was a lot of fun.

The energy of the area was downright awesome. There was some kind of festival with live music and the unbelievable smell of barbecue. I watched a steady stream of people posing with the iconic script Cleveland sign. A short way from there, a high school band prepared for a performance while the flag corp. rhythmically practiced their routine. All this to entertain, while fishing!

Being true to my craft of multi species fishing, no matter how interesting, new, or exciting a venue is, it still is all about the fish. The fishing itself was a series of highs and lows. I won’t ever complain about fishing if I am catching, and plenty of fish were caught. I will start with the lows so I can end with the good stuff. So here it goes; my goal was to target Smallmouth Bass – I threw tubes for hours with none caught, I only carried two rods and early into the excursion one was lost to the lake – a reminder to tether or have a float as I had to fish one rod all day, I fought and landed the largest drum of my life, well over the elusive 30″ mark – only to have it swim out of the net before a single photo. For most, those might not seem all that horrible, but for me were rather depressing. Probably the least big deal for most would be the drum, yet that was my biggest disappointment of the day. I plan to a post about that single fish, as it is deserving of a story.

The photos above represent the fishing high points of the day. Easily the most noteworthy catch was my first ever Walleye from the kayak. It wasn’t quite a keeper, but the simple fact it was a Walleye, was awesome. The next fish worth noting was a Largemouth Bass, not that it had any considerable size, but rather the fact I got something even anything, to bite on tubes that I desperately threw for hours trying to get a Smallmouth. Finally, a 26 3/4″ Fish Ohio Award Freshwater Drum for my first award sized fish of the year. Never knowing how often I can fish, getting the first is important to receive each year’s unique pin.